I LOVE making FIBERGLASS MOLDS for new parts! How I prep my molds to make parts.

[@solidtangent9953]

Damn that’s pretty cool it’s always bad ass to find people that show the skills behind the fabrications

[@darrindedman8165]

Thank you.. Appreciate the videos.

[@BackyardBoatworks]

🤙🏼

[@dalehelms4739]

Poke a hole in the paint tins gutter with a small screw driver and prop up the other end, it will all drain back in and then seal once the lids back on 🤙

[@BryanCraig48]

That's Pretty!

[@BackyardBoatworks]

Which part 🙂

[@perryberens618]

Glad you suggested 3M gun. I was thinking that was the best gun going. Take some pressure off application process. Clean up is a concern and right tip, flexible movement in application. Your videos have really helped . The hatch layout 1/8" made me think you had been reading my mail list of questions. and MDF sealing waxing and safegaurd spray film for release was my Thanksgiving fiberglas feast. It's a lot of working experience to get the results you achieve. Very seldom if ever can a person get critical steps to success on you tube. I know, because I fix what you tube failed to tell Do it your selfers. Thanks.

[@BackyardBoatworks]

Thanks. The 3m gun has been great for heavy materials.

[@kiwibean8881]

Great work

[@BackyardBoatworks]

Thank you.

[@icarussisyphus5201]

Nice job

[@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377]

Great video, as always. Didn’t know that Sherwin Williams had a marine paint line. Have you used it for a topside coating? If so, thoughts? I have been using awlgrip/craft for 2 part and TotalBoat wet edge for 1 part but I still add an acrylic catalyst to that. I’m mostly a gelcoat shop but really want to start selling more paint then gelcoat. If you mess up on gelcoat, your loosing a lot of time and a little money but seems like with 2 part paint if you mess up or anything, you loose a lot of product but at least it always kicks. I am so used to gelcoat and I’m so new to marine paint that I tend to spray to thick and get runs. Then, sanding out runs is a LOT of work. I have had to add AdTech p14 over every single run I’ve had. Can we get a video on marine paints? Tips, tricks, etc.

[@BackyardBoatworks]

A lot of guys are not aware that SW makes marine paint. They don’t market to the leisure marine industry they focus on commercial and military. I only use SW paints and primers because it’s priced as it should be and not gouged for being labeled “marine paint” like awlgrip. I use Sherwin Williams 4800 High Solids Polyurethane paint and it works amazing and only cost $120/gallon. I also use their epoxy primer which cost $85/gallon. Spraying polyurethane paints is difficult to not get runs. You have to be very skilled at knowing when to stop putting down material especially on edges. I’m still trying to perfect my setup to avoid this. I’ve had some big runs in recent paint jobs and I just sand it out with 400 and put down more paint.

[@jacks3093]

Hey great video and info! Can you clarify on what you said about wet sanding before applying epoxy. It seems counterintuitive to apply water to unfinished mdf. Thanks!

[@BackyardBoatworks]

You don’t have to wetsand. I’m not sure why I said wetsand I think I just misspoke. Dry sand with 400grit to get rid of the MDF fuzz.

[@WellsLarry]

Lot of work and not cheap with the equipment and supplies needed. And as I see, better to do out in the backyard under a tent.

[@BackyardBoatworks]

Nothing with boats is cheap.

[@wayphun72]

I wonder if Total Boat epoxy bilge paint would properly adhere to MDF??? I need to pull several parts off a mould, but I can't seem to source the Sher-Loxane 800. Whatever I end up with, it needs to be sprayed on, rather than brushed or rolled.

[@BackyardBoatworks]

Just use any epoxy primer. Wetsand the primer and polish it and pull parts right off the primer. I use PPG Amercoat 240. Sherloxane is very hard to get now and the price has gone way up. I don’t use it any longer.

[@GHOSTspearfishing]

Did you thin the pva before you sprayed it?

[@BackyardBoatworks]

No

[@dbartolett]

Did you install a core in the hatch lids for strength? what was the build schedule?

[@BackyardBoatworks]

The smaller 6x6 was pure glass no core. The larger lid has 3/8” nidacore. My laminate schedule depends on how the lid is going to be used. Typically I do 1-2 layers of 1.5oz CSM, 1 layer of 1708, 1 layer of 1.5oz CSM, core material, 1 layer of 1708 and finished with 1 more layer of 1.5oz CSM. If the lid is larger or will get heavy foot traffic I might add a few more layers of glass or increase the thickness of the core.

