Hi guys

Im new to this hobbie, and im having trouble with the epoxy leveling its self on the butt wrap. i know that i perfectly mixed the two part epoxy and i was applying heat, but it just didnt work. The guide wraps came out perfect but when it comes to the butt wrap it comes out abit wavey. is it because the but wrap is longer?
This is my second rod im building and im still new to this.
can any one provide me with some good advice

the wavy bits is due to the height difference , where the threads overlap each other , or it is wavy on a flat surface?


i get wavy finish when i put too much finish on... most times, i'd apply a thinner coat, or use an old plastic credit card/playing card and hold it 90 degrees to the rod to smoothen out..

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

You do not have to do anything to get a liquid epoxy to level - it will level automatically if you just leave it alone. However, you hae to be careful not to apply too much per application. It can only support so much of itself.

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When I started doing this I had the same problem. Someone on this forum advised me to apply the epoxy to the rod while it was still. Let the epoxy run down the sides of the blank where it will gather at the bottom. Use a spatula or pallet knife to remove the excess, then turn the rod 180 degrees to let the epoxy redistribute itself. Then start the drying motor. What was once a headache for me is now easy as pie. I should add that I typically apply the first finish to the butt wraps before I do the guides.
Tight lines,
Hunter

From ghoulies and ghosties,
and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!

Atif, If the finish is wavy from the wraps or as a result of applying too much epoxy, you can fix it easily by lightly sanding down the high spots.

The process is almost like finishing furniture, you apply a coat of varnich or urethane, sand it lightly to eliminate any high or rough spots, and then apply aother thin coat of varnish, repeating the process until you have a good, smooth, and clear finish. So don't be discouraged.

You don't need a lathe to do a good job. Hand sanding using a small wooden block wrapped with the sandpaper will do the job effectively, and in fact more safely than trying to do it quick on a lathe. It doesn't have to be absolutely smooth, just enough to knock the high spots. After that, just apply a thin sealing finish coat to fill in the sanding marks.

The key is to give the finish a couple of days to ensure it is completely cured, and only apply light pressure against the finish, because you don't want to heat up the finish; it can turn soft or almost "gooey".

Good luck.

PS., Avoid using silicon-based sandpaper. I and some of my friends believe that it can contaminate the finish.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2007 10:47PM by Patrick Vernacchio.

Also be careful not to sand into the threads. I just ruined a butt wrap that way. Had put on the first coat then did not get a second coat on because of going to the rod show.
Sanded it a little just to insure good adhesion between the coats because of the delayed time. What I ended up doing was sanding some of the color off the metallic threads. Just finished stripping off the threads and putting on new wrap. Valuable lesson!!

my friend did the same thing on a guide wrap...*LIGHTLY* <--keyword remember lightly because its not hard to go too far

Like it was mention earlier let the finish cure, then take a gray scuff pad and lightly sand. What brand of Epoxy were you using? Some finishes do not take extra heat well. When you apply, your finish is the rod on a dryer and is it turning? If the rod is turning when you apply the finish look at the under side of the rod, you well are able to see the high spots. You can wick off the excess or drag the blobs over to the low spots. I hope this helps?
Good Wraps Bob

Patrick, why do you think SiC paper contaminates finish, and with what?

silicon ? i asked that qn before

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

Silicon is not the same as Silicone. Silicone is something you don't want around finish, paint, etc. SiC paper will not contaminate a rod any more than SiC guides will. Silicone contains Silicon, but the silicon is not what repels finish.

heh, i cant quite remember what my chemistry lessons were about..

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

Mick,

It didn't happen to me, but it did happen to a fellow rod builder who is also a trained/experienced carpenter. He finished a rod that had the "fisheye" look throughout the rod. He said he had used silicon-carbide sandpaper, and he suspected that was the cause of the result. He had not used the same sandpaper since, and he has not experienced any further finish failures. His warning was/is good enough for me.

The bottom line is other than anecdotal information, I don't have any conclusive proof. It's one of those situations where I can easily obtain sandpaper that doesn't use silicon carbide materials, so why risk it the possibility?
I always caveat my warning to indicate that's it's a belief and not an absolute. But I'd would always do that because if I didn't and it turned out to be true, then I'd would sort of feel responsible for ruining some other guys hard work.

I've seen the pros and cons. I would not disagree with either side in this case. Each builder is free to use whatever materials they are comfortable using. For me, I'll still avoid it, until I have no choice. And I do appreciate the information you provided on the differences. If I do become a proponent to use silicon-carbide sandpaper, it'll give me a good foundation to argue the case for it with my buddies.

Patrick,
I'd wager that your friend handled that area afterwards, or even had some contaminated sandpaper. I never use the top sheet of finishing paper of any sort on any project I'm doing, rods, metal, furniture, etc. The top sheet is open to the air and sits around collecting all kinds of stuff in the shop, not to mention what it has picked up on a store shelf and being handled by who knows how many people.

Think of it this way. SiC is the sandpaper of choice for most auto painters and many woodworkers for wet/dry sanding between coats. If SiC paper caused fisheyes, you'd never find it in thse shops, and most are very paranoid about silicone contamination.

You are correct though. If you don't feel comfortable using it, you shouldn't and certainly wouldn't tell anybody that they had to use it. But should you want to try it, the paper itself doesn't contain silicone and cannot contaminate finish. What usually causes problems between epoxy coats is how the sanded epoxy is handled. Touching it with greasy fingers, using a dirty brush to clean it, wiping down with solvents, stuff like that, is when you open the door to trouble.

Mick, No question that your argument for using silicon-based sandpaper is sound. I don't disagree with your logic. At some point, I may just run a few tests for myself to really determine if it's all much ado about nothing. If it comes down to fewer choices available, than I may just use it and see how it goes. It's just that in the meantime, I'll work with the materials available to me. But I do appreciate your efforts to enlighten me. My friend is pretty meticulous; far more than I'll ever be, so I would rule out mishandling. Contaminated sandpaper is always a possiblity though, and I'll be sure to mention it to him.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2007 07:02PM by Patrick Vernacchio.

Mick, Patrick- for what it's worth: I use this sandpaper all the time, also (I don't mean every rod or anything, but I do use this stuff). Anyhow, I've never had a problem with it causing finish fisheyes or anything on that level. It works fine for me.

Patrick, I'm reasonably sure that your friend had a contamination problem of some sort, just as Mick suggests. This stuff is made for the automotive refinishing industry primarily.

And I haven't even bothered to not use that top sheet of paper before... never even thought of that before. I'll likely give that sheet to my son from now on for one of his projects instead of mine...

Putter
Williston, ND

Putter, Ain't it great having kids? hehe!

My rotten kid just came over and stole my grandson (sleeping on my lap while they were out for a few hours) back from me!! Yes, kids are great and grandkids even better!! Take care, Patrick.

Putter
Williston, ND

Thanks for the good advice Patrick, ive been meaning to reply earlier but been caught up with work.
Im going to give the sand paper a try this weekend and i geuss if it doesnt do much i think it will be worth doing the wrap again.

thankx every one for your useful advice......

hi bob,
thanks for your reply, im acually using Erskines 2 part epoxy and im actually applying the finish whilst the rod is turning on my home made dryer/ wrapper. I think its just going to take abit of practise. thankx again