CaptainCunning Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Hi all, This is cross-posted on the WhiteArmor forums because I figured I'd try to pick as many brains as I can before committing to buying potentially expensive chemicals. I've been waiting for the summer heat to ease up a bit before backing my Jimmi ROTK kit with something to prevent itching caused by loose fibreglass fibres. I'm most likely going to be using vinylester resin, but in my search for Canadian vendors I've discovered that something called Gelcoat that appears to have been designed to top coat fibreglass. I was wondering if anyone has any experience in using it, and whether it would be better to use it over vinylester resin. Additionally, I noticed that the vendor I'm intending to purchase from sells a Gelcoat applicator gun, so I'm wondering if I'd need that to apply Gelcoat or if I could get away with using cheap paintbrushes as my applicators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerScout007 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 24 minutes ago, CaptainCunning said: Hi all, This is cross-posted on the WhiteArmor forums because I figured I'd try to pick as many brains as I can before committing to buying potentially expensive chemicals. I've been waiting for the summer heat to ease up a bit before backing my Jimmi ROTK kit with something to prevent itching caused by loose fibreglass fibres. I'm most likely going to be using vinylester resin, but in my search for Canadian vendors I've discovered that something called Gelcoat that appears to have been designed to top coat fibreglass. I was wondering if anyone has any experience in using it, and whether it would be better to use it over vinylester resin. Additionally, I noticed that the vendor I'm intending to purchase from sells a Gelcoat applicator gun, so I'm wondering if I'd need that to apply Gelcoat or if I could get away with using cheap paintbrushes as my applicators. Just curious -- have you tried coating the inside with good ol' Plastidip? I've used that on pieces that are rough on the inside to smooth them out and get rid of any annoying fibers. Like with resin pieces for instance. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCunning Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 2 hours ago, BikerScout007 said: Just curious -- have you tried coating the inside with good ol' Plastidip? I've used that on pieces that are rough on the inside to smooth them out and get rid of any annoying fibers. Like with resin pieces for instance. I actually haven't! It hadn't crossed my mind, if I'm honest. How is it for tackiness? Do I need to put on a clear coat or something similar after I apply it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerScout007 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 No it's not sticky. It sort of rubberizes the surface that you spray. Cool stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCunning Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 39 minutes ago, BikerScout007 said: No it's not sticky. It sort of rubberizes the surface that you spray. Cool stuff! Excellent! It looks like it's available at a couple of stores near me. Thanks again for the recommendation! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nodders Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Plasti dip is the way to go. I’ve got a Jimmi kit and used two coats oover the entire inside of the armour before I did anything else. Worked just fine Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troygordon2 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 I've used both gel coat and plastidip. On gel coat, it's excellent stuff, but make sure it will bind with the material. Don't think it should be a problem with any older fiberglass resin, but I've only ever applied the gel first to the mold and then resin backed fiberglass to it. Again, probably not an issue. Also, it's applied with a brush, and that's easy. On plastidip, people seem to love it, but I do not since it peels away. A better product may be pickup truck bed liner, which comes out thick from a spray can and is very tough stuff. I can't say I've ever seen it chip of peel. Sand and trim away the pokey stuff with an Xacto knife (or whatever) and clean away the dust before applying anything. And wear a respirator for all of the above. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCunning Posted July 26, 2022 Author Share Posted July 26, 2022 18 hours ago, Nodders said: Plasti dip is the way to go. I’ve got a Jimmi kit and used two coats oover the entire inside of the armour before I did anything else. Worked just fine Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Have you found that Plasti Dip makes it hard to glue strapping to the inside of the armour pieces? Some folks I'm talking to who've worked with it have mentioned that glue doesn't bond to it very well. I could always add the strapping and then Plasti Dip it, or I could keep the areas I want to glue strapping to free of Plasti Dip. There's a lot to consider here and it seems like there's really no wrong way to go about it. 😅 Thanks again to everyone for all the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCunning Posted July 26, 2022 Author Share Posted July 26, 2022 7 hours ago, troygordon2 said: I've used both gel coat and plastidip. On gel coat, it's excellent stuff, but make sure it will bind with the material. Don't think it should be a problem with any older fiberglass resin, but I've only ever applied the gel first to the mold and then resin backed fiberglass to it. Again, probably not an issue. Also, it's applied with a brush, and that's easy. On plastidip, people seem to love it, but I do not since it peels away. A better product may be pickup truck bed liner, which comes out thick from a spray can and is very tough stuff. I can't say I've ever seen it chip of peel. Sand and trim away the pokey stuff with an Xacto knife (or whatever) and clean away the dust before applying anything. And wear a respirator for all of the above. Thanks very much for the advice! I've got to get new cans for my respirator, but I've been sure to use one for all of my armour-related work. Gel coat is a tad more expensive and harder to come by around here, but I'll definitely think about using it. Do you find that glue bonds well to it? I'm trying to decide whether I should mount strapping before or after applying the backing material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troygordon2 Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Again, I've only used it as a top coat and then backed it with something else. I can't think of a reason why glues wouldn't bond to it, just depends on the glue. It's a wonderful material, but as you said, a tad more expensive. I make most stuff by slush casting polyurethane resins, but occasionally do a gel coat. I'll give it a test later, I have some scrap, and see how good old super glue and CA do with a plastic part and some fabric on it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troygordon2 Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Superglue seems to work best on a gel coat surface that's been lightly sanded. I had no problem getting the plastic or the fabric nylon strapping to stick. CA does not seem to like it as much for whatever reason. If you're putting in strapping, I'd recommend impregnating it in between layers of whatever material you decide to use rather than gluing. It will prove much stronger if buried. Doesn't hurt to cut small holes in the middle of the straps too to ensure a better adhesion above and below the strapping. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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