Spraying Gelcoat Over A Custom Fiberglass Part

This is a very interesting topic but I have to mention something. Speaking personally, the music is so irritating that I could not continue watching this video.

I have a few comments. I am from Massachusetts, and in Mass. the maximum gas pressure that can be legally piped into a structure is 1/2 of a pound. Seeing this regulator installation that you have, tells me that you have more than 1/2 pound going through your structure. That is concerning!
My next comment is. The vent on the regulator is NOT to be constricted! Installing this device around the regulator is most definitely constricting the vent. This is also quite concerning!
I know some people might say that Mass. has strict rules, well they do (for good reason, to keep people SAFE!!)
You may want to contact your gas company for direction.
I also just had shoulder surgery five weeks ago. rotator cuff, torn bicep and torn labrum, VERY PAINFUL!! I hope that you are healing well!

I always enjoy watching what not to do because i would totally do some of the things i have seen on this channel if you hadn't told me not to!!!! Thanks for everything you produced over the year's

someday, much later in life i shall reflect on all my projects and realizing my errors will seek to learn and atone for my many mistakes. on that day, i will search for the highest mountain on which my guru resides and having climbed it after much tribulation i expect to find you there surrounded by used brushes and mixing cups. edit: on the finishing front... you should sand it reasonably smooth, paint it white, then hand your girls some colored sharpies and let them go to town on it. memories!

I vote for gelcoat

recovery from injuries / surgery is sped up by avoiding painkillers. when it starts to hurt stop and give it a break until it stops hurting. using pain pills just means push further and aggravate what needs to heal.

for finishing the cover, I would say go with the gelcoat, the high gloss nature of it's finish will always make the end result look more professional than even the glossy paint finish does.

Good stuff as usual, Thanks

I've been following for a long time, but this is a "how not to make a box" video. You're not making a production mold. Glassing your wood mold is a waste, gel coating it is a waste. Packing tape, plastic wrap... whatever to keep it from sticking that takes like 5 minutes is all you needed. considering your time, you have many hundreds $$ into this simple box! ridiculous! I'd just modify a take-out container and have been done in minutes with this project.. it wouldn't have looked as good, but for $5 vice $500, I'm ok with that.

Love your channel and your work, but man, this project screams 3d printing all day long!

Why did you make the mold inside out? Rough side to the inside

Would be interesting to see paint be applied to cover fiberglass parts!

Impressive! I would have built a large wooden shed style enclosure… easier - but love your videos

We had the same issue getting our parts off the mold we made! 😅 had to tear it apart as well...

Paint.

I am just finishing up a similar project. I chose to go with a little bondo cream filler and a high quality sprayed on paint. My project won't be in the sun, so it should last for decades. Do make sure you rodent proof the openings or they will move in. While it is too late to tell you this, a flexible baking pan makes for a great mold. Thanks for the video as always.

finish using whatever finish is the most maintenance fee

First off, great to see you on the mend after surgery.
As for finish, I’d like to see gelcoat. 👍🏼

Get back to work on the Bertram. We’re not here to watch you winterize your generator.

Geeeze Andy! It's a cover for a gas regulator located at the back of your house. Smear some bondo on it, power sand it and spray paint it. Done.
You could have just glassed a cardboard box from a recent Amazon purchase. (Hope you realize that regulator may need to vent occasionally.) Love your channel AND your workmanship. Stay well.

I am glad you are back. Good luck with rehab. Wishing you a full recovery 🤗

You do have to parts there. So obviously both!
Do a gelcoat on one and paint to the other! 😊

Gelcoat

I would of moulded these items the other way round, so the gel coat, and nicer finish was on the outside, also, using something like a Pyrex glass dish/bowl, as the mould, also sloped sides, make it a lot easier to get out,

A bit off topic here, but could you recommend a treatment for a carbon fibre spinnaker pole? Mine is second hand and has a bad peeling varnish finish. Ideally I’d want a tough uv resistant finished surface. Thanks

Gel coat.

Funny this video comes out right when I need to make something similar! Thanks for showing how it's done! The work always looks so good. I'm all for a regular paint job on that.

Anything you do is “ANDY GOOD!” 😎

Baking fiberglass cakes :)

Glad you're doing well 🎉! Love your channel and learning. Because I am probably doing a paint project on all my topsides, and not gelcoat, the more paint content, the better! And loved the idea of letting your kids decorate when done! 😮

And now you know why single piece molds have a slight draft angle on side elements. Molds with true zero draft sides are multi-piece with the sides moving away before molded part is ejected. Otherwise the mold behaves exactly as you experienced. The molded part does not come out easily, if at all.

