i have just enough flex coat lite for one coat but i have new unopened bottles of the high build formula. i'm considering going ahead and use the high build formula but this would be the first time for me. i've only built 4 fly rods so far and have only used the lite version until now.

besides only needing to apply one coat, are there any differences or "personality quirks" i should be aware of with the high build formula? any helpful techniques? should i apply it thinly and go ahead after it's dried and apply a second? i don't care for the football effect. ;-)

thanks!

eric
fresno, ca.

Warm the bottles up good before mixing. The high build (at least for me), seems to want
to retain those small fizzy bubbles -even AFTER flaming- a problem I never had with the
lite. I found you can still put hi build on as thin as you want and, if you do give the bottles
a good warming, might not even notice the differance.

thanks for the tip eric. anybody else? gnawing at me in the back of my mind is the thought i shouldn't deviate from the familiar formula, but my wallet and local store closing hours say use what's now available at home.

eric
fresno, ca.

All I use in the high build. As mentioned, the bubbles are some what of a pain, but if you go back over your wraps as you go down the line. I have been able to do my wraps in one coat. It takes some practice to get it right.

David Banaka

Check out our web site and the page on how we measure and mix epoxy. Follow the directions and hints and it does not matter if you put Flex Coat Lite over Flex Coat High Build or vise versa.

Flex Coat Questions and Product Support

Only thing that I'd add to the above (very good info) that I've noticed with Flex Coat high build is that when I've left a bit too much on, it tends to pull the finish off the end threads on the wrap as it high spots (footballs) in the middle. Cutting back and putting on the correct amount solved that little problem (and I caught it before it was dried and was able to fix the problem right away).

Putter
Williston, ND

I've used, and continue to use, both these product versions. With both, I tend to put a light "soak the threads" coat on initially and then go back for the finishing coat the next day. I prefer the look in between football and thin coat when finished. Warming, as stated before, does wonders. Along with eliminating the micro-bubbles before you lay the mixture on the the threads. Another preference, I have grown to like, is bringing the edge of the thread coating about a 1/32" to 1/16" off the wraps and onto the blank. I think it looks better than the finish that is one brush hair on the blank. But, as usual, that is my preference.

Eliminate bubbles by the following:

1. Mix the contents well, but not vigourously.
2. Lay the finish out onto a peice of aluminum foil after mixing.
3. Warm the mixture bottles before mixing.
4. Use you breath, or in extreme cases, blow on the thread wraps until the bubbles disappear.
5. Use a good brush with alot of bristles and "plow" the coating onto the wraps without pushing down to hard on them. The more pressure you apply to the brush and open the bristles, the more air gets into the mixture you're spreading.

Hope that helps!

Domenic

thanks to everyone for the help you offered. unlike a similar post recently, this was a complete change from flex coat lite to flex coat high build, not simply one version layered on another for the same rod. the flex coat web site is very helpful and i revisited that just to refresh my memory.

after carrying the bottles in my pocket to warm them up for half an hour, i applied the finish last night and about 8 hours after application it looks very good at this point. this was the first time i used the credit card method instead of brushes and i must say, i'm impressed. i've got so many cc sized cards sent to me by companies that there's a supply to last for years. i DID notice little bubbles lasting longer than the Lite version, even though i mix slowly on flat aluminum and waited about 5-10 minutes to allow bubbles to rise. in fact, i don't think all of them disappeared in the end, even after exhaling over the solution, which usually works great on the Lite.

there appears to be 3-4 areas on the rod which will need some attention once dried, thread nubs sticking up which i had anticipated anyway, maybe a bubble or two. i don't have great lighting where i work so i'll have to look closer later. we shall see. what i've started doing is using a fresh xacto blade and slicing off the minute thread which sticks up and then a second coat. since this first coat is just a shade more than a typical "flat thin" layer but certainly not what i would call thick or "footballing," i think i'll follow that process here too.

thanks eric, david, john, putter and domenic again for all of the help. i TOO like the epoxy to slightly overlap the edge of the thread and onto the blank.

this is a dan craft Sig V 8'-4" 3/4 weight fly rod in matte grey with black and white jasper thread trimmed with thin black and titanium single foot wire guides. all very monochromatic and relatively stealth looking. i LOVE the jasper thread's pattern.

eric
fresno, ca.

Eric,

Newbee here so take what I say with a grain of salt. I noticed you mentioned that you were mixing you epoxy on the flat sheet of aluminum foil. I've seen it mentioned on here many times that you should not mix and apply your epoxy from the same container. You should mix in something else, then pour onto your foil. Like I said "grain of salt"

Bill

Bill in WV

yeah bill, i hear about people mixing in one container (for instance, the little flex coat cups) and then transferring it to a flat sheet. but i have yet to hear or read WHY they recommend that process. is it a recommendation or just an extra step which if explored, could possibly be eliminated? if it's to insure you work from a mix that's completely combined, perhaps i'm mixing it thoroughly. who knows? what is supposed to happen? or rather, what benefit am i missing? so far it's been working well for me. maybe i'll write to flex coat, search the archives, or perhaps someone can chime in who has a heck of a lot more experience than (and there's no shortage on THAT point ;-).

thanks for drawing that to my attention.


eric
fresno, ca.

It's much easier to screw up and not get the finish completely mixed on a flat, open surface, Eric. You can easily miss a spot and not get it 50/50 all the way around the puddle. You'll wind up with one guide where the finish doesn't set up or one small area in the middle of a butt wrap. Mix it in a small cup, then lay it out on that flat surface. Put it on the flat surface after mixing for two reasons:

1. The bubbles release easier out of a thinner ?height? of finish than in the cup.

2. The heat won't build up as it begins to set on that flat surface, thereby lengthening the amount of time you can work with the finish.

Eric,

It was either Mr. Kirkman or Mr. O'Quinn who reccommended the seperate container method. I think it was because of the raised sections in the cups for measuring, that you could miss mixing a little. Then when you pull you brush/spatula out of the cup you can get this unmixed portion, causing the mix to be off. Thus causing it not to cure properly. I think that's how it went. Putter gives 2 good reasons also.

Bill in WV

Eric,

It was either Mr. Kirkman or Mr. O'Quinn who reccommended the seperate container method. I think it was because of the raised sections in the cups for measuring, that you could miss mixing a little. Then when you pull you brush/spatula out of the cup you can get this unmixed portion, causing the mix to be off. Thus causing it not to cure properly. I think that's how it went. Putter gives 2 good reasons also.

Bill in WV

I like to thin the high build with some Acetone before using. I find that it flows nice, bubbles aren't a problem and I can get a nice fairly thin finish. I end up applying two coats to get the build I want on casting and spinning rods.