RV Gelcoat with bad chalking

[sscully]

Slowing working around dad's RV, correct what I can get out of it ( watching the depth on the gelcoat ) and opticoating it.
- Between what seems like non stop rain and my work schedule, it is taking quite a bit of time to make it around all 38' of it.

After finishing the front yesterday, I took a look at the back, and it has very bad chalking on it.
- Tried a few things cleaning a test spot, rolloff and protect all and it was non stop, so it appears to me that it is oxidation.

I have not tried Optiimum polish or compoiund yet ( I have stuck with PB PP & PP2 to use a white color on the white, just in case ). 

Justin worked the boat with an orange pad & Opt Compound, I have kept this in the back of my mind for what I might need to start with.

The surface is not bad for 12 years old, and no real defect removal ( front had some challenging defects on it, about 12 of them are left over ).

Wanted to check and see if I should stick with Justin's last boat detail usage, with the orange pad & Hyper Compound, or if there is another route I should try.
- Justin's stingray boat detail, the chalking was not bad, it was more so no reflection on the yellow or white.

Maybe any suggestions on different cleaning process.  I am using the Nanoskin clay replacement pads on the flex on 2.  1st pass medimum then fine.
- Is this one of those items were old school clay is better ?

Also I have been using the Flex so far, think I might have to go rotary on the 1st pass with the back, it is that bad, but that has yet to be seen until I tackle a test spot.

Any input would be great.

Thanks guys.

Steve

[Too Stroked]

Steve,

I'm not sure about RV's, but gelcoat on boats is generally about a mile deep / think. That said, you can safely go to town on most boats with a rotary, a wool pad and very aggressive compound to get heavy oxidation beaten down to size, and never worry about burning through. Then you can follow it up with an orange pad and something much less aggressive to get it to finish out and shine. Hopefully, RV gelcoat is just as thick.

What I'd suggest is an orange pad on the rotary with Hyper Compound if you have it.  Run it around 3,000 RPM and clean / change the pad regularly.

Got any pics?

[sscully]

Tom

thanks for the info, that is what exactly what Justin did with the Stingray some time back ( orange pad - Hyper Compound - roatary ).

Would you suggest a larger orange pad, my orange pads are 6.5" & 5"
- Think I have some 7.5" VC green pads, these are the old LC green between white & orange.

If 7.5" foam pads on the rotary are suggested I can pick up 3 of them.

Cleaning them is not an issue, got the grit guard pad washer.
- I am used to cleaning pads as I go on vehicles so I can circle around.

I took some pictures of it, but cannot find them now. 
- don't think I emailed them to myself when I took them.  I'll ask dad if he has time before he leaves town with mom & the RV.

[Obsessive Detail]

If the RV is chalky it is going to take a lot of buffing.  I would use something like Optimum Hyper Compound Spray with a purple foamed wool pad if that orange foam doesn't do much.  You will almost have to use a rotary or it will take forever.

Some gelcoats I even wetsand first and then buff if they are real bad.

[sscully]

thanks for the info.

I'll start out with the orange, but have the PFW handy just in case.

I had figured this was going to be a rotary job for how long the front took, and that does not see the bulk of the sun like the back takes.

I just cracked open the OC2.0 I got with the last order, so I should make it over the back and down one side before the next order of it.

Thanks for all the help Tom & justin, it will come in handy.

BTW : Sent dad an email asking if he could email over pictures.  I was trying to get out of there on SAT night, I was running a bit late.

[Too Stroked]

I use my 6.5" foam pads on my rotary all the time and they work just fine. I don't think going any bigger on diameter is going to gain you much. The Burgundy Meg's pad is generally too abrasive for paint, but does a darn nice job on gel BTW.

Here's something to think about. I work at a marina and our gelcoat / fiberglass repair guy does more than enough rubbing of faded / oxidized gelcoat. He doesn't own or use a single foam pad. All he uses are wool pads. He kind of laughs at me when I do cars & trucks with foam, but he knows that I have a heck of a lot less material thickness to play with.

[sscully]

OK, bad time for me.....

Got a chance to work on the back of the RV with the chalking.

I did a wash down of the back with the Autoskin medium wash mitt.  I got a lot of chalking off just by doing this.
- Lots of rinsing.

I started with PFW on the Flex with PB Master Cut compound ( trying to keep everything a tan to white color just in case ).  It barely dented it.

I moved on to the with PFW and Master Cut on speed 1.5 just to see how it went....
I did not put down pressure on the rotary, just let it work the area for 1 pass then another perpendicular to the 1st.

About 5 or 6 years ago, dad removed the stripes that were on the back ( they were faded to snot ) and there was 2 white stripes in the middle of the dull finish area that never had stripes.

