I applied the second coat of finish to my wraps this past sunday and today (thursday) the wraps are still tacky!
I'm pretty confident your responses are going to be that my epoxy proportions wern't accurate but I'm also very confident that they were as I used the supplied hypos that came with the kit.
I had the rod turning on my rod lathe as it dried in a small room with consistent temperatures about 70-80 degrees for 24 hours.
I'm under the gun a little with this rod because it is an @#$%& item for a local charity next week and I don't have time to do a tearoff and re-wrap.
Could I just re-coat with FC from a new bottle?
Any suggestions?
Thanks
BjR

Well, the one thing we can be sure of is that there is nothing wrong with the Flex Coat itself. So, either your mix portions were off or your mixing wasn't complete.

I would try a very thin coat over the top of what you have now. Make sure to mix a full 3ccs of each part and mix for about 3 to 4 minutes.

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

That's the rub. I am 100% positive that my proportions were equal and correct as I was showing someone at the time of how to extract the portions from the bottles and mix them correctly. He is a chemist and would have caught my error if I had made one.
What I did do that I didn't mention in my first post was that the fellow at the fly shop I bought the FC from suggested that I warm the two bottles in a microwave for just a few seconds to warm them up before I measured them into the hypos. I didn't like the idea of that because my wife would have popped a seam had one of those bottles busted in the micro. So to warm up the mixes I put a piece of wood across the top of the electric heater for a few minutes and put the bottles on the board while I set up the rod in my lathe and got out supplies/ prep and such. It was maybe three minutes that it was indirectly exposed to heat. Is it possible that could have changed the FC? I've read in here of folks putting their FC in the micro too and I thought that was a little over the top and risky at the time unless they had a designated work micro for just such purposes and wouldn't matter if epoxy exploded inside it.

I just put mine in a container of warm water for awhile. I have used the microwave, and neither method has ever caused any set-up problems.
Steve Broadwell

BRAD. ARE YOU PAINTING OUT OF THE MIXING CONTAINER? iF SO, YOU MUST POUR THE MIX OUT ON A FLAT SHEET OG ALUMINUM FOIL, OR COATED PAPER PLATE. FOR SOME REASON IT DOESNT CURE ALL THE WAY WHEN YOU LEAVE IT IN THE MIXING CUP. ALSO IF YOU ARE WORKING IN A BASEMENT OR GARAGE THERE MIGHT BE ENOUGH AMBIENT MOISTURE IN THE AIR TO MAKE IT TACKY. iF THIS IS YOUR WORKING ENVIROMENT, TRY A DIFFERENT ROOM IN THE HOUSE AND YOU WILL GET BETTER RESULTS. i RECOMMEND MIXING FOR 2 1/2 MINUTES
kEVIN BOGAN

I mix it in an aluminum mixing cup made specifically for mixing epoxy. The moisture issue........? Possibly..........But I've never had this problem before. What would be the worst case secenario if I just re-coated over the soft wraps?

Brad,do you apply from the same mixing cup or pour it out and let it spread out.Leaving it in the mixing vessel will allow unmixed potions to creep up the side and then be picked up by your brush.If you are worried about the epoxie why not mix up a test batch and apply it to a test wrap first ,however I`m pretty sure the finish is ok.I only zap the resin in the micro when needed,not the hardener.At only 10 second bursts dont worry about an explosion.Also do it with the cap off.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

FlexCoat will cure even if it is dumped in a glass of water. It may blush in the process but it will cure.

What was the temp. in your shop? Below 60 degrees and it will stay tacky for quite a while.

Andy Dear
www.lamarfishing.com

There is never any reason to heat epoxy unless your resin has crystalized. It's a shame that this sort of thing is getting started - that you should heat your epoxy prior to measuring and mixing. There's just no reason to do it. If it's cold where you store it or plan to work, get it up to room temp, but please don't heat it. MIcro-waving and hot water and all that sort of thing is intended to return a crytalized resin to good condition. But these things just aren't necessary unless your resin has crystalized. These are the type things the internet spreads when somebody mis-understands and then repeats their mistake on another forum. It makes the rounds until it causes problems for a lot of people.

