my standard method of inscription is to first place a very light coat of epoxy over the inscription area, cure for 1 day, then write my inscription, then re-coat with epoxy.

I have 2 rods that received the first coat of epoxy over 1 year ago (Duragloss) but I never inscribed them. I want to inscribe them now. Will there be a problem if I apply a second coat of epoxy over the first after 1+ year of cure?

this is a low-stress area, strength not an issue, but the directions state to recoat within a few days.

What you'll have to do is prepare a water-break-free surface by thoroughly scouring the previous coat of epoxy with a grey Scotchbrite pad. Clean the area, scour with the pad and apply the inscription and then seal and finish as usual. Do not wipe the area with a solvent after you have scoured it with the Scotchbrite pad.

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Tom, thanks. This could be a problem because I bordered the area with trim wraps. The first epoxy coat is so thin that the threads show through prominently. Scouring will cause them to fuzz-out. Sounds like I might have to start anew?

Not really, just go a bit lighter over the trim wrap area. What you want to do it de-gloss the previous finish coat. You want to scour it pretty well, but you don't really have to remove any material. Grey Scotchbrite is pretty fine stuff, I don't think you'll raise any fuzz in those trim wrap areas.

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I've waited weeks between coats when puttings weaves in the middle of butt wraps and never noticed a problem with the finish without doing anything to the previous coat. Am I missing somthing here??

Jim
There is a world of difference between WEEKS and a year. Technically you should buff with Scotchbrite #7448 grey If the coating is more than a week or two old. This will insure you of good adhesion. The question remains how good is necessary to be good enough. After a year you will most defininately have very poor, if any adhesion at all, and buffing is absolutely necessary. After a few weeks, you would have better adhesion if you buffed it, but you will have probably satisfactory adhesion if you don't.
Ralph

Is Scotchbrite #7448 something I would purchase in a place like Home Depot?

Would this "buffing" show through the decal after a top coat of finish is put on?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2006 08:14AM by Ralph Tomaccio.

No, the fine Scotchbrite won't leave deep scratches or anything that would show through another coat of finish. You buy it from Lamar or at many auto body shop/paint supply stores. Most Home Depots will sell the burgandy and green. The green (3M) is okay, just a tad bit more aggressive than the grey. But not at all bad and will do in a pinch.

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Tom, having sanded wraps and recoated with finish, it is amazing that no scratches appear. The area I would be concerned with is that area under the decal that has been sanded with Scotchbrite on which no finish would be directly applied because the decal would be on top of it. You're saying that area will blend in perfectly with the surrounding area as well?

Scotchbrite doesn't really leave much in the way of scratches, at least not to the naked eye. For out purposes, it simply deglosses the surface.

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Ralph T.
There's a small amount of adhesive on the back of that decal that will provide the 'shine' under the decal when you apply it over a gray Scotchbrited surface.

That said, I still like to do this with a WELL-USED piece of gray Scotchbrite just to ensure that the scratches are shallower yet that the decal adhesive doesn't fill. Just made more sense to me at the time I did it and it has worked well for me so far.

Putter
Williston, ND

I'd use 1500 grit wet sandpaper on the area WITHOUT the wrappings and never touch the wrappings with anything other than the next coat of epoxy. Here's why: the wraps are still showing through, this means he ALREADY HAS a rough surface for the new epoxy to grab onto-the wraps themselves.

On this re-coat thing.......we don't sand our rod blanks UNDER the guide wrappings do we? That surface is surely not water break free...why then does he really have the need to scrub these wrappings that are already water break free with anything?

I say 1500 the smooth epoxy area and never touch the wrappings-recoat and stop worrying :)