[@firstmkb]

Backyard Boatworks do you think your schedule would be good for a 2’x4’ hatch under a v-berth? I’m thinking 1/2” end grain balsa for the core. I’m replacing a Slab-O-Plywood (tm) hatch, and reinforcing the surrounding thin (3/32”?) deck. Thanks!

[@BackyardBoatworks]

I’ve cut back on my lamination schedule for most hatches because I am using a 3/4” core now on most of my lids. The thicker the core, the stronger the hatch will be with less glass. For a 2x4 lid I would use at minimum 3/4” core. Personally I wouldn’t use balsa when composite materials are available. I use honeycomb for all of my lid coring because it’s cheap, light, and last a lifetime.

[@firstmkb]

Thank you! Time to go nidacore shopping…

[@sid6066]

How much Release Wax (Part-All #2 and Part-All #10) do you need to apply between successive parts to get them release easily ?

[@BackyardBoatworks]

I don't use a lot of wax on my molds because the PVA does most of the work. On my first use of the mold I will typically do 3 coats of wax and then 3-4 light coats of PVA. I've never had an issue releasing parts. The key to the PVA is to put a very light mist for the first coat and then I typically use a heat gun to make it tacky. The second and third coats can be heavier after that because the first coat will hold it in place. If you spray too much PVA on the first coat it will pool and run and that will leave marks in your final part.

[@ralphfreeman255]

I'm thinking of making some deck hatches for my Mako restoration. I purchased Total Boat Gel Coat, BUT "without wax". Can I still use it? What can I do to make it a workable surface if I spray it on as a surface coat in other areas? I'd appreciate any advice..

[@BackyardBoatworks]

Never buy gelcoat with wax. Yes you can use it. I’m unsure exactly what your question is regarding “workable surface”

[@pakde8002]

Comment because you said please 😁

[@ThatOldMan2112]

Thanks for the videos on this. I'm trying to rebuild a boat and will need to make some custom hatches. Question: I don't intend on buying a spray gun - I'm going to roll and tip the boat - so can't spray that Sherman Williams. I know I can get PVA in a spray can. For the base coat, do you think something like Krylon Fusion or that polyurethane spray for refinishing bathtubs may work?

[@BackyardBoatworks]

Do you mean the paint used to seal the MDF ?

[@ThatOldMan2112]

@@BackyardBoatworks Yes sir.

[@BackyardBoatworks]

You need something that will soak into the MDF. you can use laminating epoxy resin brushed on. You can also mix poly resin 50/50 with acetone and brush it on. Wait for it to dry and sand it smooth.

[@ThatOldMan2112]

@@BackyardBoatworks Thanks.

[@djmjr77]

Awesome perfect timing, was waiting for this update! Do you thin your gelcoat for the hvlp gun and what size tip do you use? Have a hatch plug im waiting to finish to make a female mold to pull parts from.. scared to mess it up.. lol 🤣

[@BackyardBoatworks]

Yes I need to thin the gelcoat in order to shoot out of the gravity feed gun with a 2.5mm tip. You can see in the video that the gelcoat was coming out very slow and thin. You can thin with acetone or styrene

[@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377]

Hey man, although I know that @back yard boat works knows his stuff, I would recommend not ever thinning your gelcoat with acetone or styrene! Especially if it’s white or light color. You will 100% get yellowing in 2 to 3 years if your lucky to last that long. If you are going to be laminating the gel, like in this videos case, in mold layup, then use MEK (Not to be confused with MEKP). If you do need to thin with MEK, do not thin more than 5%. If you are going to be spraying gelcoat with no wax additive or patch aid (duratech, fast patch, polynt patch booster, or ccp patch aid), then you should honestly buy a gun like the gx5 from “thegelcoater”. It comes with tips from 2.0 to 4.8 available to purchase for it. That is a great HVLP gun as is the 3m accuspray HPG) both have low air CFM requirements and work for all around the boat building and repair process. I have personally thinned with both acetone and styrene in the past on different jobs and had issues and other jobs had no issues not sure of it’s the brand of gelcoat that made the difference. I used to use Ashland, then moved to CCP, now all I use is HK Gelcoat. I don’t mean to disagree with the owner of the channel but I just don’t want to see you have yellowing or go through all of the bs it takes to remedy. All the steps he did in the video are 100% spot on. Also, do not thin with the MEK substitution solvent they sell at Home Depot use the real deal MEK

[@djmjr77]

@@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377 Appreciate the advice.. my local supllier US Composites ended up having the grey duratec surfacing primer in quart size, also picked up their tooling gelcoat. Ill spray the male part with the primer, wax, spray pva, then spray the tooling gelcoat(USC recommended thinning the tooling gelcoat about 5% with styrene), then glass it, to pull the female mold.. then will just brush on the finish part gelcoat then glass it.. think that should work out, gonna make up a small test part to make sure i have it down before the real hatch parts.. found a cheap spraygun at harbor freight with a 2.0 tip... thanks again!!

