Gell coat to catalyst 100 to 1 mix

[jwalker]

I think you need more info so you know exactly what's going on.

I said way back that curing is very temperature dependent and also not to apply the gel too thinly or it may never cure. I think it's likely that's where you are. If your gel is still not set, stop bugring about, wipe it off using solvent and start over.

The reason for having a thickish layer is that during the curing process the resin produces its own heat, it exotherms - another big word for you! also there will be plenty of resin compared to the external surface in contact with the air. This will be the situation with the resin you brought indoors and has cured properly. Clearly, warming the hull will help with the cure too.

Personally I wouldn't be fekin about with tape or adding wax for such small repairs. Be sure you over fill the gouge marks so you have plenty depth to aid curing and also so you don't need to add further layers to fully fill the damage.

With regard to the tacky surface; if you've got your cured gel well proud of the surface, put one layer of masking tape each side of the gel to protect the surrounding area and to give you a level above the hull surface to which you can sand back safely. Cut the gel back with course abrasive paper - I'd be using 120 grit - the paper will clog and it's a pest but it's only a sheet of paper at 20p and worth sacrificing instead of the hassle messing with the wax or tape.

Once you've got it leveled to the masking tape remove the tape, get some 320 grit to it and start the fine work of repolishing.

Just for completeness since early on you appeared to think the resin cured by evaporation, there was reference to 'crosslinking' in another post and this is what is taking place within the resin. If you imagine a tin of spaghetti slithering around, that's your resin before curing. Now if you joined all the spaghetti strands together sideways so they could no longer slither they would become a solid mass, that's crosslinking and how your resin is after curing. Full curing can even take many weeks.

[Ribtecer]

Many thanks to all, this is very interesting and extremely helpful.

At around 9.30 this morning I painted over the entire area (probably getting on for 1 square metre) with PVA as I had a gallon of it in my garage,and figured it was worth ago. 1pm, 90% of it has now gone hard, the last parts are the thicker bits and they have a hard skin to them.

What do we think, is it going off? If it takes a week so be it.

Also it's red, which I am told is the slowest colour (don't know if that true, surely a chemical reaction is a chemical reaction)

My car tells me it's 16° out there today, and it's bright sunshine burn down on it

Many thanks again, hoping you have got me out of a sticky situation.

[jwalker]

Resin goes off really quickly in direct sunlight.

Have you used PVA glue! Hehe, the PVA referred to earlier in someone elses post is a mould release, water soluble PVA. That's the problem with incomplete info.

If you mixed a pile of carrots into the spaghetti it would be more difficult to crosslink it....carrots=pigment.

[Ribtecer]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Resin goes off really quickly in direct sunlight.

Have you used PVA glue! Hehe, the PVA referred to earlier in someone elses post is a mould release, water soluble PVA. That's the problem with incomplete info.

If you mixed a pile of carrots into the spaghetti it would be more difficult to crosslink it....carrots=pigment.

Yes PVA glue. Must be correct, I read it on the internet. Oh fiddle sticks.

If it allows the gelcoat to set hard, I'll get the PVA off .

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Ribtecer

Yes PVA glue. Must be correct, I read it on the internet. Oh fiddle sticks.

If it allows the gelcoat to set hard, I'll get the PVA off .

The whole idea is to exclude the air to achieve a full surface cure.
The medium that does that is largely irrelevant, if pva glue is working then thats fine im sure it will sand off easier than sticky surface gelcoat

[jeffstevens763@g]

cover it at night to keep it warm for a day or two polystyrene is as good as anything keep water off too

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by beamishken

I'm sure it will sand off easier than sticky surface gelcoat

Hehe...Yer reckon!

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Hehe...Yer reckon!

Yeh 100% you obviously never done any joinery work!

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Yeh 100% you obviously never done any joinery work!

will acetone shift it?

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

will acetone shift it?

It sands relatively easy once cured it will shell off a smooth surface too

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Yeh 100% you obviously never done any joinery work!

Hehe, that's a bit presumptuous!

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Hehe, that's a bit presumptuous!

Not really if you had, you'd know excess pva sands off your joinery projects relatively easily

[office888]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Resin goes off really quickly in direct sunlight.

Have you used PVA glue! Hehe, the PVA referred to earlier in someone elses post is a mould release, water soluble PVA. That's the problem with incomplete info.

If you mixed a pile of carrots into the spaghetti it would be more difficult to crosslink it....carrots=pigment.

It's the same stuff. PVA is PVA, it's basically elmers glue.

Scrub with hot water and it'll come right off, it's water soluable.

[Ribtecer]

Right 6pm, just got home and it's as hard as nails. Phew!!!

Well almost, there is a tiny tiny bit that I must of missed with the PVA that is still tacky, I will do that once I finish typing.

A big thanks to all on here who helped, i am no expert in many fields but i learn alot by trial and error, and i am happy to give most things ago.

I think I will leave it until the weekend before sanding.

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by office888

It's the same stuff. PVA is PVA, it's basically elmers glue.
.

Is it? I think you'll find that PVA (white glue) is polyvinyl acetate where as PVA mold release is polyvinyl alcohol.

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by Ribtecer

Right 6pm, just got home and it's as hard as nails. Phew.

Result, well done!

[jeffstevens763@g]

Put some pics up this sort of thing is very helpful to all

[office888]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Is it? I think you'll find that PVA (white glue) is polyvinyl acetate where as PVA mold release is polyvinyl alcohol.

Oops, PVA vs PVAc apparently! However, polyvinyl acetate is the ingredient for hairspray, which people sometimes use instead of Partall Film #10 (polyvinyl alcohol).

It should work the same, although it will be harder to remove. Acetates are soluble in acetone and methanol.

All we're looking for is an air barrier that we can remove later.

[Ribtecer]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

Put some pics up this sort of thing is very helpful to all

Yes, I take your point re photos, but I didn't take any during the process. And what's there now doesn't really show much. Next step I'll pop some up.