Hi all,

sorry if this has been brought up before (i did read some in the old post,s but not all of the brands at the same time).. but i would like to know the pros and cons (if any) of each of the following :

flex coat hi build
flex coat lite
u40 ls supreme
super classic coat
threadmaster

personally i have the first 3 brands, but have yet to try the ls supreme.






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2006 12:35AM by Christopher Tan.

In my opinion,Threadmaster is tops by a long shot followed by LS (haven't used Classic Coat) with Flex Coat bringing up the rear! Keep in mind that everyone has their favorites and none of them are bad. I base my opinions on ease of use, clarity and final results. I just haven't found any to compare with TM. I think that Flexcoat yellows worse than any of them

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!!

thanks mike.. from what is written on the flex coat lite, it is supposed to be UV stable/resistant..

i'm looking for something more on ease of application/mixing and UV stability.. hate to have something done up nicely, only to be ruined by yellowing epoxy. i bought LS supreme mainly because of the above reasons, but have yet to try it out..

i'm also wondering if the expoxies are to be used for the following types of fishing..

fc lite / super classic coat - Ultralight fishing
fc lite/ls supreme /tm - light/medium fishing
fc hi build - heavy fishing

of course you can make do using fc lite on heavy fishing tackle, but more applications may be required..

yeah, if they were bad, i think they would be out of business long time back..

-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

Christopher,

Heavy build can be put on light or heavy. Flex coat is known for it's tendency to yellow. I have had Flexcoated rods that have not seen sunlight in a couple of years turn yellow. It's not a U/V thing. I think that the stuff about "U/V resistance" is mostly marketing. The yellowing is gradual enough that over darker threads, you really don't notice UNTIL you repace a guide on a rod. The new wrap will stand out like a headlight. (there's a reason factory rods stick to very dark thread). Don't get me wrong, Flexcoat is a fine finish, I just think that TM is much better and gives me my best results, while being easy to use.

The type of fishing really has no effect on what finish to use. You can put a high build on very thin if you want. It's just preference. The sole purpose of the finish is to protect the thread from abuse, abrasion and water damage. It doesn't reall affect the strength of the wrap. The thread is what secures the guide. If you were very careful, you could do fine with no finish although I wouldn't recommend it.

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!!

I used Flex-coat for the first couple years cuz I had no idea that any
other product was even manufactured! Never noticed any yellowing
on a rod but had noticed it in the container. Never had any problems
that was not caused by user error and I had very very few of those!
Was quite happy.

Got some Classic Coat first part of this year and noticed an immediate
difference in clarity after mixing and the pot life was better. Used a few
times now and I like it better then Flex-Coat by a good margin.

Used Threadmaster twice now and found the pot life somewhat shorter
than the Classic Coat (however it IS cooler now). The set-up time is MUCH
better and is also WATER clear like the C.C.

No more Flex-Coat for me as long as I can get Threadmaster or Classic Coat.

Must try Permagloss some day soon though. Oh! all products were of the high
build viscosity and DITTO Mike's comment about types of fishing and finish
requirements.

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

Chris,

Welcome on board Rodbuilding. You will find most of the answers to your rodbuilding problems here. Just a suggestion when you post a question, be specific and you will get your answers fast and furious. Your epoxy question is rather open and thus you will get also very varied answers. There are many different brands of 2 part epoxy finish and I believe all of them are quite similar. When you get used to one, try and stick to it as your finish will be more consistent. If you have a particular problem using a type of epoxy, we would like to hear it. This way, answers will also be very specific. Generally, problems with epoxy finishes are actually usage problem and not the epoxies themselves. Anyway, welcome on board and continue to post.

Cheers,

Anthony Lee

thanks all for the input..

Hi anthony,
i am trying to find one of the brands of epoxies that will give me less prob in the long run.. like now, i am currently using fc lite, but if the yellowing is going to an issue, i rather switch out early.

personally, i have not come across and of my rod bindings yellowing.. but my epoxy skill leaves much to be desired... (thanks for the tutorial btw!)




-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

I've used them all and find them all to be excellent. Not a bad one in the bunch.

ThreadMaster is the clearest, although the new LS Supreme to be released in February is supposed to be as clear. I doubt you'd notice the yellowing of the others unless you're working with very light colored thread.

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

thanks tom..

i'm building light rods for personal use.. mainly simple rods with no intricate butt wraps ( as i still havent grasped the concept of butt wrapping, however, i am quite keen in weaving). threads, for the moment, will be kept to the blank color, except with a wee bit of end trim of HT metallic silver or gold.

i guess i will just try it out on the scrap blanks , check out with one will be the easiest for me to work with

-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

Christopher,
We will have a new threadMaster "Lite" version available in about 60 days that is thinner in viscosity and has a longer potlife....for those who like those particular attributes.

Andy Dear
Lamar Fishing

Raymond,
If you'll put CC next to TM on a white rod, you'll find CC to yellow just like the others.


Andy Dear
Lamar Fishing

Chris,
Welcome to the forum. As far as the finishes go, they are all good - BUT...
FC WILL YELLOW. And not just with time, RIGHT FROM THE START!
It has been said that you won't notice it unless you use light colored thread... YOU WILL notice it with ANY Metalic or bright/light colored thread as well if you compare them side-by-side. Don't use FC and expect your thread colors to remain EXACTLY like you see them before finish! This is a BIG issue if you are matching colors of thread(like replacing a guide). Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing FC... It's what I started out on.
Just remember... they are all(for the most part) good products - I use them for different reasons - but some ARE better than others(some MUCH more so!)... Especially for a new rod.
As far as pot life, clarity, finish, etc.... I with Mike and Ray on this. TM or CC.
I use FC ONLY to match yellowed finish...

Hope this helps and we hope to see some of your work soon... I think you'll find that these are great bunch of guys with a lot of knowledge who are more than willing to help you succeed!

Tight wraps

Kevin Graybeal

thanks for the input kevin .. i think i will compare it on the scrap blank ..

hi andy, the lite version will be out in another 60 days, but i gather, by the time it reachss Singapore, it may be another 60-90 days after.

-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

Ha...well I dohave a distributor in Singapore, but he is not yet aware of the lite version.


Andy Dear
Lamar Fishing

Andy,

I have talked alot about ThreadMaster at our local forum here in Singapore. Chris will vouch for me. I am waiting anxiously for your Lite version since I heard about it from your post. Can you get Joe to import some and trust me, Chris and I will be your immediate customers. Until that comes along, I will have to stick to SCC ( Super Calssic Coat is different from Classic Coat as it's much lighter and clearer) as its pot life is ideal for me.


Anthony Lee

yeah .. anthony is right on ..

i was walking around the shops today.. tempted to buy TM from Joe's to try out.. but since there is gonna be a lite version, i'm holding off getting the TM..

-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

Anthony,
As soon as we get the formula nailed down, I'll contact Joe. I had a couple of guys in South Florida that tested Classic and it does yellow...not as quickly as Flex or GlassCoat but it does yellow.


Andy Dear
Lamar Fishing

hmm .. just took off the guides from my old surf rod (changed and wrapped the guides about 10yrs back) and FC was not yellow.. it was more to brown!!

-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!