PolyGuard - Vinylester Putty

[nico105]

Has any one here on this forum used a product called 'PolyGuard - Vinylester Putty'? I aquired a 3.5gal-53lbs bucket...POLYGUARD, Vinylester Putty, VE White Putty, manufacture date of 2003. I am hoping to repair the gelcoat on the Nico w/ this putty, depending on any responses. Thank you in advance, David

[sailvayu]

Hmmm that bucket of ....... is kinda old don't you think? PolyGuard is a good product but I think that batch is a bit beyond it's shelf live. I would at least run a few test batches.

Fair Winds

[nico105]

Originally Posted by sailvayu

I think that batch is a bit beyond it's shelf live. I would at least run a few test batches.

Yes, I am with you on test batches, and was concerned about the self life. It has a skin across the top but still feels 'right' just below the skin...and, it's no longer white. It's a tan color now. Is that a sign of being "spoiled", being no good anymore?...I've had west systems hardener turn brown and still work, so I'm not sure.

[CalebD]

Sounds like your bucket of ... is separating and hardening. There is probably more white pigment on the bottom or in the hardened layer. I am not sure if your bucket of ... can be revived.
I know that with gel-coat you can use acetone to thin it and re-activate it. I think you are going to have to re-mix the entire bucket to try to get the pigment and other elements evenly distributed. I am not the expert in this area that Wayne is and by his above comments I don't get that he thinks your bucket of ... is such a great thing.
I do have one question for Wayne which is:
Is "POLYGUARD, Vinylester Putty, VE White Putty" a gel-coat product or a vinylester equivalent? Oh, and if the OP wanted to mix up his bucket of ... would acetone be the thinner to use with it or some other poison?

[sailvayu]

First I would use this rule of thought. How much is this bucket of.... going to save you vers how much is it going to coast you if it does not do like it is supposed to do to age. We are talking what a couple hundred bucks for putty vers having to remove it and clean up the mess and start over. your call. I would personally recommend kicking it off and disposing of it. You just aint saving much by trying to use it.

Ok now for the thread stealer lol

Never thin with acetone. Wrong stuff there and will cause problems. Acetone is better used for cleaning not thinning. Use what the manufacture recommends if you have to thin but to be honest i have never had to thin resin when using the right stuff for the right job. If you have to thin the putty use resin.

PolyGuard is if this is what I think he has is a vinyl ester putty which is vinyl ester resin with solids like talk and other fillers. It is not resin or gelcoat but a putty.

hope that all helps and although some may say try to use it and you might get away with it I always recommend what I would do and I would buy some fresh stuff and not worry about it.

Hope that helps

Fair Winds

[CalebD]

Thanks for the clarification Wayne. I trust your opinion as I know that you are a surveyor.
Since the OP wants to "repair the gelcoat on the Nico" (his boat's name no doubt) wouldn't he be better advised to use a fresh can (or two) of an actual vinyl based gel-coat rather then a vinyl-ester putty?
I suppose it would be helpful to know the extent of the repairs the owner of the 'Nico' was intending to do and what sort of damage exists that needs to be repaired: crazing, chips, scrapes, dings or a more extensive repair. Pictures would make it easier to size up the extent of the damage I suppose.
As you have noted in other threads it is not recommended to use vinyl based gel-coat over an epoxy repaired section. Knowing the full extent of the repair would dictate what actions might be recommended.
(Hi-Jack).
Wayne,
What do you think about using Marine-Tex (epoxy based putty) to fudge a repair to small gel-coat damage (dings, chips, scrapes etc.)? I expect you will suggest that using a vinyl based gel-coat (as long as no epoxy repair has been done) is preferable as it is more easily faired then Marine-Tex.
And so, on to gel-coat repairs.
Once a scratch or chip has been adequately faired out I thought that prior to applying your freshly mixed gel-coat it was recommended to wipe the area with acetone which can partially activate the old gel-coat and help create a better bond for the repair.
Or does wiping the repair area with acetone merely get rid of oils which makes for a cleaner repair?
(end Hi-Jack)

[nico105]

Originally Posted by CalebD

I suppose it would be helpful to know the extent of the repairs the owner of the 'Nico' was intending to do and what sort of damage exists that needs to be repaired: crazing, chips, scrapes, dings or a more extensive repair.

The damage is; crazing, chips and dings. And I do not want to have to re-do this cosmetic repair if the batch of putty is expired.
I have a bag of micro-ballons and few gal of polyester resin to use instead of this putty. Thank you for all the replies, advise and wisdom guys...I will not be using this putty.
David

[sailvayu]

I am of the school you should use the same material for a repair. Meaning if you are repairing gelcoat use gelcoat. If you are reapiring polyester use polyester, if you are repairing epoxy use epxoy. I never have understand why so many like to use this or that because they read it was better or what ever. Yes there are some times to mix like below the water line. But I keep reading here how this guy or that wants to use the latest hi tech stuff for a simple repair. KISS I say. So I would say if you are repairing chips and dings in gelcoat get some gelcaot to match and have at it. Simple fast and matches what you have what could be better. If you need to thicken it a little use talc, micro balloons are porous, great filler but not for here. If you only need a little you can even use baby powder, smells great when sanding it lol.

Yes you can wipe the repair down with acetone but only if you have to clean it and only with a very clean rag. I prefer to just sand first. The problem with acetone is it will often wipe contaminates into the repair area. Like I say best use it just for cleanup. Acetone will not "activate" the old material what you may feel is a sticky surface and think it has softened it. What you are feeling is contaminates on the surface. A sanded surface is best and has some "tooth" for the new material to gab on to. If you need to remove dust i use a rag with a bit of the resin i am using to pick off the dust. can't get much cleaner than freshly sanded.

Fair Winds