Tips for varnish/gelcoat joint?

[mrybas]

Hi,
I have just finished stripping all of the bright work (and this boat has miles) and am getting ready to start varnishing again (actually Honey Teaking). The PO was very sloppy with his previous attempts at varnishing, with a lot of varnish bleeding under the tape onto the gelcoat (if he even used tape!). I bought some of the 3M green tape because it supposedly keeps the varnish from bleeding under as much as the blue tape. Does anyone have any advice for a nice clean seam/joint between the varnished brightwork and the gelcoat? If I plan on doing this over several days/weeks, should I pull the masking tape daily to prevent pulling cured varnish off the bright work? Would it be possible to leave the tape in place until fully cured, then use a razor knife to cut a nice clean seam?

[deniseO30]

EEK! don't leave any masking tape on the gelcoat more than a day or so! It won't come off! Trouble is the sun bakes the adhesive. It's good to rub the edge of the tape with something hard so the edge gets a good bond. Varnish & cetol, all the clear finishes seem to find a way under the tape though. It comes off with a razor scraper or some super fine wetdry paper when you do up the gel coat. I've since made it a point to pull the tape when the finish is still tacky. good luck!

[stevemac00]

Use 3M Fine Line Tape next to the teak. Unlike crepe based tape this is a plastic that forms a tight seal with stretch. Then you can add the masking as a barrier. We did eight coats of Epifanes but removed the tape after four coats and re-taped. That prevents too much build up on the tape and minimizes any varnish lifting.

The Fine Line Tape is expensive but I don't see how we could do without it.

[bljones]

I agree, tape is the key. Fineline is great stuff, but it sometimes doesn't like old gelcoat and sometimes doesn't like to be repositioned. I have just discovered this stuff-



No bleed. None. Anywhere. It all came off clean even after being installed for two weeks in the sun and the rain.

Fool's Tool Review 2- Best. Tape. Ever..

[oceanscapt]

I've had good luck with the blue (and we use a _lot_ of blue tape on my current home). For me, the key is making sure you press down firmly on the edges to get it sealed. I've left the blue on for a week without any problem getting it up. And since it's half the cost of the green, I recommend that.

As for the teak-gelcoat interface, you could use a blade to lightly score the joint between the tape and brightwork, and gently peel the tape back. Use the blade as a wall between the varnish and tape cut. Varnish appears hard but can be peeled back quite easily if the cut isn't sharp and complete.

Depending on the amount of varnish, you may have a slight gap between the brightwork and the gelcoat. One possible solution is to set the tape a very slight amount (hair's width maybe) off from the brightwork, and apply a couple of thinned coats. That would seal the joint better than butting the tape to the brightwork. Then reapply the tape to the edge.

The other solution is to use an artists brush to apply a very thin line between the brightwork and gelcoat. A couple coats should seal the interface.

While folks will comment on the varnish job, hoildays, and drips onto the deck, they almost never comment on the brightwork-gelcoat interface.