Brush marks in the primer showed clearly through the gloss, and although it wasn't really awful I knew it could be so much better.
I could also see where the wet edge was, well, no longer wet and had dried in numerous places. Not good.
The level of finish would have been OK in a house interior, with an eggshell or satin finish, but it wasn't nice enough for the high gloss surface of a boat.
So I made the decision to sand it all off and start again!
This is the port bottom panel, part sanded to P120.
Key lessons learned were:
1. Primer has two distinct but equally vital roles - to provide a) a solid colour base and b) a perfectly flat surface for the gloss.
That means several coats sanded to a really fine finish, with no bare patches.
2. Despite the manufacturer's recommendations, there was no way that a really nice finish could be achieved without thinning or conditioning the gloss.
So some experimentation was required before we painted the hull. Again.
I decided to try proper paint conditioner, as shown in every 'how to paint marine gloss' video that I had seen.
The stuff that seems to be available in the UK is called Owatrol.
It's only available in trade outlets and is ferociously expensive, so a I bought a small can for the trial.
Here it is.
So I mixed a quantity at 5% and applied it to the centreboard by way of a test. This is what it looked like.
I also glossed the drop boards, like this.
I tipped out one patch with a foam brush, and the other with a bristle brush, to see which gave the best results.
So now we wait and see how it dries, and if this is the way ahead.
No comments:
Post a Comment