 |
|
|
|
Helpful Links, (for a supplier or applicator near you) |
NON-SKID APPLICATION, HIGH-SOLIDS CLEAR, FLATTENING AND OTHER TIPS SPANISH LANGUAGE APPLICATION GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOR THIS SECTION ANTI-CRATER SOLUTION FOR ''FISH EYES" FINISH GLAZING AND PUTTY HIGH SOLIDS CLEAR After a few years’ exposure, the average gel-coat, molded non-skid surface collects dirt like magic, becomes dull and lack-luster, is difficult to clean and the sun’s rays take their toll with loss of color brilliance. Stress cracks, too, show up in heavy traffic areas, as a further complication. Decks may be beautifully renewed using the STERLING system and the procedure is simple. Wire brush or stiff bristle brush the non-skid surface to produce good, clean, contamination-free exposure, preferably using an abrasive cleanser such as Comet, in a watery paste. After thoroughly brushing the surface, which removes oxidized gel-coat, dirt, grease and other contaminants, rinse well with water and allow to dry. Use any epoxy putty for nick and stress crack repair and thereafter apply STERLING U-1000 or 94U-1000 primer and allow to dry overnight. Both primers need thinning approximately 20-25% so that very little film thickness ensues and there is no risk of unnecessary filling of the non-skid pattern. Use STERLING foam rollers for application, first masking all edges with 3M #218 or #256 tape. These tapes are sun-resistant enough so that they may be easily withdrawn if left on a couple of days pending application of the gloss topcoat. Within 24 hours of primer application, apply gloss topcoat and no additional surface preparation is required. Catalyze STERLING color base with U-2964 catalyst in a 2:1 mix, adding a few drops of U-2900 accelerator in warm climates and up to one-half ounce per mixed quart in temperatures below 60°F. Allow mixture to pre-react for approximately 30-45 minutes, then thin approximately 20-25% with U-2965 Reducer. Mix in small quantity of non-skid particles of desired gradient, (U-3418-coarse is best) usually 4-6 tablespoonsfull per catalyzed quart or more. Additional anti-skid particles may be added for increased texture. Where there is an existing, prominent molded non-skid pattern, only a small quantity of the particles is necessary, just enough to disperse randomly and not enough to fill the grooves between the molded non-skid prominences. Simply add the non-skid to the catalyzed,
thinned gloss, mix well and pour into roller pan. Roll the mixture on
the primed surfaces until even color and particle distribution is seen. A second
coat, following overnight cure, is desirable for good color depth and particle
distribution. Better uniformity of the particles will be obtained if a
similar quantity is also added for the second application. Pull the masking tape as soon as the final
coat has become tack-free. Caution: Always work early when topcoating non-skid surfaces for they can be vulnerable to dew or fog fall-out if insufficient curing time is not allowed before darkness. The earlier the better for topcoat application. This same system may be used where there is no molded non-skid or where, because of substantial deterioration, the existing pattern has to be ground flush. More of the non-skid is mixed in with the gloss to produce a uniform texture. The non-skid particles deeply embed themselves in the gloss, are not scratched and abraded out with normal wear and tear and, since they are round, they are very easy on clothing and boat shoes in contrast to the sand and walnut shell aggregates heretofore used. The STERLING anti-skid system is widely used by one-off race boat builders, yards and custom polyurethane applicators, and there is a long track record of successful usage on major IOR boats. The non-skid particles may also be professionally sprayed with the mixed polyurethane topcoat with excellent results. Consult DETCO Marine or your distributor for information on this specialized technique. No longer will abrasive cleansers be necessary to keep the decks clean, usually a quick hose-off is sufficient. A like new look has been restored and/or a new, contrasting color can be appreciated. U-1005 Clear may be brushed or sprayed over most well-cured varnish surfaces, but to be safe, always test a small area to make sure that the prior coating will not be lifted or blistered. The surface should be hard to fingernail pressure to assure that it is safe for coating. Most name-brand, marine spar varnishes, when thoroughly dry and hard, will handle the STERLING gloss. DETCO’s CRYSTAL Varnish is ideal. Depending upon climatic conditions and the drying rate of the varnish, the surface should cure up to two weeks before clear gloss is applied. This material is a sparkling clear, two-part linear polyurethane coating, substantially the same as the other STERLING colors except that it is unpigmented. It is highly resistive to ultraviolet radiation, hence it is used regularly to produce a beautiful glass-like finish in place of varnish or as a protective coat over a well built up varnish film. It is much more resistant to salt spray, sunlight and abrasion than varnish, hence