Well, got my first bottle of Threadmaster about two weeks ago. Finally broke it out last week after my Flex Coat Lite supply ran out.

First rod-- 6'6" 4pc 2 weight.
Man, this stuff is thick. Seems like a high build. Also a lot of bubbles on initial mixing, and hard to get them to come out, even with flaming of the aluminum foil on which the finish was poured. Put on the wraps, again quite heavy. Stuff doesn't seem to level real well but maybe it will level itself out after being on the dryer for a while. Set up very slowly, a good thing. Applied with brush, should've used a spatula.

Came back the next morning, and unfortunately, none of the good leveling that had been promised :(. Slightly tacky after 12 hours but dry in 24. Still haven't bothered to deal with the second coat on this rod...the guides sure don't need it as they have big ol' glops of epoxy on them.

Second rod-- 10'0" 3pc 7 weight
Hmm, seems a lot thinner this time. Very few bubbles when mixing...and pop easily when breathed on. Put on the wraps and had no trouble getting an appropriate coat. Penetrated thread well (important with goldenrod thread on a matte gray blank...any error will show here!). Leveled really well on the butt/decal area. Set up within 20 minutes, dry to touch in 4hrs. Applied with brush, worked well.

Second coat went on without a hitch. One of the best finished rods I've had here in a while...no imperfections whatsoever, no bubbles, perfectly level over the decal.

Third rod-- 8'4" 3pc 4 weight
Same as #2. Worked great, penetrated candy apple thread on matte gray blank, leveled well on decal (almost too well, showed a wrinkle in the decal application, grr!).

What was the difference between rod #1 and #2-#3? TEMPERATURE. I realized that I had mixed/applied it at about 60F on the first rod. Big mistake on all fronts. Took way too long to dry, didn't level well, hard to work with. The second and third rods were done with room temp of about 75F. I had accidentally cranked up the heat beforehand on #2, and was practically sweltering in the finish room. But dang, it made it easy to work with. I tried the microwave the bottles trick on #3, and didn't find much difference after doing so.

Overall--

After overcoming some serious operator error...

Great 'intermediate' build finish. Not quite as thin as Flex Coat Lite but nowhere near High Build (unless it is cold in your finishing area!). Does everything it should...penetrates thread, releases mixing bubbles easily, takes 20-25 minutes to set up , looks GREAT on a finished rod.

I'm going to order more when this bunch runs out.


Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2005 06:58PM by Scott Kinney.

Wow, I think you solved my problem with Threadmaster! I did a rod last week, and it was pretty warm in the basement when I did the guide wraps. It was perfect - the easiest epoxy I have ever seen. But, later in the week it got cold. When I was doing the buttwrap and inscription it was definitely colder in the basement. I had all kinds of problems. It was thick, wouldn't level at all, even after I hit it with heat.
I guess I will have to keep a big heater going when I use Threadmaster. It was too good to not use, when it was in a warm area.
Steve Broadwell

Interesting. I've been applying it in 55-65 degree temps without any problems like you experianced as teh final product. What are you using as a heat source to remove bubbles? I have experianced it being thick and bubbly when I mix as well as going on somewhat uneven, but that's the same with every finish I use, teh way I mix & apply with a brush. Some heat from teh Propane torch, all teh bubbles go away, and it levels perfectly. Are you flaming the epoxy after it is appied to teh guides, and it is turning on the lathe or only when it's in teh mixing medium? That's when I hit it with the torch, that might be th e difference.

My rod room stays at about 80 degrees year round. I have done two 8 foot rods without problems. What bubbles I saw I blew out with a soda pop straw. I did not have to use heat. So far so good. These were saltwater rods. I put on one coat in the morning and one coat in the afternoon and shipped them out next day.

I imagine it was in the mid 60s when I had the problems. Actually have tried three times on the inscription area. Put it on lightly with a brush, with longitudinal strokes, and the stuff just sets there, won't even slide around the blank. I use a Bic lighter, and got it pretty warm.
The second time I put the Threadmaster in the microwave like Andy suggested. It was warm, but once it got on the rod the same thing happened.
Interestingly, I didn't have any bubble problems at all. I don't take too much care mixing, figuring I can get the bubbles out when I pour it out on flat foil. With the Threadmaster, they came right out. I only had to blow on it with a straw and they were gone.
Since this worked so well on the guidewraps, when the room was warmer, I am pretty sure that this is the problem. The only way to see for sure is try another rod.

I mix the epoxy in plastic cups, then pour it on aluminum foil. I blow on it with an open mouth once, and then I heat the foil with a candle until the finish thins out a bit (not enough to cause steaming or boiling). I let it sit for a few minutes until most if not all of the bubbles have worked themselves out. I might blow on it again a second time to get the last few out. Then I apply it to the rod with a brush at 40RPM. I flame the wraps after the finish is applied with an alcohol burner flame-- again, enough to make it run but not enough to boil/steam it. I remove excess and then repeat.

Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]

Interesting ? I just got mine. I usually work in cooler temps so I guess i am going to have to try this on some scrap first to figure how it works.

Billy, glad to see some one does it in cooler temps.

Any one tried thinning it ?

Bill,
Please don't do that...there is absolutely no need to. It penetrates very well as it is.

Andy

I actually thought about thinning it, but saw the post Andy made about that last week. I am pretty sure my problem was due to temperature. Or, it could just be my relative inexperience. But, it sure did a fantastic job on the guide wraps! I will play around with the temp until I get the buttt wrap and inscription right.
Steve Broadwell

Andy,
You have to keep in mind that Bill thins everything, even water!! (Kiddin', Bill)

Mike