I've noticed a few foreign fibers/tiny hairs and such in my wraps lately that I have to pick out while flaming. I have been reusing my mixing cups and was wondering if this is where my contamination is coming from. I plan get a whole bag of them from @#$%& for next to nothing and just use them once. It makes sense that this could be where my problem is coming from since I always wipe them out with a paper towel after using - duh! Thanks.

Finish is easily removed from most plastic cups as it won't stick to them very well. As long as you take the cleaned cup and put it somewhere out of harm's way there is no reason for it to collect fibers/tiny hairs any more than a brand new cup would.

One thing I wouldn't do, is wipe them out with a paper towel. If anything, that's where your lint and hairs are coming from. Just pop the cured finish out and leave it at that.

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

I use clear glass ash trays. They have the slot to hold my brush and after any finish sets up peels right off. So I don't have to clean them with anything. I think that I have found the best use for the ash tray Since I don't smoke... I would think that any type of glass saucer would work. I did try some minature glass flower pots but they were hard to get the stuff to peel out. The larger ashtray (4"x4") lets the finish spread out and the clear glass lets you see any bubbles in the finish that you can work out before applying to wraps. It is better that your glass doesn't have any bubbles in it or you may find yourself trying to pop those....

Thad
Dutchman's Creek Tackle

Im with Tom I can get quite a few applications out of one cup before it gets to an unuseable stage . Just pop the left over dry finish out of the cup, make sure its all out totally clean and leave it upside down on a clean surface. If there is any small bits still in the cup I just make sure my hands are really clean and just pick the small bits out by hand but thats it I wouldnt wipe it with anything. I presume your not using a brush to apply your finish .

Just curious - is there any reason why you have to pop out the old, cured finish? I use those cheap aluminum ash trays lined with aluminum foil and have mixed finish on top of cured finish a number of times with no problems. I know, you're probably thinking "Boy is this guy cheap - not only uses disposable ash trays, then lines them, but is also too cheap to even throw away the aluminum foil!" Guilty, I guess. But I prefer to call it "frugal". : )

Am I living on borrowed time before experiencing a problem?

Ralph, I guess I am frugal, too. All my life, in my normal industrial job, I have looked at ways of reducing cost components to get a competitive advantage. So, when I started rodbuilding I did the same thing. All the little seemingly insignificant costs add up. I have tried my best to lower these costs as much as possible.
To that end, I use the same plastic cup over and over. I'll bet I have finished 50 rods with the one I am on now. Also, I routed out a depression in a 1 x 6, and place my foil over the board and down into the depression, and pour the finish from the cup into this depression.
And, while a lot of people will disagree with this, I have not mixed a full 3cc of finish since the first time. I saw how much was wasted and couldn't stand it! Usually, I go with 1 1/2, sometimes 2ccs. And, knock on wood, I have never yet had a finish problem. I think if you are very careful, and above all else mix it enough, you don't need 3cc.
Steve Broadwell

I pop the finish out because I can. I do let a little build up occur before I pop it off though.. makes it easier for it to come off at one time...

Thad
Dutchman's Creek Tackle

WOW, I thought I was frugal!!! The plastic mixing cups are a couple bucks for a sleeve of a 100! The paper towel/alcohol that is used to clean one out probably cost more than the cup. Having said that, Like Thad, I often use ash trays. They work greatI mix in a cup and pour in to the ash tray. I don't bother cleaning them, though. I just keep adding and periodicall peel the finish out I also mix the amount of finish that I need. I have been burned a couple of times with some finishes, but since I switched to Threadmaster, I have mixed as little as 1/2 CC for repairs with NO problems.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Well, Mike, I said I was cheap! I actually have a procedure. I use a coffee filter to wipe off the syringes, and then use the same one to wipe out the cup. Got the idea of using coffee filters from you, and they don't leave any lint. Plus, I can buy several hundred at Big Lots for just a few pennies.

As a restaurant owner, I pay $0.015 per 2oz plastic soufle cup. I have no idea what these things cost out in the retail world, but I would most likely do a 50% markup if someone wanted to purchase something such as this (I'm not trying to sell these things so PLEASE no emails!). My point is if these things are more than about 2.5 cents each retail, it might pay to go ask a local restuarant if you can buy a case or a sleave of these things. At less than 2 cents each I have a hard time resuing them!

The last case I purchased was $36.60 and contained 25 sleaves of 100. That's 2,500 cups...how long would this last most of us? For about $55 you can finish a bunch of rods and not have to worry about re-using a cup.

Just a thought.

Jay

Just tell me that the coffee filters you use are fresh and not after having brewed a pot!

I think it's great that we can make fun of our personal idiosynchrasies! (sp?)

Steve, I'm cheap also. Add that to lazy and that's why I don't clean out a .02 cent cup although I DO reuse them until they get too full and then I throw them away. Coffee filters are GREAT for everything from clean up to applying True Oil, Permaglaoss, etc. No lint and very strong! Folded in half with a crisp straight edge with alcohol on it and held close to the wet huide wrap on a rotating rod will give you a nice straigt edge. As far as syringes go I am on my 3rd year with the same set (several different finishes) and have NEVER cleaned them. I keep them stuck in a hole in the bottle cap, just invert bottle and draw out what I need. Accurate, quick and clean!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2006 01:24PM by Mike Barkley.

MAN YOU GUYS ARE CHEAP! And don't try and mask it with "frugal"! LOL. Lets change the name to, "Cheap-tight rod builders.org"! LOL...Have a great day you guys.

I practice the same procedure as Mike with my syringes (same two now for about three years as well). I don't know why they would need cleaning...just pop them back in the bottle cap and forget about them. As far as cheap goes...the bottle caps come on the bottles...no added expense = FREE

Jay

Ralph - no, I hadn't thought about reusing filters. That might be a good idea, but my coffemaker has one of those metal filter things, and I don't use the paper filters.
Seriously, though, filters do work great for many purposes.

I switched over ot using a wide mouthed shot glass to mix my epoxy. I put a small 3X3 inch piece of rug anti skid padding in the epoxy mixer holder and slip in the shot glass. The rug pad holds the shot glass firmly in the epoxy mixer. In 5-7 minutes I have well mixed, bubble free epoxy. When I am finished, I wipe out the shot glass with alcohol and a piece of paper towel. This has served me well for quite a while and I have no worries about contamination or running out of plastic cups. You can usually pick up the shot glasses at your local GoodWill or Thrift store for about 50 cents each. Just a thought...

Jim Smith

Just a thought! Are you guys as cheap in pricing your rods as you are in building them? Jesse

No. I think that is what business is all about - reduce all the costs that don't have an impact on quality, so you can either be more competitive, or make a higher margin. I guess there really is no competition around here at least for custom rods, so I try to do the latter.
But, I am not real fast, like the guys who have been doing this for a long time, so I don't make much per hour. It is fun though, and keeps me from having to cut the grass.

Ok, quick...someone figure out the cost of how much alcohol & paper towel it takes to clean out your favorite mixing vessel! Really, it would be interesting to know the cost of cleaning vs. the cost of a .02 cup.

Jay

Jesse, Great to see you back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How are you doing??

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2006 03:16PM by Mike Barkley.