Switched from paint brushes to HVLP for fiberglass gelcoat work and wow, total game changer

I spent the last 3 days doing a gelcoat repair on a 1978 Corvette rear bumper (yeah, it was faded bad). First pass I used brushes like I always do. Got orange peel, brush marks, the whole mess. Then a buddy at the shop told me to try his $60 Harbor Freight HVLP gun. Man, that second coat came out so smooth I almost couldn't believe it. No sanding needed after. Night and day difference. Anyone else have a tool swap that saved them way more time than they thought it would?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_patel848d ago

Swapped to an orbital sander from hand sanding and never looked back.

olivia_anderson7d ago

Gelcoat with a brush is always a pain, so I get it, but $60 Harbor Freight gun? I just can't believe it's that big of a difference for a repair. Like, @parker_patel84's orbital sander thing is just a sander, not really a game changer. For the 78 Vette I did last year I wet sanded that thing for two hours and it came out fine. Maybe your technique was just off the first time?