Duratec Clear Hi-Gloss Gel Coat Additive

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Get a superior finish, add quality, and save time and labor for your composite parts. Blend #1040-B Hi-Gloss Additive with gel coats for repairs, or upgrade the surface of molds or parts. Here's why:

1) Low Porosity - When used for repairs, blending the additive with gel coat produces a low porosity surface.

2) Reduce Orange Peel - The low viscosity of the blend results in a smooth finish that is easily sanded.

3) Improved properties - For mold surfaces, the blending of the additive with tooling gel coat creates a higher heat distortion temperature, improved gloss retention, increased impact resistance, and reduced subsurface porosity.

4) Superior Finish - When blended one-to-one with gel coats, the additive creates an air cure, enamel-like coating. No air-dry additive is required. When used for gel coat repair, surfaces are restored to like-new condition.

Use with Plugs

Surface Product Preparation

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Starting from a correctly shaped and dimensionally stable plug, sand the entire surface with a coarse sandpaper (80-120 grit), making sure to feather in puttied and filled areas. Wipe the sanded surface with a fast solvent and a clean white cloth or paper towel. Do not use a tack rag.

Thoroughly stir Duratec Polyester Surfacing Primer in the can prior to catalyzing. Due to the rapid gel time of the primer, mix only the amount that can be applied within 16 to 18 minutes. (Higher temperatures yield a shorter pot life and gel time, while lower temperatures yield a longer pot life and gel time.) Catalyze at 2% with MEKP catalyst. If necessary, thin 10 to 30% with a fast acrylic lacquer thinner after catalyzation to achieve a desired spray viscosity.

Item	Description
Sandpaper	Using consecutively finer grades of sandpaper on the surface of a part or mold will allow fabricators to create a class A finish with which to work. Fibre Glast sells packages of 5, 25, and 50 sheets each.
Duratec Gray Surfacing Primer	Remember, due to the rapid gel time of this primer, only mix the amount that can be applied within 16 to 18 minutes.
MEKP	Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide, or MEKP, is mixed with your surfacing primer in order for it to harden. Typically, Duratec polyester surfacing primer will require a mixture of 2% MEKP in order to catalyze.
Duratec Thinner	Duratec thinner can be added to any Duratec product to enhance the flow and leveling properties of the material.

Application Conditions

The surface should be clean, dry, and free from oil, grease, wax, or other contaminants. Ambient temperature should be in excess of 60°F, or 16°C to ensure a rapid and complete cure. Time calculations are based on temperatures of 77°F.

Gel Coat Repair

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Surface and Product Preparation

Thoroughly sand the area to be repaired to a 80 to 180 grit finish. Blend and mix completely equal parts of Duratec Polyester Clear Hi-Gloss Additive and the gel coat required for the repair or overspray. Catalyze at 2% with MEKP catalyst. Thin 5 to 10% if necessary to a desired spray viscosity with solvent or a fast acrylic lacquer thinner.

Application Procedures

Note: Spray pressures should be 35 to 50 psi. If a pressure pot is used, provide 10 to 15 psi pot pressure. Spray the entire surface to be repaired with a fine mist coat and wait 2 minutes for the solvents to flash off. Follow with wet coats, overlapping the surrounding area to ensure complete coverage.

Note: Do not inhibit the cure by adding wax surfacing agents. The combined gel coat and Duratec Polyester Clear Hi-Gloss Additive will air cure to a hard, glossy finish in approximately 1 to 2 hours. (Apply forced air heat for a 30-minute cure time.) Lightly sand the repair area with 320 to 800 grit sandpaper, either wet or dry, and buff to the desired finish, ensuring that the newly gel-coated area is blended with the surrounding gel coat surface. Use our #1102-A and #1103-A Polishing Compounds with a #1104-A Buffing Pad to achieve a glossy swirl, mark-free finish.

Item	Description
Duratec Polyester Clear Hi-Gloss Additive	For projects that will require a higher gloss, mix your surfacing primer with Duratec Polyester clear hi-gloss additive at a 1:1 ratio. Hi-Gloss additive requires a 2% MEKP hardener.
Two step Mold Polish	These two compounds work together in order to give parts an impressive polish after the sanding process. Each step comes in a 1 lb and 5 lb can.
Buffing Pad	Fibre Glast's half lamb's wool-half synthetic pad is designed to work with our two step mold polish, and is able to withstand the 2500 rpm minimum speed that is suggested.

Tooling Gel Coat Upgrade

Surface and Product Preparation

Blend 5 to 15% of Duratec Polyester Clear Hi-Gloss Additive to the tooling gel coat. The viscosity and thixotropic properties of the gel coat will determine the quantity to be added. ( The higher the viscosity and thixotropic properties, the more additive is required.) After blending, catalyze at the rate suggested by the tooling gel coat manufacturer.

Application Procedures

Spray as recommended by the tooling gel coat manufacturer. Due to the lower viscosity, an extra wet pass may be required to achieve wet coat total film thickness. Gel and tack times are comparable to the straight tooling gel coat. Laminate as usual when the additive/tooling gel coat blend "tacks off" to the thumbprint stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: If I use this product, do I still need styrene wax to get a complete cure in top-coating situations?

A: No, for added insurance, you could spray PVA over the gel coat as another means to seal out the air. Only add styrene wax if preforming boat hull repairs below the waterline.

Q: What is the advantage of using Hi-Gloss Additive versus styrene or styrene wax?

A: This product helps increase the gloss of cured gel coats. It will allow a full cure without wax, which must be removed by sanding.

Q: Will the Hi-Gloss Additive cause clear gel coat to become cloudy?

A: No, the Hi-Gloss Additive will not affect the opacity of the gel coat.

Product Page

Item	Description
Duratec Clear Hi-Gloss Gel Coat Additive	Fibre Glast carries the Duratec Clear Hi-Gloss Gel Coat Additive in quart and gallon sizes. Note that this product will require MEKP in order to catalyze.

Safety Precautions

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Duratec Polyester Clear Hi-Gloss Additive is extremely flammable. Do not spray near sparks, open flame, or heat. Keep area ventilated. Avoid continuous breathing of vapor or spray mist. Do not smoke while using this product or ingest this product. See SDS for more details.