Decision on Pulsar dome treatment - advice please

[JeremyS]

There has been much discussion on here about how to deal with a deteriorating fibreglass dome with the aim of making it look shiny new again.

I have tried various waxes (including v expensive Brazilian boat wax). I even had my car valet wax and polish it once. Looks great for a few weeks , then back to matte. I also did a few treatments with polytrol. This lasts a few months and is much less effort.

So today I visited a bespoke fibreglass manufacturer who does a lot of work for the likes of English Heritage, cathedrals plus less esoteric jobs. He said the problem is the gel coat is completely shot. The surface is now microporous and soaks up wax etc. Gel coars can last up to 20 years, which is the age of my Pulsar obsy. Tbh parts of the original gel coat weren’t brilliant anyway. The gloss gel coat only comes from the original mould, so I will never get that back again.

So he said I have the following options.

1. Purchase new obsy

2. keep on with the ultimately fruitless wax or polytrol in perpetuity 

3. use a 2 pack automotive paint. But this will never look like new, requires skill to apply and nasty stuff that should be done indoors. Not something I would entertain doing myself 

4. Paint on by hand a gel coat. It will never be gloss and looks a bit crude. Often used on fibreglass roofs, but these can’t be seen so their appearance doesn’t matter. He could produce a same and quote for the job.

I am thinking about 4. Any thoughts?

[Alan White]

How about another option, paint it with an epoxy finish as used on boats?
 

[Steve Ward]

I'd have said option four , but if you've been applying regular coats of various waxes to the porous surface then I fear that nothing will adhere satisfactorily.

[Oddsocks]

Hi Jeremy.

Contact a boat yard that does restoration work on GRP yachts.

They routinely sand down and resurface GRP yacht hulls using a two-part epoxy applied by spray and then sometimes an additional transparent overcoat on top for a very deep gloss finish.

The current Pulsar dome can be separated into the four quadrants and fairly easily dismantled and transported, I assume that the older Pulsar domes were also built in four quadrants.

William.

[Cleetus]

I had the same problem a few years back when my fibreglass dome was about 25 years old. Having looked into the possibilities re boat builders and fibre glass coatings, in the end I decided to apply two coats of Bedec Multi Surface Paint. After a light sanding I applied this using a small paint roller and I have to say I was very impressed with the results.

So Impressed that I am about to do it all again but only because my dome suffered a lot of rough handling during last year's house move and I fancy a change anyway. I will see if I can dig up a photo.

https://bedec.co.uk/multi-surface-paint/

And you might find this company useful. Great advice and have paint for many situations.

https://www.promain.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjLGyBhCYARIsAPqTz19I9qtyjKhPT7SjedkEBEN07ThwkDqv4cRyo_3hjT8xV6lq3m_fptEaAvPlEALw_wcB

 

Edited May 21 by Cleetus

[Yawning Angel]

Have a look at the Sika liquid roofing options : Sika UK. It's not gloss, but has a range of colours etc and is designed for awkward shapes. I have it on my flat roofed roll-off

Call them for proper technical advice 

[Cleetus]

Found a picture but unfortunately it has me in it!

 

Anyway, I bought two tins of the MSP for about £70. Slightly lighter green than existing and chose the matt finish.

[JeremyS]

6 hours ago, Oddsocks said:

Hi Jeremy.

Contact a boat yard that does restoration work on GRP yachts.

They routinely sand down and resurface GRP yacht hulls using a two-part epoxy applied by spray and then sometimes an additional transparent overcoat on top for a very deep gloss finish.

The current Pulsar dome can be separated into the four quadrants and fairly easily dismantled and transported, I assume that the older Pulsar domes were also built in four quadrants.

William.

Thanks William. Mine is the older Pulsar. The dome and the walls are each single pieces, not quadrants.

[JeremyS]

6 hours ago, Cleetus said:

Found a picture but unfortunately it has me in it!

 

Anyway, I bought two tins of the MSP for about £70. Slightly lighter green than existing and chose the matt finish.

Looks a very nice job. Congratulations!

Do you know which colour it is? Looking at their colour chart, Holly would be closest to my current colour. I would like a gloss finish.

I dread doing the whole thing and not liking it. I wonder if I could try a small area at the back to test. 

[TiffsAndAstro]

Some "classic" cars had fibre glass bodies, like some lotuses. In spite of their tremendous build quality and  reliability some of them need body work redoing

Might be something the restorers know that works?

