For those of you who may have some experience in dealing with this material.............

Is it possible to mix a small quantity of this material and have it react in much the same way as finish epoxy or a varnish-type finish when it's applied in the same way? In other words, if I were to apply it with a spatula to an object that is turning at low RPM's in the same manner as a rod mounted in a drying box, will the resin level out and cure forming a very hard, clear, thin layer over top of the object?

Also, what is the result of dipping an object in the activated resin? Will the result be similar to the effect you can get when you dip an object into varnish and then suspend it and allow the excess liquid to drip off, leaving a nice uniform thickness of protection over the object?

Ever the experimenter (no, I'm not thinking of using it as a substitute for finish epoxy over my thread wraps), I've got some ideas along these lines but I'm trying to avoid spending $20 bucks on a quart of it to satisfy my curiosity. I figure with as many inquisitive individuals as there are who frequent this board that somebody probably thought of it before I did and tried it.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Sam Stoner

The finishes we use with the exception of Permaglos are casting resins. What material are you asking about?

Sam
What casting resin are you thinking about? Your epoxy thread finishes are CASTING RESINS.

Stan,
I have been goofing around with some casting materials lately and have just finalized on what I am going to use predominently. What I have used was a couple of even ratio resin to hardener casting mixes with very different curing times and not so very different finished products.
While preparing to do some casting last night I had similar thoughts but the pot life was only two minutes and demold is six more minutes later with full cure three hours later. I am sure this would all depend on your mold and how it releases the castings.
With the varying pot lifes and cure times for what I have seen in the way of casting materials I'd have to say that there sure might be some possabilities for your ideas. I have made quick little batches to finish off pours and have had no problems as of yet.
Smooth -on is one company that I have bought from and it was the 310 they sell. Long cure time and pot life, white color, machines well, 70 or 75D shorehardness. Seems to get some interior bubbles I myself can not make go away but pressure casting is the way to go with this stuff if I remember correctly.
[www.jgreer.com] is where I got the stuffI like better for what I am doing. About the same specs but it's tan when finished and will pour bubble free with no form of pressure or vacuum casting. It's pretty much like PVC when its cure.


Tight wraps and lines,
Wylie

More than likely he is referring to a polyester resin such as that in the RodMaker article that Joe Emig presented.

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

Wylie, thanks fot your input. Ralph & Jim, the resins that I'm speaking of are the clear polyester casting resins that hobbyists typically use in conjuction with forming molds. I think of it as the material that is used to pour into molds over flowers, insects and such to create paperweights and knick-knacks; it gives the illusion that the item being showcased is suspended in a clear liquid. You may also be familiar with the item from the fake ice cubes that you can find in tourist gift shops that appear to have a fly in the middle of them.

At any rate, I was toying with the idea of trying to use this material in much the same manner as finish epoxy except NOT on rod blanks or other items where a degree of flexibility is required. If you turned a wooden grip or reel seat, could you use this clear polyester casting resin instead of the varnish you may normally use? Will it level evenly over the object? I was thinking more in terms of an application for grips, reel seat, etc. Wylie probably touched on the answer in that the liquid's ability to level and form a thin, clear coating is dependent upon its' pot life and I had never used it so I don't know what that cure period would be.

I don't recall the name brand of the material but I have seen it in Michael's and other craft supply stores, normally selling for about $20 per quart.

Thanks

Sam Stoner

Sam, I don't think polyester casting resins would work well for the application you are considering. In order to get the resin to set up in the time you are talking about, you would have to use a lot of catalyst. The resin tends to harden with a wavy finish on the surface when it cures this quickly. You could entirely embed the item in the resin and turn it down on a lathe to the thickness you want. There are better finishes out there to achieve the look you're going for.

Joe,

Thanks for your input - you've probably saved me about $20 bucks. The downside is that I'll have one less tale to tell. I have noticed though that my repertiore of repair skills gets better with each experiment gone wrong and each mistake. I'll need to mentally catalog this one without the aid of a bad experience to enhance my memory retention.

Thanks again.