Glassing in the cold and alligatoring

[MARROW SUN]

I've been getting some sketchy results in the past while with my gel coat "gatoring" I've been adjusting cure times of the gel coat as well the following layers of resin and glass. Does anyone else FG in the cold? It's been at freezing -2 Celsius around 25 Fahrenheit. My shop only warms up 10 degrees at the most. Any suggestions?

 

[fettcicle]

Use a high watt spot light or heat lamp on the glass to help it cure. I used to use it to help some of my molds cure faster and help to reduce tackyness. Sometimes, I would tent a piece of tin foil over the spot light to contain the heat.

 

[judz dwedd]

Before I had my heated garage, I had to find ways to work in cold temps. Make yourself a heat box. Build a plywood box large enough for your mold + a little extra. Make sure you make a door for it, so you can close the heat in. get a heatlamp fixture, with a large metal shield on it. Cut an opening at the top, just big enough, so that the shield encloses it. The heatlamp mounted atop of the box will keep the inside warm enough to cure the resin. After you laminate the piece, stick it in the heat box to kick.

 

[MARROW SUN]

Thanks JD, I'll build a box and try that out. I've got a couple pot lights sitting around I wonder if that would be a good heat source?

 

[bigkidbiggertoys]

Probably a low wattage light bulb will do the trick. You know, like those Easy Bake ovens that used to be around. My cousin just about set fire to the house with hers so I would use caution.

 

[MARROW SUN]

My niece got an easybake for Christmas .... maybe she will "LEND" it to me.

 

[Geo]

Petco or Petsmart have amphibian heatlamps that aren't too bad $$. That would work well also.