Putting the finish on the butt section of a new rod and had millions of teeny tinny little bubbles.
Wraps are black with silver tipping so I didn't use any CP and the black showed up every bubble.
I mixed Acetone with my old (1yr) flex coat for the first coat and left the rod for about an hour. Came back to find bubbles in the finish. I tried the heat gun and they moved around but even became worse. Finally stripped most of the coating off with Actone and will let it cure over night.

Hope it doesn't happen in the final coating.

Can I use another brand of coating over the old cured Flex coat?

Most bubbles are introduced either in the mixing process or during the application process. If you have a mechanical mixer, your finish batch should start out with zero bubbles. If you must mix by hand, do so very slowly and then if bubbles are still present, pour the mix out onto aluminum foil and let it stand for a few minutes during which time most bubbles will rise and escape.

When applying your finish to the wrap, don't brush it around. Load the brush or spatula and place it against the rod and rotate the rod. Then load the brush or spatula again, move over a bit, and repeat. Brushing and moving finish around, back and forth, up and down, to and fro, will only introduce more bubbles.

Granted, some bubbles came from air trying to escape from your thread. This often happens when CP is not used. Generally, you can expand and help the bubbles escape by a very brief application of heat from a lighter, lamp or even the heat gun, but remember that there is a window during which time this is possible - after a certain point, the batch will be too thick to allow further escape of bubbles and heating will no longer thin it.

You will not find any epoxy formulator or manufacturer that recommends adding any type of solvent to epoxy.

Yes you can use another brand of epoxy over what you have now, but the Flex Coat was not the source of your problem.

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I use a small (about 1-¼ inch) metal flexible artist spatula that looks like a pointed masons trowel. Use it to mix epoxy, then to apply. ]
Mix my epoxy on a larger relatively flat surface. Push it around more then stir. That way I tend to push the bubbles out as I go, and seldom have problems with bubbles. The few occasions I do are from what Tom said. Air escaping from threads. I also do what Tom suggest to correct them

Thanks guys,
I mixed the epoxy with a spatula, as you do Steve, mixed it about 2 minutes and had no bubbles in the mix. In thinking back, I suspect noodling the application with a brush was the down fall. Although I didn't have any bubbles show up until after the finish had set for awhile. Also, I may have put the first coat on to heavy. I'll take my time with the final coat and hope all the air should be out of the thread now.

Walt Koda Wrote:
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> Although I didn't have any bubbles show up until
> after the finish had set for awhile. Also, I may
> have put the first coat on to heavy.

One of my local rodbuilding heros once said to me..."stay with the rod a bit after flex coat...babysit it...watch for the bubbles"

"Stay with the rod"...is what I got out of it. Somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes after mixing and the finish is setting up, I've had those Johnny "Pesky" little bubbles magically appear and it @#$%& when your not around to pop them with the recommended methods.

Mike, you're a babysitter, too? LOL! Yes, and like Walt said, he may have put it on too thick for the first coating. The bubbles, if they do appear, are much easier to get to the surface and out if that first coat is a thinner coat.

Putter
Williston, ND

I second the thin first coat - thin application, not thinned finish. I've found that this helps not only with bubbles, but also helps level. I apply with a spatula moving the finish length wise. When the entire wrap is covered, I come back and remove excess. On my first coat, theads will show.

I bust the little bubbles by blowing my hot breath through a straw on the wrap as it is turning on the dryer. I also blow in the mixing cup just before I pour the finish out into the aluminum foil, or in the puddle of finish once it is poured into the foil, and get most of the bigger ones. Haven't encountered any yet that I couldn't get with this method.

Steve Buchanan
Steve's Custom Rods

Bubbles...my solution was to mix, pour on foil and let it spread out, literally scoop it up and pour on the rod(I push it out lengthwise to cover thread) and let it droop and wick off the excess, wait about 10 minutes hit it with the propane torch and wick a bit more all the while turning by hand. I keep and eye or 2 on it for about 1/2 hour I just use a straw and blow on any bubbles I find. I have done away with using the dryer and with that procedure my finish turns out very flat/even and glass like and no bubbles.