Recently I received an 8 oz. sample of Thread Master epoxy and this morning finally got a chance to apply it to a couple of rods. I also put Flex Coat that I have been using for many years on a couple rods at the same time so that I could directly compare the two. I thought that I would report on my reactions to this new epoxy.
I found the Thread Master to go on very much like Flex Coat.
I found the Thread Master to have a little longer pot life but once it started to set up it set up more quickly than the Flex Coat.
In the pill cup the left over Flex Coat as usual had a slightly yellow color, the Thread Master was perfectly clear.
The Thread Master went on the wraps, using the technique that I usually use for Flex Coat, without any problems at all.
The Thread Master leveled very well maybe even a little better than the Flex Coat. But there really was not much difference.
I only had a few bubbles with the Thread Master but I would not blame that on the epoxy. I usually have a few with Flex Coat due to air that gets trapped under the threads that works its way out. The bubbles came out very easily with a little heat from a bubble buster.
I do not know how much it will yellow over time or how flexable it is, or how scuff resistant and crack resistant it will be but over all, so far, I am very pleased with it.
Time will tell but at this point I would say that it looks like Andy has a real winner in Thread Master.
I do have a concern about price. I use a lot of epoxy and the 8oz. sample that I received was about twice as expensive as the Flex Coat that I am used to using.

Emory

You don't find flex coat yellowing ?

Thanks Emory great report and comparison. I have some yellowing with Flex Coat after several years of heavy use but then the way I put it on may have some effect on the yellowing others have had. Keep us up dated if you dont mind.

Yes,
Thanks Emory! I have always used Flex-Coat and have been happy most of the time and when I wasn't it was user error I'm sure.
However, I ran out of Flex-Coat and got some of the new Diamondite products and will be trying it in a couple of days or sooner.
I am going to try ThreadMaster next and will be posting my results for both new products as they occure.




Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

You know, Emory, if I was to report on the difference in using Flex Coat high build and Epoxy Coatings Company's "1 Coat" it would have read nearly identical to what you wrote.

Putter
Williston, ND

Randy,
The Epoxy Coatings Co. version yellows terribly as well.....I have the white test sticks to prove it. You can see them at the Charlotte show.

Emory, The price should be right in line with the FlexCoat product...maybe a buck or two more, but then again it's a much better product. Aa for long term clarity, flexability, the results are on my website.

Also, so you guys with Tax I.D. numbers, we do offer wholesale pricing on this product. All you have to do is send me the proper paperwork.

Thnaks for the review Emory...glad you liked the Epoxy!

Andy

Emory,
I went back and double checked the Flex Coat price list, and my retail price for the 4oz. kit w/Yorker Cap is .44 cents higher than FlexCoat is. I think you must have been buying FlexCoat at wholesale pricing, in which case I think I am .42 cents higher. On your next order, remind me, and I'll refund the difference if you'll provide me with your business liscense/Tax ID.
When I did the market survey for the ThreadMaster product, one of the important things to me was to keep the cost reasonable to you guys, and competitive in the market place while at the same time providing a product with superior chemistry and properties and that "does what is advertised".


Andy Dear
Lamar

Andy

How many finishes have you tested ? LS, Glass Coat ??e




kkkk

Doc,
FlexCoat starts to turn yellow after about 8-10 hours of sun exposure. It turns very yellow after about 42-48 hours of constant sun exposure. After that the process slows considerably. Its's that way with a lot of the finishes I tested. They yellow a lot in the first 2-3 days of constant exposure, then after that the process slows. You won't notice it as much over dark threads however, well at least not directly.

Bob Meiser made a remark to me the toher day that was interesting. He said something to the effect of "My feather inlays have never looked so clear as they do with ThreadMaster....I guess you don't really notice the yellow cast to other finishes until you see your work without the yellow cast" I am paraphrasing from memory, but the point is I think we have gotten used to finishes not being clear, so when a clear one comes along, it's like...whoa, that thread looks a lot brighter!

If you look on my website at the top row of test sticks, one of those is the aforementioned finish. Don't get me wrong, FlexCoat is a great finish, and I am not bashing it....in fact I have used it for 10 years....but it does yellow.

Like I mentioned to Randy, I'll have my test sticks in Charlotte. Unfortunately I didn't get to test all the finishes on the market. At some point I'd like to do that. I did howver test most of the ones that are mentioned here on this board.

Andy

Bill,
Yes I do have problems with Flex Coat yellowing over time. I also have problems with it tending to oxidize over time, or at least I think that it is oxidation, but it results in it becoming a little opaque or cloudy. But I have seen these same problems with other epoxies.