Andy. For years I’ve used a sheet of Formica on my bench top to lay up small and larger fiberglass projects. Nothing seems to stick to it. Works better than a sheet of ply. Great videos!! Jim

Happy to hear you are recovering well!

Hey Andy just a heads up the reason the regulator stops is because there is a small amount of moisture in the NG so insulating the cover is recommended

BODO FINISH THEN PAINT.!!!!!

1 half paint 1 half gel coat....then make a comparison after one year

I have made many grp items for my sail boat inc all new 6mm thick cockpit combined seats/locker lids, gas lockers for other peoples boats and a recessed throttle/gear change housing to glass into side of cockpit well. The best method is to make a plug (which must have a release angle in its design) from polycarbon or perspex sheeting, or mdf wood as it has a reasonably smooth surface which can be finnished to a high shine using water based aerosol gloss spray paint. Umpteen coats of wax which must be polished off after applying. Then from this plug take a grp female mould by starting with 2-3 coats of unwaxed gelcoat, when the latter is tacky enough to leave a finger print but not a finger dent start laying up. Best method to lay up fast is to have all cloths pre cut to size, using a larger (than cloth size) peice of mdf or a heavy polyethene sheet wet out the sections of cloth and lift them on to the plug and consolidate them on plug using a ribbed paddle roller, apply as many layers as necessary to make a strong mould. If the finnished product is to be concave with the good side in the concave then it can be taken from the plug as long as the outer surface of the plug is finnished to a high sheene, in this case the mould is better made from polycarbon sheeting. I worked for a few months with a company that made grp products for the building trade, imitation chimneys imitation slate porch roofs etc, warm place high sweat loss hard work poor pay!!!😊

I'm thinking that if you are having issues with 2 feet of snow, then your regulator should be 3 feet off the ground. I'm not sure if the box is large enough, you will have the same issue if it gets covered and isn't vented out the bottom well. I also noticed that your exterior gas lines didn't appear to be galvanized steel, which may be an issue.

Paint to match the house siding
Your wife will be happy

thanks for the info. Been watching a while. Finally making my own plugs and molds!

Good luck in your recovery❤

Work this product whitout mask….😬😬

Can you make custom pieces ?

Andy - would adding a pigment to the first layer of unwaxed (plain) gelcoat, followed afterwards by a white waxed layer (so you can easily see where it is/isn't) work?

Serious question... just wondering if the pigment would effect the first unwaxed coat to second coat adhesion.

Edit ~
So glad to hear you're healing well. I follow your channel like its on-line College courses. lol
(seriously)

HUGE DOUBLE 👍

PVA ? Isn't that what kids use in school to glue paper and cardboard ?

That regulator, I think, is supposed to be mounted vertically so that the vent port faces down. If ice is accumulating inside the vent and plugging it, then it won't work. FYI

The cover needs to vent so that it does not have any pressure difference in the air inside and out for the regulator to work.

Glad you surgery went well, and the recovery is progressing.

PS paint it with AwlGrip, and maybe some soft sand for safety!

hello, need help, i repaired my car dashboard with two layers of fiberglass, it was cool and dried nicely, but in the end i coated it with one layer of pure resin only, now after one week it's still sticky and i can't sandpaper it. probably i shoud have used gelcoat instead of resin, now? do you suggest me to wait? will it dry up if i wait more? or shall i lay some gelcoat over the resin now? thanks

Spray gelcoat 20 mils thick and sand out the orange peel and polish to a mirror finish. You could make another mold off that part if you wanted also. Wax and pva is typical. If you make a mold off the part that you polished up, you could have the finished side of your part on the outside, if that makes sense haha. also wishing you a full recovery.

This is really usefull and i learned a lot. im going to make a headlight fairing for my old motorcycle, and there is nothing in the market that looks like the one in my imagination... im saving this video!

The problem you have had with your regulator is actually more common than one might think. I saw it several times over the years as an HVAC tech, especially in remote areas where customer's relied on propane. The regulator's bleed orifice frequently will freeze over, hampering the operation of the diaphragm. You should think about marketing this!

I sat here wondering from the beginning why you omitted waxing the plywood surface or laying out and taping down waxed paper. You got yourself into a fine kettle of fish thereold son. How you deal with it will be worth the price of the whole video. Best of luck. 👍😁
EDIT: Congrats. That fix must have been part of your tutorial. Great video.