Not too sure why this happened, but the gel coat looked like it cracked open in the area that the stripes were, where the remainder was acting fine.





Fingernail drops right into them.

The yellow band in the picture is where the gel coat was not striped ( i.e. space between 2 stripes )

I only have SWAGs, supposition and guesses as to what happened here.

Seems the gel coat where the stripes were at for the 1st 7 years of its life was a lot softer than the remainder of the surface ??

Repaint time or dad is thinking 3M 1080 vinyl wrap back there as well. 
Told him I don't care which, it is his call, I just know I have to fix it.

This is a 2001 Itasca Sunscruiser, just in case anyone wanted to know..

This reminds me of what some describe as crows feet in clear coats.

[Too Stroked]

Steve,

Looks like a classic case of "no good deed goes unpunished" to me. Sorry it had to happen to you, but it's happened to all of us at one time or another. A couple of thoughts here:

First, I'd suggest that you run the Flex flat out on gelcoat if you want to make any kind of dent in it. We (at the marina) run a rotary at a minimum of 2,000 RPMs to get gel to work. It's a lot thicker than paint and it's a good thing because you have to hit it really hard. And most of the compounds that we use need the heat that the extra RPM's give you to start working correctly.

Second, I'm not totally sure you actually damaged the gel. I'd almost venture that you just cleaned up the surface on damage that was already there.

Hope that helps.

Tom

[sscully]

I started with the Flex on 6 with a PFW pad, It was starting to work just taking a lot of time with the test spot.

That is why I moved to the rotary and I was starting slow when this happened.
I was working and area ~ 2' x 4' with both machines.
- Testing to see if I was going to get the lines out and bring the white & shine  back to the chalky areas.  Low 70s, low humidity in the shade was the environment.

The area that has the cracks had a bit of a shine to it and the chalking was not as bad. 
It is weird why this area did not change to be like the other parts of the surface. 
It has been exposed for 5 or 6 years and the "bright white" shiny lines never faded and chalked up to look like the other spots.

The area that shows up as yellow in the picture is the gelcoat between where the stripes were at ( exposed since new in 2001 ).

I don't have a picture of it, but there are 2 lines where stripes were removed in the test area.
The damage shown in the picture are only in the area where the stripes were at, the line between those 2 areas and above and below have no damage.
- If I think height working, I would have been favoring the lower area that had the stripe removed and the bottom part ( it was closer to chest height ).

Could be they were there, but the starting condition of that area was not bad.  If I held my finger against it I could see it in the gelcoat reflection.  The other area, nothing not even a shadow.

I just think of: what are my chances of getting damage in just those 2 areas ?
I would say it is possible but not probable. 

That is where I got the SWAG that maybe that area did not cure the same as the others when new ??   I don't know how Gel coat cures over time, if it is painted and 72 hrs later a stripe is added to it, what happens long term ?

I am chalking ( no pun intended ) this up to 1st time with gel coat, not knowing what I was doing
- Replaced end user, tested OK, ID 10 T error, etc.

I know I am only polishing the sides with PP and going right to OC 2.0.

[Too Stroked]

Could it be that the adhesive (for the stripes) reacted with the gelcoat somehow?

[sscully]

Could it be that the adhesive (for the stripes) reacted with the gelcoat somehow?

Could be.  Could be the way they were removed ?

This is why I tried to clarify:

"I only have SWAGs, supposition and guesses as to what happened here."

This is very important item of note, I have no clue why this happened, or why it only happened to where the stripes were at. 

Another SWAG, the gel coat is not that thick, but the areas exposed to the elements it is very hard and I did not get through it yet 

Good thing to make sure is clear here, I have no concrete answer for why this happened, but the one item there is no confusion on :
I get to pay to fix it 

[Too Stroked]

Apparently RV gelcoat is much thinner than boat gelcoat.

[sscully]

Apparently RV gelcoat is much thinner than boat gelcoat.

Maybe, maybe softer. 

Sorry I am just trying to be clear about the supposition I have going on here.
- I just don't want this thread to turn into patient zero for mis information & opinion floating around the internet presented as fact.

[Too Stroked]

Apparently RV gelcoat is much thinner than boat gelcoat.

I just don't want this thread to turn into patient zero for mis information & opinion floating around the internet presented as fact.

What, like that ever happens? 

[sscully]

Apparently RV gelcoat is much thinner than boat gelcoat.

I just don't want this thread to turn into patient zero for mis information & opinion floating around the internet presented as fact.

What, like that ever happens? 

All too often 

I just don't want my name attached to patient zero when 5 clowns spread the supposition as fact, and a prick like myself tears into them