2 colour gel-coat?

General Composites Discussions Composites Talk
#1

I make motorcycle fuel tanks and up to now have been producing them in single colour gel-coat finish. Would like to start making them in 2 colour finish, and wonder if anyone has any good ideas on how to achieve this?

The line between the 2 colours will be covered by a vinyl decal applied when tanks are finished, so this doesnt need to be exact. Applying gel-coat by brush (impossible to spray due to shape of mould), and was thinking of making a mould with 2 differing colours, so I could avoid laborious masking up every time.

#2

You still have to mask up each and even time to make a 2 color gel coated part. You will need to mask off, spray one color, let it b stage (late) peel the masking off and spray the other color before laying up.

I remember way back House of Colors use to have a spray on masking to help make flames and graphics on cars. It was green and water base…gee, I wonder what it could have been?

Any guess out there?

#3

pva???

I remember seeing that spray on mask…but you used a razor blade to cut and peel it.

Are you saying that pva will do that?

I may have a reason to buy some if thats the case…for painting purposes of course.

#4

Bingo…at lest that is my understanding! I may have a can of that still around here and since I’m eBaying & throwing out 50+ years of stuff around here, I hope to find it.

#5

let me know if you find it…so we can verify that it is pva.

If that stuff will peel like that…Im seriously going to use it. Thats way easier than tape outs.

Draw some flames and razor it out…shizit.

#6

It might take me awhile to find it but try a local auto paint store to see if they have it, open it up and get back to us?

#7

I dont intend to spray the gel-coat, as this would not be possible due to the shape of mould, and bearing in mind its far easier to clean a brush than a spray gun.

Hoping that with a 2 colour mould I should be able apply one colour, allow it to dry long enough, then bring the second colour up to the edge of the first.

If it all works out ok I will post some pics of the finished product.

#8

Give it a try with a brush and or spraying it.

One thought next time you are making the molds, make a split flange in the area where the 2 colors meet and that way, just gel coat each one seperatly and lay them up seperate too and then join then together…but that is an “out of the box” thinking! :wink:

But anyways, shoot some pictures ans share them on here.

#9

should be able to lay in some masking tape and paint the gel on…let it set up so its B staged early and peel the tape up and have a clean edge to go back after.

Id do dark colors first and lighter second (reverse of painting)

#10

OT about the pva stuff you guys were talking about, check out hobby shops, I have a thick blue paste in a tub that is very similar to what you guys are discribing, and you can thin it with water and then spray it out of a gun. I believe it’s PVA and got it at the local hobby store.

could you post a couple pics of your tanks, I’m curious.

#11

This tank is painted, which is pretty labour intensive and costly. The white stripe down the side is a decal and would easily cover the line between 2 different colour gel-coats.

#12

Ah, trails biking! I always love doing that but after drinking a gallon of lemonade and vodka…I would need someone to help load the bike in my old ranchero!

And I never got hurt racing Motorcross but trails riding…another story there! Sure, I can climb the Matterhorn hill climb at Saddleback Park!:o

#13

are you guys building your own frames as well?

#14

The chassis in the pic is std TLR Honda. Its not really worth while making chassis for older twin-shock trials machines, as this wouldnt be worth it from a financial perspective. Friend of mine makes chassis kits for old British MX bikes though, and these are selling very well.

#15

that white decal looks like it would cover your gelcoat color line without masking, I would say do the blue first then the red if you are brushing it in, maybe a piece of tape as a “dont go past this”.

Nice stuff.