I'm trying to understand the directions for the use of the Permagloss on the threadless wrap article. If I pour some Permagloss out at noon and let it stand for 2 hours, my third coat should be applied by 3:00pm providing I wait 30 minutes between coats as noted in step 12 on page 12. And step 13 refers to additional coats - 5 to 8 total - until the desired thickness, at 1/2 to 1 hour intervals.

If I put a total of 6 coats on for example, at the minimum 1/2 hour interval between coats, the last one goes on at 4:30pm. So are all the coats applied during this 4 1/2 hour period from the SAME small amount of Permagloss poured out at noon? Thanks.

i have never used permagloss.. but i dont think the permagloss poured out at noon will last that long ?

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

Ralph's O'Quinn's instructions to me were to apply the first four or five coats during the first application period. After three or four days of curing Scotch Brite and apply enough coats to get the appearance you want. After about a total of seven or eight coats the stuff will start to form a little "bar bell" on the end of th wrap. I think his reasoning was "outgassing" of the finish during cure may tend to trap tiny bubbles. I have had no such problem and work in a high humitity area. If you are in a dry climate with low humidity you may have to make changes to keep the little bubbles from forming. The bar bell does not bother me and I think that it adds to the durability of the encapsulation. If you want to flatten the end you can easily do it with a fine grit stick. Tom has not used as many coats for his ultralights. My rods are in pretty rough service for speckled trout and redfish and take a beating..

On my first threadless rod attempt I put on too much PermaGloss and had air bubbles in the finish. I cut and sanded the areas down to the bubbles then recoated. On another rod with threads I used a hair dryer and the heat brought up bubbles. They were brushed away with a dry brush. I then added 4 more coats and used a hair dryer between each coat. The total time was 30 minutes and the PermaGloss was dry to the touch. I must have been lucky! It appears that the threadless guilde process is a slow, time consuming procedure not like the 2 part epoxy. I continue to learn through my mistakes. Has anyone used a hair dryer and speeded up the "outgassing"?

Bubbles invariably come from brushing. Don't brush the PG. Load your brush, lower it to the wrap and rotate the wrap under the loaded brush. Reload, move over one brush width and repeat. If you experience any bubbles along the edge of the guide foot, which is about the only place you'll see them, burst them with a pin prick.

I pour a small amont of PG into a shot cup. Let it stand for nearly an hour (it's drier here in the winter and it takes longer to thicken) and then apply a coat. I put a card over the top of the shot glass and wait about 30 minutes and then apply another coat. So on and so forth for about 4 to 5 coats. I can generally get all I need from that same PG poured out earlier. However, in very humid conditions, the PG may become too thick to use so I will pour another batch and allow that one to stand for an hour or so and then begin using it as before.

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Thanks Tom, that explains it well.

I am sorry to sound dense, but from your responce (Tom) there are at lease 2 applications. Each application has 4 or 5 coats about 30 minutes apart. Wait 3 or 4 days, use Scotch Brite and lightly score or scuff finish and apply 2nd application of 4 or 5 coats or till finish is reached. On my first rod I applied all my coats at one setting, rod was on a turning on turner and went to bed. The next morning was when I discovered the bubbles. I was in too much of a hurry, indeed this is a slower process, but worth the time.

That's about it, I should have been more clear. I can usually do all 4 or 5 with one pour of Permagloss. But not always. In the more humid months, I may get 2 or 3 applications before that one pour of PG starts getting too thick to work with. So I'll do a second pour and get my last couple applications out of that one.

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