Stripes and lettering etc
Both stick on vinyl and painted stripes/lettering HAVE to be applied to a chemically clean surface (no wax, silicones), and definitely not if the surface still beads water. Therefore NO Silkenseal or Swax. Although one person has applied to well cured Mirror Hard (that is mostly resin), I think that good clean gelcoat surface is best, ESPECIALLY whenb applying stick on letering where even acetone wiping is required. I agree with the previous post that paint is nicer than stick on and is easier to remove or modify, Previous use of IG cleaners will not interfere with paint adhesion and will not cause "fish eyes" . In fact years ago, I used them to remove old varnish before refinishing my cabin sole. However, because most older gelcoat is porous and will have absorbed some wax/silicone, as a precaution, you should always use always use a "grease and wax remover (auto paint store) or 3M adhesive remover (contgains Xylene/Toluene). When well cured you should be able to use Mirror Hard SUperglaze (new boats, painted boats) to protect the lettering. or Simply Briliant (or any other wax) over an older boat.. Our new versions of both the SB Superwax and MH Superglaze are now much faster setting and come with a catalyst for even faster setting. This eliminates previous slow setting/dirt problems in less than ideal (colder) conditions. Sorry for the delay in replying but still in the SF Bay area after the Sail Expo at Oakland. If you were there, you would have seen our new instructional video. When I get back we are going to post on the internet (only finished day before the show!). Hope this was of some help Jim W
