steelflex question...

Sorry to beat a dead horse but I have a steelflex question. I searched through all 26 pages of the "everything steelflex" thread and did not see what i needed, or maybe i just missed it. But Since the weather down here is starting to get good again, im going to order my steelflex. The question I have is how long in between coats do I have to wait? Just dont want to mix up a whole mess, then have it dry out while waiting for the next coat.

In that post it says:

Jerry at Fasco said the best time to put the second coat on is while the first coat has the same tack as masking tape. On my boat, I believe it was about 2 hrs after I applied the first coat. If you wait overnight, the first coat dries and becomes very slick, so you'll have to scuff all of it up again to get a good bond with the second coat.

Allowing any epoxy product to 'tack' first and then apply the follow-on coat allows that next coat to chemically bond with the previous coat, at least from my experience w / all major brands of marine and gunsmithing epoxies. Also never mix more than you can use. And mixing in 'too big' a container (tub, etc.) can cause epoxies to 'cook off' and cure on you in the pot or almost erupt in flames !!! , due to the heat generated. When doing large surfaces, I mix then pour it into old cookies pans, as the wide/bigger the surface area and less deep ... the longer it will take to set up, i.e., longer pot life.

But as with anything, if still unsure ... follow the directions included with the product or call FASCO for technical assistance.

10-4 I must have missed that part. Thank you. I'm just nervous about mixing applying it. I to am a gunsmith hobbiest. And used to paint cars for a living and for some reason applying this makes me nervous. Hopefully all I need is one coat then a nice coat of paint on top of it will do.

The cookie sheet is a good idea, I have tried using a cool pack the gel packs that replace ice and that works okay but I think the cookie sheet would work a lot better.

I to really like the cookie sheet idea. Just bought my G-FLEX so I will be sanding/cleaning rivets for the next week then once that is done I will sand the boat to bare aluminum to apply my steelflex. I know I don't have to sand that far down but this boat has been painted IDK how many times (so far Ive seen 5 different colors). So to play it safe, I'm going to bare aluminum.