[@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377]

@@djmjr77 I actually use US Composites for some of my stuff. I’m in Jacksonville, but, I get my epoxy from them. I recommend if you want a good solid part, not mild, use a different supplier for the gelcoat for the final part. They sell CCP gelcoat (cook composites and polymer). CCP is a big company that a lot of the suppliers use and rebrand the gelcoat. US composites, FGCI, and others all sell the same gelcoat made by CCP because they let them rebrand it as most gelcoat manufacturers do. I would try Fiberglass Supply Depot in ft pierce or west palm beach or anyone who carries HK gelcoat. This is for your part not your mold, us composites has great prices (well no one has good prices right now, composites are through the roof and acetone is liquid gold) and has a lot of good products. Not saying you can’t use CCP gelcoat, but, if you want a better end product and your hatches are going on something other than a fishing boat, I’d use HK or Ashland. That is a much higher grade of gelcoat and the working properties are much different. You will find it easier to spray, better gloss retention and better UV protection in HK or even Ashland. Just my opinion/experience but, as far as tooling gelcoat, I honestly have no idea. I know with tooling gelcoat you add a LOT less duratech high gloss additive and it may very well be ok to thin with styrene I know it wouldn’t matter if your mold ever yellowed after a while bc it’s a mold. A lot of old timers swear by thinning with acetone or styrene for some reason but those are guys that are no longer in the composites industry and are retired it seems. Kinda weird. Also, do yourself a favor, get at least a desiccant snake or a good air dryer of sorts if your going to spray. Nothing will fuck up gelcoat like moisture in the lines. My refrigerated air dryer went out 2 weeks ago and I didn’t notice bc I had just changed my desiccant a few days before and I got done gel coating an entire 24 foot nautical star in sea foam green and had porosity so bad that I had to sand it all off and start over. I was so bummed. Not only did it cost me a lot of time, labor, and materials but I had to buy a new dryer and they are not cheap! Good luck with your hatches, composites are not rocket science by any means, it’s just guys in the industry like to make you think that so they can charge you a lot of money lol. It’s all in the prep and make sure you just do good solvent wiping and cleaning at every step.

[@djmjr77]

@@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377 thanks again!! Lots of info!! Didnt know fiberglass supply depot was near my second favorite place.. Marine Connection Liquidators.. will hit them up next time i drive up that way!! This stuff is for a little 16 ft fishing boat ive converted to jet drive. Want it to last though, so will definitely look into the alternate gelcoat types you mentioned!! Awesome!!

[@djmjr77]

Do you have any other recommendations other than the sherloxane?

[@BackyardBoatworks]

It really depends how many times you want to use the mold. If you’re only making one part you can use Sand & Seal from Home Depot and you can probably get away with just using PVA if the mold isn’t complex. You could also use tooling gelcoat or you could brush/roll on regular laminating epoxy resin.

[@gregmach8230]

Yeah and the pressure pots waste material

[@BackyardBoatworks]

yes they do

[@finscreenname]

I like your video but you have to balance out the volume on the music.

[@BackyardBoatworks]

Man super critical. I watched the video again and the music comes in and out with the commentary. What’s wrong on your end ???

[@finscreenname]

@@BackyardBoatworks Commentary is at 5 and the music is at 10. When you are talking over it, it's fine but when it's just music it spikes out the gains. Maybe you have some sound level compensator turned on, on your end or something but you are not alone. Seems like it happens to some of the biggest You Tubers lately. Really sucks when you are watching at 2am and you have it turned up so to hear what is being said. Enjoy your work and subbed to you. You may like my channel also. I have a few Florida boats. 😃

[@BackyardBoatworks]

there's really no way for me to optimize the audio in Adobe Premier to match everyone's volume level. I know what you are saying though because it happens to me all the time. I have to constantly turn my volume up and down when watching videos because they are all output differently. I need to do some research to figure out the optimum audio gain settings for KZbin. I think the problem is that the music files are "clean" files but the voice files have a lot of background noise etc. When recorded at the same gain levels the music files are going to sound louder just because its a better file. I've cut back a lot on using music as background as I think its too distracting in most cases. I try to use it only when its needed. Appreciate the input.

[@ikashibimauler]

Sounds fine to me. Maybe relax a bit.

[@finscreenname]

@@ikashibimauler It was constructive information from one small creator to another that may have been overlooked or un-noticed on their end. Nothing more is needed to be read into it.