Doc,
I doubt that the yellowing has anything to do with the way you apply it. I think that it is just the nature of the beast. I would think that you would have a lot more problems with that down there where the sun shines on you all of the time. We do not have quite as big a problem with too much sunshine here in the Northwest. If the epoxy reacted in some way to rain then I would really have a problem.
The remainder of Thread Master was much clearer in the pill cup than the remainder of the Flex Coat but I think that it will take time to tell how much better Thread Master will be after extended use or exposure.

Andy,
Can I just e-mail you my ID and license numbers? What do you suggest that I do with this half gallon of Flex Coat in my shop? Maybe you should take trade-ins like the car dealers. Seriously, I think that it will take time to be able to fairly compare Thread Master to other epoxies but the little that I have used it my impression is that it is superior to anything that I have previously used. I think that you are going to have a real winner on your hands.

I've got a broken rod in my shop that the feller brought to me this fall. I don't know how much he's fished it, but I built it for him in '03. It has a white wrap with a waterslide decal on it. I don't see ANY yellowing over the white thread, Andy.

Putter
Williston, ND

Emory

Tint it and make colored handle rings out of it. This way ya don't have to worry about the yellowing . LOL

Randy,

North Dakota is NOT a semi- tropical environment like Texas, Luoisiana, Southern California Florida, Mexico, The Bahamas, Hawaii etc... is. The intensity, heat, and sheer amount of days a year you guys get intense heat and sunlight is a lot different than what we get down here.

Here is the other thing; how much has he fished it under UV exposure over 2 years? Even if he fished it once or twice a month for several hours a day for 2 years....it may not show yellowing yet.

I aint' trying to change you Randy. If you like what you're using, god love you, stay with it. I know you think that the Epoxy Coatings stuff is distilled from the tears of Cleopatra herself....but my white test sticks don't lie....in the Texas Sun, it yellows.


Andy

Randy,
You should talk to John Britt in Pinellas Park Florida and ask him about ANY other finish over waterslide decals in their climate.....unbelievable how bad the yellowing is.

Andy

I'm sure it probably does, too, Andy. It's pretty easy to work with and seems pretty clear to me. I'll probably stick with it. Such an improvement over the first formulation of it!! And that stuff was pretty good... It's amazing the improvements being made on all of these products, that's for sure.

Putter
Williston, ND

I don't think UV exposure is the major cause of epoxy yellowing. Most will turn brown in a dark closet, if they're going to turn at all. Temperature and age have far more to do with epoxy yellowing that UV.

...............

Has it been said that the clearer a clear is the faster the threads tend to dis-color, because of the sun being able to get to the thread easyer ?

Emory;
You could always use it for a garage floor covering!!! Perhaps with some marbling with Putters guidance. LOL

Happy Holidays to all

Fred Crum
Dixon, Ca.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2005 03:55PM by Fred Crum.

I just had a lengthy discussion with the Chemical Engineer that formulated ThreadMaster for me regarding UV degradation and yellowing of 2 part polymers; Here is a very simplified explanation in a nutshell.
In general, each component in the 2 part system is subject to different types of degradation. The extent and duration of onset of degradation depends one the raw materials in each individual formula. However, generally speaking the Resin (Part A) is mostly subject to UV degradation, and it exhibits this by turning chalky or milky under long-term UV exposure. So when Emory speaks of FlexCoat turning chalky....that's an anomolie of the Resin under long term UV exposure.
The hardener is a different animal than the Resin, it exhibits degradation from not only from UV exposure, but also from heat and in some cases (depending on the raw materials in the formula) just plain old age. Hardeners exhibit degradation by turning brown or yellow. The goal with ThreadMaster was to prolong the degradation as long as possible to have superior clarity and integrity. You all have seen the test sticks on my website. In addition this chemsitry was tested under controlled conditions in an "accelerated weather chamber" that simulated over 500 hours of constant UV exposure, and the results mirrored my Texas Torture test.....very little change in clarity and integrity.

I know that is a terribly simple explanation but that's what you get when a Redneck paraphrases a PhD in Chemical Engineering.

Regards,


Andy Dear
Lamar Manufacturing
www.lamarreelseats.com
210-845-7456

Andy,
I do beleive you could sell a car to a striped bass! LOL
Please do not take that the wrong way. I very much appreciate the time you put in here to address any questions and give us the "straight" talk about a product you are obviously very proud of. The regulars on this forum speak very highly of your service to them and the products you distribute. Threadmaster has not been available for very long and already the results from users are comming in and in a favorable
way. I really am begginng to wish I had ordered your new finish first instead of that other new finish product that was made available a month or more ago. I have posted a question about that product and it seams nobody has used it yet or worse has nothing to say and the
guy that developed it has not got back to me either. In his defence however, this might be due to the holiday season.
You or Anglers Resource will be filling an order for me very soon indeed!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..