Mold-making: Spraying gel coat

Table of contents

Teams that do this

Baja, FSAE, CUAir, CUsail, Hyperloop, CEV

Chemicals involved & MSDS for each (should also be included in confluence SDS) 

Safety Gear

• Nitrile gloves
• Gray masks/respirator
• Safety glasses

Step by step

Once the plug surface is smooth and prepped with either wax or seal/release, molds can be made. Molds are the final surface that the carbon fiber will be laid on during the lay-up process. The mold contains two main layers: 1) orange gel coat sprayed onto the plug and 2) fiberglass.

1. Gelcoat should be mixed with roughly 2% by mass MEKP and 2% acetone. For example, 200g gelcoat, 2g MEKP and 2g acetone. 
2. Spray a thick, even layer of gelcoat on to the plug, so that no black can be seen. 
3. Let the gelcoat sit for 12 hours. Then you can move to adding the fiberglass.