I just finished a rod...The last coat of epoxy feels a bit tacky. I let it dry for about 8 hours also. What can i do. Please help. Thanks again guys for all you input.
Sincerely,
Daniel W. Colville

That's pretty normal. What finish did you use? What temp is your work room. If it's tacky after 24 hrs, then be concerned

Mike

Agree that you should give it 24 hours. A tip for new builders: Never test the epoxy on the rod itself. You should have poured your epoxy out on a sheet of foil, or something like that, before applying it (helps with bubbles, etc.). Leave it on the workbench and test that whenever you get the urge. Don't test the rod until the epoxy on the foil is really hard. Tacky at 8 hours is not unusual.

I used flex-coat on one of my rods and failed to mix it properly. I didn't think it was ever going to cure! It finally did, after about two months of sitting in the closet. Don't know if I was just lucky or what, but judging by my experience, it will cure eventually if you have the time to wait.
Murf

Dan; As already mentioned, proper mixing is the key and curing time depends on room temperature and relative humidity. I am certain we have all had our share of problems with epoxy, but afterall isn't that how we learn.....by our mistakes? I know I have! I recently had a customer ask me to repair a custom made SAGE 13' steelhead rod because the 2 the larger rod guides kept pulling out of their windings. When I started to dismantle the 2 guides in question, I found the epoxy had not been properly mixed by the builder, therefore never fully cured. Although it was hard on the outer surface, it was easily peeled from the blank like pliable plastic. If properly mixed, this stuff certainly would not have peeled from the blank. You normally have to pick at it until you can pull a thread, then it flies apart into tiny fragments. As it turned out, thread winding tensions were also poorly done as well, so the entire rod had to be stripped and rebuilt. The same epoxy problem was found with every guide. Had the epoxy been mixed and cured properly, perhaps he would not have had the problem in the first place. Fred may find the same problem with that rod he mentioned which sat in the closet.

David:
I am sure improper mixing was my problem. I was planning on applying a thin coat of properly mixed epoxy after I finished with another rod. When I finished the second rod and checked the first one, the finish had cured and was guite hard. Like I said, I was probably just lucky but the end result was satisfactory.
Murf