I got a Wildernest!
- Thread starter adrenaline503
- Start date
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Here's some of the other stuff you'll need to repair the gel coat. Make sure you get gel coat and not regular resin, the color will be wrong. Also don't forget to add surfacing agent otherwise it will take forever for the resin to set. Fiberglass resin only cures in the absence of oxygen, so I use a surfacing agent and cover the gel coat with plastic. The surfacing agent rises to the skin of the gel coat and creates an air barrier. I use the styrene monomer as an additive to the resin, helps it stick better to wood. The little bottles are Kerox tints, one is sandstone and the other regular white. The gel coat I use is called Cloud White and I try to match the 'Nest color, so far with no success. I've made some nice colors, nothing anywhere close to the original though. Oh, I just use regular MEK as the hardener for the resins.
BTW, yes, I do 'Nest repairs for hire. If anyone was wondering...
BTW, yes, I do 'Nest repairs for hire. If anyone was wondering...
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adrenaline503
Explorer
Kermit said:Want to sew up a new canvas for me...for 2 cases of Fat Tire?
HA HA, I was wondering how hard it would be make a new tent. If you used the old one as a pattern it should be doable.
I think that if I use that gap filling primer I should be good. I have tried buffing with compound and then using a polisher. Its far better than it was, just more discolored than anything. I certainly do not want to mess up the gel coat. Denver, what paint would you recommend to go over the primer?
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Hmmm, two cases of Flat Tire you say? I'll get back to you...Kermit said:Want to sew up a new canvas for me...for 2 cases of Fat Tire?
adrenaline503
Explorer
I'll pay 3 cases....
adrenaline503
Explorer
Progress...
So I got some 100 and 320 grit foam sanding blocks and went to work on the WilderNest. The blocks work very well, slow but steady. I found an old repair, it looks to be of decent quality. Sadly, it means that I will either have to paint the whole canopy or at least over the repair. Thats a shame because the rest of the glass is in GREAT shape.
So I got some 100 and 320 grit foam sanding blocks and went to work on the WilderNest. The blocks work very well, slow but steady. I found an old repair, it looks to be of decent quality. Sadly, it means that I will either have to paint the whole canopy or at least over the repair. Thats a shame because the rest of the glass is in GREAT shape.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Repairs on that corner are very common. The kicked back section on the short box 'Nest often bears the brunt of being backed into stuff.
That does not look too bad, it could be gelled over. I would also put down the 100 grit sandpaper and back away. I never use anything more course than 400 grit unless I want to take off significant amounts of the gel coat! In some places the gel cost is only about 50 mils thick, particularly on the flat parts of the sides, the outer layer is pretty thin. Although hitting it with a 60 or 100 grit before spreading a new gel coat will help the resin adhere.
But since you've started, what you could do is work the repaired area with the course stuff until you've taken the top layers down to the chipped fiberglass underneath and build a new top layer. I've done that a couple of times on my current 'Nest, mostly because of inopportune meetings with trees...
That does not look too bad, it could be gelled over. I would also put down the 100 grit sandpaper and back away. I never use anything more course than 400 grit unless I want to take off significant amounts of the gel coat! In some places the gel cost is only about 50 mils thick, particularly on the flat parts of the sides, the outer layer is pretty thin. Although hitting it with a 60 or 100 grit before spreading a new gel coat will help the resin adhere.
But since you've started, what you could do is work the repaired area with the course stuff until you've taken the top layers down to the chipped fiberglass underneath and build a new top layer. I've done that a couple of times on my current 'Nest, mostly because of inopportune meetings with trees...
adrenaline503
Explorer
kcowyo said:
Thanks! I have been working on it for a few days and it is coming along.
Ursa Minor
Active member
painting vs gel-coating
Fun project! Just an observation, but in the picture where you show the filled dent, the feathered edges show a layer of gray on top of the gel coat that is probably primer under a outer layer of white paint. I'd interpret that as a sign the whole cap was painted once upon a time.
If so, you might consider just block sanding it & have the whole thing primered/painted rather than re-gel coating large areas. Repairing damaged gel-coat in spots is fairly straight forward, color matching and/or spraying over large areas for repair & then smoothing out is much harder than just painting with an automotive paint that you can have matched to your vehicle. Most poly-urethanes do very well in this application.
The micro-pitting in the gel coat was probably there from the day it was made, several things can cause this, including too much MEKP or water vapour in the air line of the spray gun. Eh, ok, that's too much composites talk for today...enjoy your new nest!
cheers
John
Fun project! Just an observation, but in the picture where you show the filled dent, the feathered edges show a layer of gray on top of the gel coat that is probably primer under a outer layer of white paint. I'd interpret that as a sign the whole cap was painted once upon a time.
If so, you might consider just block sanding it & have the whole thing primered/painted rather than re-gel coating large areas. Repairing damaged gel-coat in spots is fairly straight forward, color matching and/or spraying over large areas for repair & then smoothing out is much harder than just painting with an automotive paint that you can have matched to your vehicle. Most poly-urethanes do very well in this application.
The micro-pitting in the gel coat was probably there from the day it was made, several things can cause this, including too much MEKP or water vapour in the air line of the spray gun. Eh, ok, that's too much composites talk for today...enjoy your new nest!
cheers
John
adrenaline503
Explorer
I have actually made some major progress on the canopy. I do believe that it was once painted, perhaps from WilderNest. The reason I say that is because the side decals were over what seems to be paint. After trying a buffer and rubbing compound (not powerful enough) and an angle grinder with a variety of pads (too powerful) I settled on a random orbit sander and foam sanding blocks. I used 120 grit to get the paint off, the followed with some 300, the wet sanded with 320. I have not come even close to penetrating the gel coat, thank god. The repairs seem to be limited the rear corners, so I will mask those areas off, prime with white and then spray it with a high quality spray paint. Hopefully I will be to feather the edges with wet sanding and achieve a close match. The only lingering issue is that I cannot remove the paint around the windows since it is recessed into the window mounts. I am debating if it is worth removing the windows. Can anyone recommend a pretty serious wax? Since the gel coat is bare I would like to do all that I can to protect it. I do plan on waxing it every few months, I know maintenance is key.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Two that I use:adrenaline503 said:
- 3M 09010 Marine Cleaner & Wax (this has a fine polish in it, so only use periodically)
- 3M 09027 Marine Wax (this is just wax)
adrenaline503
Explorer
Great Dave, thanks for the tip. I am about 80 percent done with the the shell, then its time to get the tent cleaned up.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Something to keep in mind, just a FYI. The tent material is nylon with a urethane coating, so there aren't a lot of cleaners that work. The stuff that's safe for nylon is usually tough on urethane and vice versa. If the material is just dirty the best option is plain old dish soap, mixed just strong enough to create light suds, and a soft nylon brush. NEVER use a petroleum product on your tent, it will delaminate the material. Also be very careful with most chemical spot cleaners, bleach or degreasers as most will either cause the urethane to lose adhesion or ruin the nylon. Good luck and let it dry before folding. I generally do this in about May on a day when the humidity is very low and there's a light breeze. I let it sit open all day to dry out after washing it.adrenaline503 said: