what do i need to wet sand my boat
Our examination of aggressive rubbing compounds for heavily oxidized fiberglass hulls too gave the states an opportunity to await at the tools and techniques involved in resuscitating a neglected hull. Although this can be tedious piece of work, it is one of those jobs, like varnishing, that offers instant gratification. The fruits of your labor-unlike that new sanitation hose you sweated over terminal autumn-are apparent to everyone.
Restoring former gelcoat is a matter of degrees. Youll need to audit the health of your gelcoat and decide which solution is best for you lot. If restoring the hull requires moisture-sanding or rubbing compound, the full general rule is to start with the least aggressive approach. But when its obvious that you are making no progress with an abrasive textile (either sandpaper or compound) should you move upwardly to more aggressive media.
If the gelcoat is deeply scratched, gouged, or looking sparse in some areas, it may be fourth dimension to sand and paint the hull (Applied Sailor covers hull pigment:December 2012, February 2011, Baronial 2009). Call back that gelcoat is only a thin layer to begin with-it varies from gunkhole to gunkhole, and its thinnest at the bow, corners, and curves-and an ambitious buffing compound may accept that layer down to fiberglass. Using a gelcoat restorer (July 2011) is another option, just be aware of their pros and cons.
If oxidation and small scratches are your problems, a rubbing chemical compound system (followed by a wax) should be enough to restore shine. However, if the rubbing chemical compound is getting you nowhere (try a test patch), and after washing the rubbed expanse, the oxidation is even so visible, its time to moisture-sand the hull. Assuming, of form, y'all've got enough gelcoat to sand.
Follow the moisture sand with a fast-cut, coarse-dust rubbing compound. This can be followed by a medium- or fine-grit compound; if the boat is less than three years quondam or the oxidation is merely mild, you can get straight to a medium- or fine-grit compound. Follow the compounds with a smoothen and a good boat wax (September 2010 and July 2009) similar Collinite's No. 885 Fleetwax. A good wax will help protect the hull, so you wont accept to vitrify and so aggressively in the future.
Boat Buffing Techniques and Tips
Moisture sanding: Start with 600- to 800-grit wet-dry sandpaper. Pros nosotros talked with prefer Sunmight, 3M, and Mirkasandpapers; they don't load upwardly as quickly and last longer. While you can wet-sand by manus using a rubber block, we suggest using a pneumatic or electric, dual-action (DA) orbital sander to make the job faster. Nelson Roberts of Atlantis Boatworksin Sarasota, Fla., showed us his coveted sander, a pricey device made by Mirka, which has developed an culling to pneumatic and heavy electric tools. 3M recommends finish sanding with 1500-grit because its easier to buff out a 1500-grit scratch then an 800-grit 1. Exist sure to go on the hull wet. If youre sanding by hand, soak the sandpaper in a bucket of fresh water until youre ready to use it. Exist very careful at the hull corners and the elevation of the topsides where gelcoat is usually the thinnest.
If youre using an electric sander, mist the hull surface with a spray bottle. Mix a few drops of dish detergent in the water to go on the hull or newspaper evenly wet and keep it wetter longer. Rinse the surface often to wait for potential burn-through areas, and look at information technology from several angles. Yous tin use a window squeegee to quick dry out the surface afterwards a rinse to get a low-glare look at the gelcoat. Exercise not apply circular movements. Wet-sand until the hull has an fifty-fifty dullness, a matte finish; so rinse with fresh water.
Compounds: Apply the compound generously to the buffing pad, go on it moisture, and go slowly. If you don't feel any drag on the pad, and its sliding around during awarding, its time to clean or change the pad. Scrape it and add more product-a star tool or a screwdriver can help clean a loaded pad-or modify the pad. After applying the compound, wipe off excess with a clean rag; if its difficult to wipe off, you can moisture the area with fresh h2o, and so wipe.
Compounding Tools
A successful refinishing chore is the result of using the correct products and the right tools. We recommend using a motorcar polisher for applying rubbing compound. In PS Editor Darrell Nicholson's previous blog post, Waxing and Polishing Your Gunkhole, he talked about a few tools, including the one he uses for big jobs: the DeWalt DW849,a Dewalt variable-speed polisher . (By the way, if you havent checked out that blog post yet, your probably should. It is the mother-of-all-fiberglass restoring posts, with some bully links.)
For the buffing compound exam, we took a cue from local pros and used a Shurhold 3100 variable-speed electric polisher. The 3100 is lightweight, has six speeds, an adjustable D handle, and an optional side handle. With the 3100, first with information technology set on 3 or 4 (3 is roughly 1500 RPM); add speed for a shinier finish. 3M recommends running a buffer at 1500-1800 RPM. The Mirka tool is speed sensitive when buffing, and so for the all-time gloss, start at a boring speed, grind in the compound well, and then move to a faster speed to terminate. To get to tight, small areas, utilize an bending-drill with 3-inch pads, which Mirka makes. For a detailed look at other options for buffer/polishers, bank check out Waxing and Polishing Your Boat.
Wool buffing pads are better than cream or cotton because they concur the rubbing compound meliorate. Quality pads can terminal years. To reuse a buffing pad, launder it in a clothes washing machine using warm h2o; we advise doing this at the laundromat. Follow with a load or 2 of rags to soak up any possiblecompound residue. Also, Shurhold makes a specialty buffing pad cleaner, the Serious Pad Cleaner, which we reviewed in the April 2014Chandlery.
Source: https://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/the-pros-guide-to-restoring-gelcoat
0 Response to "what do i need to wet sand my boat"
Enregistrer un commentaire