(1) i am using flex coat lite when finish is applied it shys away from the thread in spots.
i had read one of the post that said the thread was contaminated and to wash it with alcohol
do i do this before the color preserver or before the finish or both?

(2) when i mix my finish i mix it in pastic mixing cup with the plastic handle of an old brush until
it is clear then pour it out on foil and blow on it to get rid of the bubbles. then make sure that my
brush is saturated before i start to apply the finish but still am having alot of bubbles appear
where are they coming from and how do i get rid of them or better yet not have them at all?
thanks for any advice yall can give to help me out.

Do not wash your thread with alcohol. Washing anything with a solvent just before gluing or finishing causes far more problems than it solves. Unless you've been handling it with your hands, a lot, your thread is not contaminated. Contamination gets the nod in far too many cases. It's a truly rare occurance and you really have to do something out of the ordinary to contaminate your thread.

Try applying your finish a bit heavier to make sure you're just not starving the surface for finish. Now if you have had your hands all over it (don't touch the thread, or allow anyone else to touch it, once you've made the wraps) then you may be faced with rewrapping, or, put a good wet coat of color preserver on it. That will usually seal in anything that might otherwise repel your finish.

You can get rid of bubbles by using a mechanized mixer as outlined in RodMaker. If you follow the instructions closely, you will have a 100% bubble free mix. Your brush causes bubbles and you can reduce them at that point by not brushing, but rather by using the brush as an applicator to apply finish as you rotate the rod underneath the brush. Don't brush it on.


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Why do you use flex-coat light? IMO, flex-coat high build works better in all cases. I use a sealer coat of 50/50 flex-coat high build and MEK. Just paint it on, almost like CP, only takes a few minutes. Then after 24 hours, one coat of flex-coat high build goes on beautifully. I will probably get beat up again for mentioning MEK, but it makes my finishes much easier. John Butterfield

Nothing wrong with FC lite. I use lite on all my rods. Guess it's like the MEK, because I've learned to use it and it works for me. Have used most the other products at one time or another and always end up coming back to FC and sable brushes.

Regards......Doug@
TCRds

There is nothing wrong with any of the epoxy finishes out there. They are all of great quality. David did you pack and burnish the threads before putting a finish on. Lightly packed threads at is well look blotchy when a finish is applied.
Good Wraps Bob