Hi everybody. I have a big problem with my flex coat high build. I mix it in the right way, at good temperature, no bubbles trpped in during mixing, but at the surface of the finish, after several minutes of the application appears some stripes and it looks cloudy. The mechanical quality of the finish are perfect (drying well and good elasticity), the problem is only for the look. I have also tried to mix the two components and only put its on an aluminium foil ( not on the thread), just to see if the air in thread can cause the problem, but the stripes appears also in that case. What can I do?Thanks a lot and sorry for my bad english.
Paolo Cevenini

My guess is the two parts were not mixed thoroughly enough. Make sure you mix the two parts until they are perfectly clear with no "stripes" on the inital mixing.

The finish is perfectly mixed, it is completely clear. I have also tried to mix it for about 10minutes. The stripes in surface appears only after some minutes that I am stop to mix it.

Paolo,

First off, your English is perfect! I wouldn't have guessed it wasn't your primary language if you hadn't pointed it out.

Daniel's right on the mix. You have a mixing issue. Where it may be coming from is the side of your mixing cup where Part A or Part B may have "clung" to the edges and not been mixed in. I usualy slowly "scrape" the sides of the cup as well as the spatula/mixing stick itself 3-4 times during the mixing process. I stay away from the sides other than that, as this is usually how bubbles are introduded into the mix.

Mixing the epoxy itself on the foil greatly increases the chances of getting those "stripes" thay you're talking about. Very easy to pick up unmixed A or B off the foil. Pouring mixed epoxy onto it = GOOD, but mixing it there usually = BAD.

You can't always see suspended un-mixed finish. A little bit of it goes a long way though and it won't always show up the minute you apply the finish.

Mark Griffin
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C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2007 01:35PM by Mark Griffin.

Just one other thought (probably dumb since I'm really new to this). Could it be that you are introducing a new component into the mix? I understand that there are some other chemicals that might cause a problem like this such as silicon but I'm not sure what else could cause it. What are you using to mix the epoxy in and what are you mixing it with?

For mix the epoxy, I use flex coat mixing cup and stick. Thanks for the aid.

One more issue. The surface that you apply a coat to either has to be in the water break condition or a previous uncured coat of finish. If you are trying to apply a second coat to a surface that has a fully cured coat of finish it may tend to pull and streak. If this is the case you will need to lightly scuff the surface with Scotch Brite or fine sand paper.

Please contact Italo Busi in Roma and teach him how to speak proper English! Arrange to visit him and he will help you with the finish and feed you some fine food!

I prefer popsickle sticks over the little sticks you get with a flex coat kit. The square edge helps in scraping the sides of the cup and the width of it helps in the overall mixing.

Best of luck.

Jay

jUST A THOUGHT, DO YOU FLAME THE FINISH AFTER IT IS PUT ON? ALSO IF YOU DO FLAME TO MAKE SURE BUBBLES ARE BURST, DO YOU USE A CANDLE, CIGARETTE LIGHTER, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT DOES NOT BURN CLEAN? THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE AND IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER, IT EMITS SMOKE THAT CLOUDS THE FINISH. OTHER WISE IT SOUNDS LIKE A CONTAMINATE PROBLEM. I REALLY CAN'T SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE AS I USE LS SUPREME, I TRIED TO USE FLEX COAT AND I ALWAYS SEEMED TO HAVE PROBLEMS. MORE THAN LIKELY OPERATOR ERROR!

It could be moisture also. Is it possible that either part was contaminated with moisture or high humidity?

Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details

Paolo. Your problem is the mixing cups themselves! If I mix in the Flex Coat cups, the stpriping occurs. This is because the cups have little protrusions inside that limit you from fully mixing the epoxy. I now measure in the cups, but do my mixing in a bigger "smooth sided" cup. If you see the striping while the mix is on foil, you can usually pass your brush through the mix to complete the mixing process. This same problem drove me crazy for awhile, and it was the Flex Coat cups.

I agree with Bruce on the protrusions on the inside of the cup. Also I use craft sticks ( ice cream sticks) and with a pair of anvil cutters (Craftsman brand with the replaceable straight blade), snip off the end of the stick so it will be square and I can get into the corners of the cup. Got to get down in the corners to get a through mix.

I have also tried to heat the finish after it is applied, but the result is the same. High umidity? It could be, but I work in my home were I can have little control on humidity and temperature. I am more inclined to think that the problem comes from a non perfect mixing (it sounds strange, because the finish cures perfectly). I want to move on a different mixing cup, because I have encountered the same problem you talk with the flex coat type. Thanks a lot to everybody.
Paolo Cevenini

I use a liquor shot glass for mixing, the type which narrows and rounds at the bottom, keeps epoxy on the side to a minimum and mix with one of the spatula type tools I picked up as a set, it's the one that is rounded on the bottom and slightly cupped, never had a striping issue.