it offers maximum protection to brightwork exposed to the elements. It is also ideal for coating joiner work below decks as it provides so much more resistance to abuse than varnish or oil. Surfaces should be prepared by sanding with 220 grit. Usually 2-3 coats of clear over a varnish film of 8 coats or so are sufficient for a year or two of good exterior service. Clear is best applied on successive days, under which circumstances sanding is not required other than to remove dust particles. If more than 36 hours pass between coats, it is imperative for good adhesion, that the entire surface be well sanded and that all traces of gloss are removed with 220 grit paper. Below decks or for any interior surface, application of High Solids Clear directly on bare wood provides an excellent surface and usually fills all the wood pores with 4-5 coats, by brush. Varnish pre-coating is not necessary in use below decks. Caution: Because the High Solids Clear has substantial ultra-violet dispersion additives, when used over whites and light colors, exposed to the sun, a yellowish tint may result where the film thickness is heavy. Its use is not advised, therefore, as a topcoat over lighter hues. U-1005 High Solids Clear works beautifully to preserve the highly polished look of brass, bronze, and copper, even in salt water or salt air exposures. Unlike simple polished metal surfaces which require redoing constantly in salt air, STERLING clear provides the resistance required so that brass, bronze and chrome running lights, binnacles, porthole fixtures, etc., will retain their high gloss for many months and longer, with no attention whatsoever. Brass and chrome are ideal surfaces while rough bronze castings are contrastingly porous and much more susceptible to corrosion recurrence, hence they cannot be expected to stay unblemished for as long. Surfaces to be coated should be cleaned of all tarnish and oxidation, either chemically or by polishing. Then wash surfaces thoroughly with DETCO 313 Detergent, followed by a thorough water rinse and wipe dry with absorbent cotton rag. Apply DETCO 316 Anti-Tarnish Solution, allow to dry and rub off residue with clean cotton cloth. Cotton diaper rags available from your dealer are ideal for this. Once anti-tarnish solution has been applied, do not handle object or touch surface with bare hands. Contamination can occur beneath clear coating so use cotton gloves or clean rag when handling objects, to avoid transfer of oils and contaminants from skin. Apply STERLING clear immediately after wiping, by brush or spray, following above guidelines. Follow catalyst and thinning instructions in TOPCOAT SECTION. Click CONTENTS. All colors and the clear may be flattened by adding U-3218 Flattening Paste. This is a very heavy-bodied material and must be thoroughly mixed, preferably by use of a drill motor mixer, before adding to the color base. It must be briskly mixed into color base before catalyst is added. Do not add flattening paste to catalyzed color. For satin, semigloss finish, add one-half volume U-3218 to one volume color base and mix thoroughly with drill motor mixer. For flat finish, mix equal volumes U-3218 and color base and mix well with drill motor mixer. Add appropriate quantity of brush or spray catalyst (one part color base to one part U-1001C catalyst for spray; two parts color base to one part U-2964 catalyst for brushing). The ratio of color base to catalyst is always the same regardless of the addition of the flattening agent. Additional thinning will be required. Apply on light side to keep film thickness to a minimum. Because of variance in coating thickness more often encountered with brushing application, the latter can result in a somewhat uneven semigloss finish with flattening added. For large areas, spray application is generally more effective and will produce a much more even patina. Consult Detco for black and clear formulations, ready to spray, in satin and flat, using U-1146 catalyst. Thin somewhat more than normal with standard reducers. ANTI-CRATER SOLUTION FOR "FISH EYES" STERLING gloss coats are adversely affected by contamination from dirty spray equipment and oil or water droplets in the air line. Surface contamination from silicone compounds, oily and greasy residues and waxes, can produce a similar result. The minute contaminants become mixed with the atomized spray or are coated with it on the surface and form small craters or "fish eyes," ruining the film’s appearance. Of course, when seen, the best cure for contamination is to clean the equipment, check for dirty line filters, hoses and a defective compressor, if not surface contamination, however the job may be too far along to practically do so. Adding up to one ounce U-3154 Anti-Crater Solution per quart of mixture may promote enough flow to eliminate the craters in the second gloss coat. Equipment should then be thoroughly checked to eliminate the contamination sources. Urethanes are much more susceptible to craters than acrylic enamels and lacquers and require much cleaner equipment in general. Some alternative sources seen in the field, for fish eyes, include use of household