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I spent about an hour yesterday finally managing to get the LH side of the tank top out of the mould. Oddly this LH side whilst not perfect was easily repairable, nevertheless with the RH side so poor a second attempt will have to be made.
I have a few theories why this one went so wrong, but in all probability it was a combination of factors: a) not getting 100% coverage of the mould with the gel coat, brush striations allowing the epoxy resin to be laid down directly on the mould, b) leaving too long between putting down the gel coat and the epoxy resin, it is supposed to be still very slightly tacky when the epoxy is applied so that you get really good adhesion, c) using the stiffer CF mat which would not conform exactly to the mould shape allowing air pockets between the gel coat and the mat.
Today shall be spent cleaning up the mould ready for another go. First job is to scrape off with a blunt screwdriver where the epoxy has gone through the gel coat and adhered directly to the mould. It took about an hour yesterday to not quite complete the less afflicted LH mould. Second I will have to fill and rub down the half dozen or so chisel marks inflicted on the mould when trying to separate the mould from the component. This will be followed by a polish with 2000 and 4000 grade pads and finally 5 coats of release agent.
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