hello and good morning,
i need some help on the technique of applying finish. i use f/c high build and like it pretty well, but i have also been hearing alot about thread master. by the way where do you buy thread master? anyway i have read books and watched videos on applying finish. some say have the rod turning slow, some say a little faster. i have also been hearing alot about spatulas. could any of ya'll give me some tips on what works best for you. it sure would be appreciated. i just want my rods to look and be the best possible. thanks for any help.

David,
I used flexcoat for years....However, threadmaster is the best I have ever seen. You can buy it from Andy Dear. Lamar Reel Seats on you left. I use a spatula but I guess the best advice I can offer is do what is best for you. Practice on scrap blanks and go with what you feel is the best. You will get a lot of different techniques and they are all good if they work for them.
Good luck,


Big John
Rio Hondo, Texas
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting

thanks big john,
i have finished a few rods using brushes, although i am always looking for a better way to go, with better results. your help is much appreciated.

Any of the popular thread epoxy thread finishes will produce a perfectly level, glass smooth finish. There is a good article on the online library page by Rich Forhan that details good finishing habits and the next issue of RodMaker will have a detailed article on some do's and don'ts that will help as well.

For the most part, all these finishes try to give you a smooth, level finish, but many of the things rod builders do to them tend to prevent this from happening.

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

David, Check out www.hisrodshop.com/spatula.pdf. Joe Kassuba has a great tutorial on using a spatula to apply finish. It will answer all of your questions. You will need Adobe Reader to view it. Joe has the spatula for sale on his site and the're only $10.Hope you will find this helpful.

You can use just about anything to apply epoxy. You can use a brush to apply it, but you'll have a tendancy to actually brush it on...hey it's a natural reflex. I try to use spatulas so that I don't have that urge to brush.

To turn or not to turn during application? This runs the gammot. You can simply apply the epoxy while your rod is sitting on rollers and turn it by hand just enough to be all sides covered. That works fine. OR you can put the rod on a motor and turn it as much as 200 rpm to apply the epoxy. I'd say that goes from one extreme to the other. The point is you can do it either way or any way in between. It's all what you are comfortable with and what gives you the better final product.

Jay

I use a 1/4" wide camel hair brush, I "load up" brush with finish and (band) the finish on threads and rotate at 40Rpm. This high rpm gets a spin dry affect and even and smooth distribution around the thread. This is been working so good with threadmaster, that my last two rods received one coat. This cuts down on weight also, on the light walleye rods I make here in WI

Hey Greg, what supplier did you get the 40 rpm from? I've been looking for one. Thanks!

Jay

I ordered it on my custom wrapper, Where I work, we make Large Carbon Fiber Rolls, which are very alike to a rod blank, we apply our epoxy by spaying, but dry them at high RPM's, this gives you a smooth as glass finish, these rolls are from 1''OD to 20" OD and are used in the printing industry.

Jay, Just sent you an e-mail
Mike

Jay - they used to have them at allelectronics.com. I'm sure they wondered why they sold so many in a 2 month period, lol. So many people posted here a couple of years ago that we bought them all out.

Something else.....make sure your rod is perfectly level. I use a bubble style carpenters level on every rod to get it perfectly level before I start the epoxy process.

One nice even coat, 2nd coat to cover/fill the next day. My 1st coat coversfills most of the thread wraps but not all and goes just TO the egde of the thread. Once on, I heat the 1st coat a little to help it "soak" into the thread wraps. The 2nd coat I take past the threads, that 2nd coat fills and covers everything. I use a cheap-o brush and use lengthwise strokes on my coats once I get the epoxy on the wrap.

Mine are not perfect 100% of the time, but in rod builders eye's-mine at least-they never will be "perfect". If I ever get "perfect" I might have to quit rodbuilding :)

DR

This may be a stupid question, but I hear so many people putting finish on while the rod is spining . Can anyone actually put finish on a double footed guide while the rod is spinning at the said 40 rpm's. If so, how in the world do you get it all covered.

hi all,
i just wanted to thank you all for your input. i found out several things i was doing wrong, which is why i was having so much trouble. first i wasn't warming up my finish which was a BIG problem. second i was trying to put on too thick of a coat, which was another Big problem. i warmed my finish up by having it in my pocket for a while, and then i applied thin coats. man what a difference these 2 things made. the wrap really looks good. thanks for all your help and input. it really made the difference.