or automotive tack rags containing oily or waxy compounds; use of air sanding equipment in the work area, releasing atomized oil; use of contaminated or industrial-grade wipe-down solvents, incompatible with urethane gloss; inadequate cleaning of paint pot from prior use of incompatible compounds; use of incompatible flow agents and reducers, mistakenly using epoxy reducer with urethane and vice versa; usage of silicone sprays, WD-40, ArmorAll and similar compounds near work area. There is a wide variety of tapes and masking papers on the market which will produce as wide a variety of results. The very best taped lines are produced by 3M #218 "Fine Line" tape, expensive but effective. Also commonly used is 3M #256 "Flatback" tape that leaves a very clean line and has a somewhat stronger adhesive that seems to be better for cooler weather and when used upon cool surfaces. Both of these tapes can be left on for a day or two with little concern, compared to the cheaper crepe tapes which should not be used at all except to adhere masking paper to the better quality tape lines. Burnishing the tape after a line is set, by rubbing thumb or fingernail along masked edge will prevent the solvent "creep" commonly seen when using crepe masking tapes. Perfect lines may be made with Fine Line tape if one is careful to burnish the tape edge after the line is set and once again just prior to gloss application. If the tape is pulled too tightly when the line is set, it will often skip when burnished and color "creep" will result. Just enough tension on the tape to produce a fair line will permit burnishing without skip. Remove the tape as soon as surface is tack-free and do so very carefully, pulling parallel to the line to prevent the coating from being peeled. If tape is allowed to remain on surface too long, or it is pulled into the wet surface, the coating may be lifted. Adhesion of the topcoat may be nominal for several days until complete film drying has occurred. After a taped line has been established, use a good quality, solvent proof masking paper, adhering same to the Fine Line with good quality crepe masking tape. In cooler weather, Fine Line and crepe masking tapes do not stick as well, hence particular care must be used to burnish the painted edge just prior to application, to prevent overspray or "creep" on newly painted area. #256 tape is generally more forgiving but it cannot be drawn around tight curves as effectively as Fine Line. Many aircraft and truck painters use good quality crepe or vinyl tape to prepare stripes as, with more flexibility, they tend to burnish over rivet heads and other surface irregularities better than Fine Line, resulting in less leakage along tape edge. It is always a question, how soon tape lines may be set on a newly applied gloss coating. Since there are so many variables, i.e., temperature, acceleration, coating thickness, reducers used, etc., arbitrarily affixing a time for laying tape lines is impossible. It is best, always, if in doubt about the cured state of the coating film, to thoroughly burnish a small piece of tape in an inconspicuous spot and leave it in place for an hour or so, before laying out graphics. Fine Line is a low tack tape and is far safer to use on freshly-applied coating films than other tapes but it can still produce an imprint if applied while the coating is too "green" or if left on a fresh coating too long, particularly in direct sunlight. We do not recommend the usage of polyester putties and body fillers such as Bondo®, Featherfill®, gel-coats or sprayable polyester fillers. Their adhesive properties are not nearly as good as epoxies, they are often loaded with solvents, resulting in shrinkage and, because of a polyester resin’s basic nature, they are susceptible to water absorption, reducing their long-term effectiveness. Quality epoxy putties, by contrast, have no solvent, demonstrate much better structural strength and far better adhesion with almost any surface. They are tougher to sand, slower to cure, and sometimes more difficult to apply but their benefits are clear, over polyesters. Acrylic putties are often used in polyurethane application for very fine glazing, by professional applicators, with good results. For pinhole filling, minor scratches, sanding marks and nominal surface imperfections, a quick drying glaze works well. They should not be used, however, for heavy, troweled filling for they, too, have solvents and will shrink or mud crack in heavy thickness. Retaining their solvent for some time after application, if topcoat gloss is applied too quickly, blistering of the coating film may occur. It is best, therefore, when using acrylic glazes, to allow overnight drying before sanding and for best results, to spot prime before topcoat application. <<[BACK] Sterling Non Skid [NEXT]>>
|
|
|
[Home Page] Detco Marine is an independent manufacturer and master distributor, under independent ownership from Sterling Lacquer Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of Sterling coating products. © 2004 DETCO Marine No portion hereof may be reproduced in any form without written permission of DETCO Marine
|
