one of the reason i like CP is that when it is applied it gets most if not all the air bubbles out of your wrap. however their are somtimes when you do not wont to use CP. the problem i am haveing is getting the air out of the wrap before i epoxy it. a friend of mine said to put on a light coat of epoxy then take your finger and push on the wrap as it is turning. does anybody have any other ideas?????????

Personally I would not put my fingers on or in the epoxy and I think if you push
down on the wraps, when they expand back it will act like a sponge and suck
in air that would then have to escape. I'm just guessing here but it makes
sense to me.

Best not to introduce bubbles in the first place. What I like to do is put the finish
bottles in my shirt pocket or some warm (not hot) water for a few minutes to warm
them up a tad. That makes it less viscous. Mix it up and pour out onto tin foil or glass
plate. This spreads it out and releases bubbles and extends pot life by expelling the
heat caused by the chemical reaction of the mix. When using a brush don't brush it!
Just load the brush and allow whats on the brush to flow onto the wrap and turn the
blank, reload and repeat until covered. After all wraps are covered go back to the first
one and check for any bubbles, blow on them with a straw and they should pop.
If needed use some heat at this point to thin the finish but if you must do this do it
sparingly and do not get the epoxy HOT just warm it up a bit.

I advise to turn the rod by hand for a while at first every couple minutes. Allow sags
to form on the bottom of the wraps and wick off with brush and rotate 90 degrees
and repeat.

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

An alcohol lamp will do wonders on the bubbles !!!


<*)))><

I use that principle to keep bubbles out. I saturate the wrap, let the finish soak in, and use a spatula to take off all the excess finish. The second coat would be the normal application, and bubble free.

I haven't really looked for a tool to do the job, since I find that strips of playing cards work well to take off the excess.

Dave

I follow similar to Dave, just using a brush instead. I get the wrap soaked with epoxy and with the brush, pull off almost all of the epoxy. I like using a 200 rpm motor for applying the finish. The finish is so thin on the first coat, that if a bubble does appear, it is easily taken care of. When the first coat dries, you can still feel the bumps of the thread, but all tunnels are filled. The second coat goes on and I have no problems with bubbles at all, at least up until this moment I haven't. After applying on the 200 rpm motor, I shift the rod to a dryer running at 4 rpm to let the epoxy finish. Most of the time I can get what I want in just the 2 coats.

I use a combination. I use all the tricks to introduce as few bubbles as possible to the mix ("folded" not "stirred) and pour it out in a thin layer on foil. I apply a saturating first coat working from the front edge toward the foot and filling the tunnel. Then I remove the excess (I can see some threads). I think this accomplishes the same thing as using CP to remove the air. Then I apply the second coat using the same mixing routine.

If you are speaking of bubbles coming from UNDER the wraps......a fellow on here (thanks whoever you were!) told me on long wraps to put a REALLY THIN 1st coat of finish on, this thinness allows all the air under the wrap to disperse easily=no bubbles. Works great for me! Note: do this FIRST when your finish is at it's thinest and work the rest of the rod after.

DR

A thin first coat will solve your problems. I agree with what has been said above although I achieve the same affect in a different manner. After applying the first finish layer I simply let the rod sit, guides up, until the epoxy starts to sag and drip from the bottom. I'll use something to wick or scrape the sags from the bottom and continue to let it sit. After a second or even third wicking you'll notice the sags have pretty much stopped. I then flip the rod over and let it sit for a while. I may even slowly turn the rod and breath warm air onto the wraps. After a couple minutes in the guides down possition I'll flip guides up again and see if any sags form. If so, remove them. If not (which is likely), I place the rod in a dryer.

By doing this you are removing all possible excess epoxy using the inherent self-leveling properties of said product. The epoxy layer will be so thin that bubbles litterally have no where to hide. If they form, they have to pop. When cured you should still be able to see defined ridges of thread when looked at in the light. Now THAT is a thin coat of epoxy. Apply the second coat and on most small rods you're done.

Jay

Go to the library or back issue Volumn 9 #1 and look for Tom Kirkmans Better Apoxy Finish p 26. This nails it. and it is important that the rotation is in increment of 180 and he explains why. Its made all the difference in how I now apply my apoxy. It works especially well in leveling off open wraps. Be ready to spend about 2 hours getting ready to let it dry but every minute is worth it. Tom also talks about the pros and cons of motor drying and what rotation does or can do to the level. When I have finished I do let it rotate over night at 6 rpms I am confidnet that the sagging is over before I leave it alone (not so confident that I want to wake up to relize that the sagging wasnt complete) but for all practical purposes after 2-2 1/2 the apoxy has taken a set and there are no air bubbles. Drool on the apoxy as mentioned above after it has been laid out on a flat surface (I stole my wifes slightly concave make up mirror and can app ly apoxy with no air bubbles present. Its the technique that Tom has created that really finishes it off. Worth looking it over.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2006 09:19PM by Tom Danielson.

Two coats, two coats, two coats......

Use a thin wetting coat 1st. followed 24 hrs later by a thicker coat.

The idea behind the 1st coat is to displace as much air as possible.

If too much finish accumulates wick the excess with lint free paper.

Yes, using a finger to "wipe" the excess off works too. I've done this in the past.

Loy