Now having said that, heat is not going to make any composition changes - at least not the kind of heat you're talking about. The Flex Coat was not your problem. Bad batches are possible but extemely rare, almost non-existent. And, if it set up properly on the first application, then it would have done the same on the second.

Not trying to give you a hard time, but something in your measuring or mixing is the far most likely culprit. Stay focused on that. Anybody can make a mistake once in a while.

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

Mositure, humidity, etc., will not affect the cure of your epoxy. Neither will leaving it in the mixing cup. I have yet to pour any mix out onto foil and my epoxy has always set properly. (If you have bubble trouble, by all means pour it out onto foil.)

There are many myths that revolve around the use of epoxy but the one thing you can count on is that if you measure and mix it properly, it is going to set up.

...........

If you re coat over the tacky Flex Coat you should be ok. The catalyst component in the new coat should have positive effect on the previous uncured resin component in the last coat. The uncured coat would most likely harden up anyways over time if it isnt too soft. The final coat will give it protection till it does.

Thanks I'll give re-coating a whirl .
BjR

Hi Brad,

How many CC's did you mix (1,2,3 etc)? One thing not to do to fix your problem is to just apply more hardner. That does not work at all. I had one batch of Flex Coat that would not dry and I was positive I mixed 3CC of each part and mixed it properly but after 3 days it was still tacky. I took Tom's sugestion and mixed another batch of epoxy (3CC of each) applied it and that did the trick. I think if you do as Tom says you'll be ok. Remember 3CC's of each don't try to save a little there.

Let us know how you make out.

Hank
On The Rocks Fishing
Wells, ME.

My experience was an air bubble in one of the syringes. You can bet I look for and purge the air now!

Different angle - Did the first coat you applied get hard? Have you used Flex Coat before or is this the first time you have used this product? If this is the first time do are the caps on the two bottles the same color?

2CC's is all I need to coat the rod. !00% sure I had equal proportions hardener/epoxy. Verified by friend who was there with me.
Waited for all the air bubbles to purge from the syringe. Flicked them out with my fingers
Yes the first coat got hard and have used FC for years. Correct color on Caps.
Consistent 75-80 degrees in drying room for 24 hours minimum.
If there is no immediate or long term problem with re-coating I'll go that route.
Would the worst case scenario might be the person who buys the rod at @#$%& might have the guides come unwrapped ? In which case I'd just re-do the wraps.
BjR

I doubt they'd come unwrapped. If we're only talking "tacky" and not soft finish, the coating would just get dull and shabby looking.

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

Brad,

For the little extra cost of another cc of finish why take chances. Not taking anything from Tom but when a gentlemen like Ralph O'Quinn says min. of 3cc's each then that's what I'm going to do. I know many guys here on this forurm will say that they mix less and have no problems but it's a potentional problem that can be avoided. You can play Russan roulette with a revolver and be ok most of the time but there's that one time that's going to get you.

As far as letting the rod go with tacky finish that's poor craftsmanship. People will remember that one rod that was not right and forget the 99 rods that was done correctly.

Like Tom says, mix 3cc each of part a & part B, mix well and apply to your wraps. I think you'll be pleasently suprised. Also if you check the Flex coat site you'll find the same information in their Q&A section.

Hank
On The Rocks Fishing
Wells, ME.

Why 3cc's. Is that a magic mixing number? I will have alot left over that will be wasted. I can do the whole rod with 1-1/2 cc's but I always mix up 2cc's to be safe and then I end up still tossing some out.
Yes I hate the thought of sending out a rod that's not the kind of quality I would expect of myself. I'm running out time and I'm running out of options if the re-coat doesn't work. I'm going to use a new bottle of FC on the next coat.
Thanks for all your input. This is a great resource.
BjR

There is some margin for error between the syringes, how your eyes persieve the level
inside, the measuring graduations on the cylinder, etc.. There is some margin for error
built into the mixing ratio but the larger the quantities mixed the lower the ratio for error
becomes. Like Milton said, why take chances!
I don't like waste either so sometimes I will look around for something that could use a fresh
coat of finish like a knife handle to apply the extra Flex-Coat onto.
A finish problem is the last thing I want to happen after spending the time to build a rod!

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