[Cleetus]

19 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Looks a very nice job. Congratulations!

Do you know which colour it is? Looking at their colour chart, Holly would be closest to my current colour. I would like a gloss finish.

I dread doing the whole thing and not liking it. I wonder if I could try a small area at the back to test. 

Yes, it was Holly. I had the same idea and chose a colour which I thought was closest to the Pulsar green. When I finished painting it looked lighter in colour but I liked it. Perhaps you could ask if they would supply a sample?

[Swoop1]

Is this a scenario where a bit of assistance from someone adept at vinyl wrapping could have an impact?

[JeremyS]

43 minutes ago, Swoop1 said:

Is this a scenario where a bit of assistance from someone adept at vinyl wrapping could have an impact?

I had to look it up. I never knew that was a thing 🤔. Might it work?

I initially thought you meant those French wrappers:

or the other kind of wrap artist

[Carbon Brush]

Have you contacted Pulsar for their comments on re-finishing the dome?
If they come up with a recommended material that is beyond DIY application, you can still use a local specialist to do the work.
Cheshire to Norfolk is going to be quite expensive shipping.
While Pulsar want to sell new domes and accessories, they will only be able to do this if existing customers can maintain their purchases.
Just a thought.

[JeremyS]

On 24/05/2024 at 13:01, Carbon Brush said:

Have you contacted Pulsar for their comments on re-finishing the dome?
If they come up with a recommended material that is beyond DIY application, you can still use a local specialist to do the work.
Cheshire to Norfolk is going to be quite expensive shipping.
While Pulsar want to sell new domes and accessories, they will only be able to do this if existing customers can maintain their purchases.
Just a thought.

They suggested Polytrol. But as noted above, I’ve tried it. It’s fine for a few months and then needs re-treatment.

[JeremyS]

So I decided to go ahead and paint the dome. I chose Teamac Marine Gloss, Cypress Green. Here is the first coat (I will add a second coat):

this is before:

[ollypenrice]

On 21/05/2024 at 14:04, JeremyS said:

 

I have tried various waxes (including v expensive Brazilian boat wax). 

Really, Jeremy!

Honestly, where are the moderators these days?

I must say that your marine gloss looks very good, though my own solution (in advancing years) is simply to embrace decrepitude!

Olly

[tomato]

Looking very smart, but might I suggest a wire brush and a coat of paint on the door hasps to complete the refurb, they are now the only giveaway that your dome is located in the rain blessed West of England. Oh, I forgot about the lush surrounding vegetation.☺️

[ollypenrice]

8 hours ago, tomato said:

Looking very smart, but might I suggest a wire brush and a coat of paint on the door hasps to complete the refurb, they are now the only giveaway that your dome is located in the rain blessed West of England. Oh, I forgot about the lush surrounding vegetation.☺️

Yes, those hasps are a disgrace!  I'd ditch the wire brush and go straight on with Hammerite, though. Bone idle.

Actually I suspect that kind of detail is something that you'll notice straight away in a photo but hardly register at all in real life. That's why I never take photos of my house..

Olly

[tomato]

Ah Hammerite, I remember when the paint solvent used to be  dichloromethane, much better than what they use now.

[ollypenrice]

6 hours ago, tomato said:

Ah Hammerite, I remember when the paint solvent used to be  dichloromethane, much better than what they use now.

I find the thinners too expensive here so I just buy dirt cheap brushes and throw them away.

Olly

[JeremyS]

I’m definitely at the @ollypenrice end of the diy spectrum.

i have a stack of cheapo brushes and a tin of paint directly-onto-rust Hammerite arrives tomorrow 👍🏻

[Alan White]

A nice solution to the usual grp ageing, all the boats we had in the past always went flat and dull, repainting was the solution then too.

Nice green Jeremy and I agree on throw away brushes rather than lots of expensive thinners.

[LondonNeil]

That looks really smart!  Hopefully the paint will prove to be high quality and stay looking good for many years

[Cleetus]

Looks really good. The second picture is what it looked like before doing anything or after sanding down? How did you apply the finish? Are those hasps original? I replaced mine with a pair of galvanised hasps as the Pulsar ones rusted quite quickly.

I have now decided to change all the wheels on my dome as they are almost worn. Will also have to think about the shutter as it can be quite sticky at times. There is no pulley on mine so might invest in one of those as well.