Gel coat repair -working temperatures?

[Phil Allen]

Hi Folks-

Just noticed that I chipped a quarter size piece of gel coat off of my skeg box last weekend. As the temp keeps going up and down, I was wondering if anybody knew the minimal temperature for gel coat (small repair tube version) to cure at? Or at least to cure within ~12-24 hours.

Thanks.

Phil

[Brian Nystrom]

For best results, you really want to work in temps above 60 degrees. You can do that by heating the repair area with a lamp or electric heater.

[Phil Allen]

Thanks Brian- Bad news is I have to work outdoors. Good news is that we're looking at an extended warm spell.

Phil

[bob budd]

Think about shading the work area. The heat and sun can prematurely cause the epoxies to "kick". Sometimes they get very hot and melt plastic containers. I can't say if glassing is more or less an issue than gelcoat.

[Brian Nystrom]

Think about shading the work area. The heat and sun can prematurely cause the epoxies to "kick". Sometimes they get very hot and melt plastic containers. I can't say if glassing is more or less an issue than gelcoat.

The only time epoxy will get hot enough to be a problem is if you mix it in a fairly large quantity in a deep container like a cup. If mixed in small quantities and/or poured into a shallow container (like a pan) that exposes lots of surface area, it's not a problem.

Gelcoat generates some heat, but not much.