Hi.

Any tips how to get the epoxy thorougly penetrate the wrappings so that I get nice even look to them?

Cheers

Work quickly. As long as the epoxy is fairly thin, it will easily penetrate and you'll get an even darkening of the thread all across the wraps.

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Hi Tom,

so I need to mix the epoxy fairly quickly, not too quickly to cause bubbles of course, and place the stuff on aluminium foil which sits on a cooler to slow down the curing process. Does this sound right?

Cheers

I would mix slowly for a full 4 minutes. Where you need to move quickly, is in applying the epoxy to your wraps. Don't spend several minutes on each wrap - move quickly, get them all covered and then come back and touch in any areas that need it. By coating all the wraps quickly, you get the same amount of penetration on each one and the epoxy has time to settle in before it starts getting thick.

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Four minutes! I don't have the nerves. :-)

Seriously, I've never mixed that long and I've never failed due to bad mixing.

Anyway, I'll try to coat all the wraps quickly. I think that the cooling will help too if that doesn't make the epoxy difficult to handle.

Cheers

Cool epoxy is hard to handle. It's thick and won't want to penetrate well. True, it will stay liquid longer, but it'll be much thicker for that time. How cool are we talking? Once you get below about 60 - 65 degrees F, most epoxies are more like chewing gum.


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As long as the cool epoxy doesn't turn into a rock it's ok since I can always transfer some to a warmer place.

So I seem to need two places for that epoxy then - one room temperature to supply the varnishing spatula and one very cool, from which the room temperature one will be supplied.

Great, will do that. Cheers.

Caution: Cool epoxy to a point where it's really thick and it will not mix as quickly, or as well.

When your epoxy starts to thicken wave your torch over it to thin it out, you can do this several times to add longer working time for the epoxy. Jesse

Sakari,

If I am interpreting your original post correctly, you mean that as you apply your epoxy (no CP) to your thread wraps you aren't getting an even darkness to your threads on each wrap. I notice that can happen when applying a gob of epoxy in one place and then distributing across the wrap. The heavier application area darkens nicely, but the lighter application area may appear lighter. My solution to that is to apply a heavier than necessary coating to the entire wrap and then remove some for distribution to the next wrap. The heavy application should result in good saturation of the entire wrap and a uniform color on the entire wrap.

Hope this helps.

Jeff Shafer

If the epoxy begins to set up, I'd just stop there, mix a new batch, and begin again. It doesn't penetrate worth a darn when it's cool or when it's starting to set up and the bonding, sealing, and protection the epoxy gives the wrap is at least as important to me as the look of the wrap. Done this way, you'll achieve both results.

Putter
Williston, ND

What kind of finish are you using? They are not all equal in viscosity. At the same ambient temperature, Flex Coat and One Coat are both thicker than LS Supreme and Crystal Coat is almost like water. Those are the only two part finishes that I've ever used so I can't say anything about the others.

MAke sure the threads are packed together, even with guide wraps thi can cause blotches.

Thanks everybody for your tips.

I'm using LS Supreme. And will try to apply it fast, thick at first and then remove excess and make small batches of mixed epoxy to only finish a couple of wrappings at a time. I'll also make sure that the wrappings are tightly packed.

Jesse, I'm a bit confused since epoxy works so that the polymers of the two parts start forming longer molecules and produce heat. If epoxy is heated, that process is accelerated. That should increase viscosity and not lower it. Should one destroy formed polymer chains with that torch that would mean lower quality result in the end.

Cheers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/2005 07:55AM by Sakari Siipilehto.

Anyone who has heated epoxy with a Torch or whatever knows it doesn't thicken, it thins & flows much better initially. All you have to do to prove this theory is mix a batch, let it get gooey, then thin it and watch it become watery.

double post - gone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/2005 06:37AM by Sakari Siipilehto.

I don't know the linking rules on this forum so I'll just quote one epoxy manufacturer:
"CAUTION! Heating epoxy that has not gelled will lower its viscosity, allowing the epoxy to run or sag more easily on vertical surfaces. ..... Never heat mixed epoxy in a liquid state over 120°F (49°C).

Another instruction on another epoxy says:
"By using light heat from a blow-torch, the hardening reaction can be accelerated from 2 to 3 hours to only 20 minutes."

So I was wrong about the viscosity. It drops but at what cost? I'd bet either the working time gets shorter and/or the structure of the epoxy will suffer to some extent.

Cheers,

Any time you apply heat to non-set epoxy, it momentarily thins, but quickly recovers and then speeds to a thicker viscosity resulting in less pot life. It's a trick you can use in a pinch when time is running out on you, but don't expect it to extend pot life - it does just the opposite.

LS Supreme probably as the longest pot or working life of any epoxy finish on the market. You've got plenty of time to work with it, but I'd still try to get those wraps coated quickly and then go back and touch in any areas that need it.


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