typed by ben
Well-known member
i want to add some deeper info and observation about applying the tuff coat since i used a spray gun, and to me it was an intimidating method as there is very little first person information about applying it.
1. as with any coating i believe in good prep for a good application. because some of my application was bare metal i sanded EVERYTHING first with a palm random orbit sander and an 80 grit disc. that gave all the surfaces pretty even bite. then i wiped down everything in the boat with disposable red shop towels and a little bit of mineral spirits.
2. next came etch primer, again because of bare metal. tuffcoat will tell you to use their special primer but i consulted their tech support and found out just about any etch primer would do. etch primer is just what it sounds like- primer with a little acid in it that physically etches the surface material that you apply it to to make it stick better. this is what you want on bare metal; tuffcoat sticks to the primer and the primer sticks to the metal.
3. conventional body prep wisdom will tell you to sand after the primer but i dont believe its necessary here. were not trying to get a glassy surface- just the opposite in fact. but you do want to be sure that your tuffcoat sticks. i used disposable shop towels and mineral spirits after the etch primer had cured a few days- this wiped up the significant overspray dust i encountered.
GUN AND COMPRESSOR INFO
first you need a decent compressor setup. mine is 28 gallons and was JUST BARELY big enough to do the job without running all the time. you could go a little smaller but results would not be as good, as the compressor would heat up and start giving you a lot of water out of the nozzle.
i installed a filter/regulator assembly with a gauge- usually about $20 at a home improvement store. the water separator part was critical to me because of the wet air issue i mentioned above. the regulator part is nice to have because the gun you use only needs about 50 PSI to spray correctly- so if you regulate before the gun all you have to do is pull the trigger.
here's the gun. its called a "texture" or "hopper" gun. it was $25 from harbor freight. all things considered its actually kind of nice. it comes with three nozzles and i used the smallest.
i added this $6 regulator ball valve to work as a local shutoff for the gun, because if you dont have it- the gun will be spewing air ALL THE TIME. thats a big tax on smaller compressors, and also just annoying.
1. as with any coating i believe in good prep for a good application. because some of my application was bare metal i sanded EVERYTHING first with a palm random orbit sander and an 80 grit disc. that gave all the surfaces pretty even bite. then i wiped down everything in the boat with disposable red shop towels and a little bit of mineral spirits.
2. next came etch primer, again because of bare metal. tuffcoat will tell you to use their special primer but i consulted their tech support and found out just about any etch primer would do. etch primer is just what it sounds like- primer with a little acid in it that physically etches the surface material that you apply it to to make it stick better. this is what you want on bare metal; tuffcoat sticks to the primer and the primer sticks to the metal.
3. conventional body prep wisdom will tell you to sand after the primer but i dont believe its necessary here. were not trying to get a glassy surface- just the opposite in fact. but you do want to be sure that your tuffcoat sticks. i used disposable shop towels and mineral spirits after the etch primer had cured a few days- this wiped up the significant overspray dust i encountered.
GUN AND COMPRESSOR INFO
first you need a decent compressor setup. mine is 28 gallons and was JUST BARELY big enough to do the job without running all the time. you could go a little smaller but results would not be as good, as the compressor would heat up and start giving you a lot of water out of the nozzle.
i installed a filter/regulator assembly with a gauge- usually about $20 at a home improvement store. the water separator part was critical to me because of the wet air issue i mentioned above. the regulator part is nice to have because the gun you use only needs about 50 PSI to spray correctly- so if you regulate before the gun all you have to do is pull the trigger.
here's the gun. its called a "texture" or "hopper" gun. it was $25 from harbor freight. all things considered its actually kind of nice. it comes with three nozzles and i used the smallest.
i added this $6 regulator ball valve to work as a local shutoff for the gun, because if you dont have it- the gun will be spewing air ALL THE TIME. thats a big tax on smaller compressors, and also just annoying.
