CSS PIONEER

correct

Allow the gel coat to fully cure, I usually leave it overnight to check that it has fully cured, touch the surface in several places paying paticular attention to the corners, it should feel tacky, that's normal, but no color should be on your finger. If there is it has not fully cured, leave it longer and don't be tempted to continue as it will react.

If all is correct, I now mix the resin for the first layer which is the tissue, this is awkward to use as it is so fine and wispy, a lot of people miss this step, not a good idea you end up with air bubbles everywhere. Tissue is used to even out the surface of the gel coat, and as it's very flexible so that it can be pushed into all the nockes and crannies that matt would not go into.

Paint the surface off the mould with the resin, lay the tissue on top and quickly and gently stipple the tissue into the resin, paying paticular attention to any sharp corners and edges. Make sure there are no air bubbles anywhere, you may find that it starts to go wispy and you start getting the same effect as you get when you put your hand on a cobweb, change brushes and go back to it with a well resin wetted brush. Get it as good as you can and leave it, it does not matter, the wisps will not affect the next layer just make sure the are no air bubbles.

This is the mould with the tissue applied.

Allow the tissue to dry completely and make sure that the surface is cool and tack free, this is the next layer to be applied, it is 300grm mat, this is applied in a different way to the tissue, instead of putting the resin on the mould the resin is applied directly to the mat. Lay the mat on a board and brush the resin on to it, this has to be done quickly as the resin will start to disolve the bonding agent in the mat as soon as it is applied, pick up the wetted mat and place it on the mould, and do the same as was done with the tissue, this will not go wispy and you can stipple it much harder make sure to get it in all the corners and that there are no air bubbles. You can on larger moulds use a metal roller, but with this mould I just used a one inch brush, again let it dry completly.

A few views of the mould with 1x300grm mat on it.

Very impressive seeing a Master at work.
(Mind you I look at the photos and I can smell the resin uuuugh!)

Glad to see that it is red.I'm not the only one with a carrot.

Very neat work !

On this mould I have added 1x tissue,1x 300,and four layer's off 450 matt,dont add more than two layer's at a time as excess heat will be generated and could cause the mould to catch fire.

Now I turn the mould over and remove the shuttering,tape and plastacine.

Ready to laminate the second half of the mould,reapeat the same method as was used on the first half, dont forget to pva before doing anything.

Should now have something that look's like this,not pretty,leave it for a day to let it fully cure.

carefully remove shuttering from both ends.

Now clean up all the edges of the mould I use a wood saw to do this,please remember to use a dust mask for this.

All edges cleaned up.

Now to open the mould,cut a series of wedges from scrap timber hardwood is best for this,gently tap them between the two halfs off the mould, be gentle and insure that they are evenly spaced all round the mould.

The first half of the mould free of the plug(patten).

Now gently pull the plug out of the second half off the mould,its worth putting the whole thing in a bath of warm water if you are having trouble getting the plug out,this dissolves the pva.

Clean the mould up a bit,don't wash it at this stage put the two halves together ensuring they are on the locators,clamp them together and drill some holes through the edges as shown in photo,these are to bolt the two halves together,take the two halves apart and now wash them in soapy water and dry.

The mould is now ready for use,tape along the edges that bolt together and pva both mould halfs.

When the pva is dry apply a gel coat to both halves,as shown.