Again, I approach to concentration of extreme knowledge on Rod Building which is housed within this forum.

I have always found measuring epoxy a painfull excercise.

I have syringes and needles. Can I ask, do you guys re-use your syringes for several measures or, are they sacraficial?

Also, what size batches do you mix for a standard 7 foot bluewater rod without a decorative butt wrap?

Thanks in advance.
Chris

Hello Chris,
I am relatively new to rod building but I do know you can reuse your syringes if you keep them clean and dedicated to either the resin or the hardener. If the syringes you have access to are medical grade, they are probably lubricated with silicon and will wreak havoc with your finish. Do not use them. I am still using the first syringes I got though the numbers are wearing off from wiping them down. Kip

I also find measuring epoxy the traditional way to be a pain.....and I hate epoxy cleanup.

The best thing I've come across is to measure by weight on a small pocket sized digital scale. I use the yorker caps for my quart kit finish bottles. I simply place a small finish cup on the scale( on the gram setting...most accurate for my scale), hit the zero/tare button to zero out the scale and not count the weight of the cup, and squirt in 3 - 4 grams of part A directly from the bottle. Repeat for part B and squirt directly into the cup until the numbers are twice the weight of the part A. I usually mix in the small 1oz cups and pour into a wide bottomed 3oz cup to keep the finish from over heating and extend the working pot life. Both cups can be set aside to let the finish residue cure...and can be used over and over until the cup is full of cured finish...then just toss it. I also use disposable brushes and recycle them into mixing sticks. This system has worked great for me for several years....simple, quick, consistent, and economical...and best of all, no clean-up whatsoever!

Scott.I know you have had success with this method but did you ever weigh equal parts in volume to compare the weights?In High Point we asked Ralph O`quinn about this and he adimently (spelling?) stated the two are not equal in weight with I believe the the resin being the heavier.This was also brought up while adding parts to the mixing cup to add the hardener last so the resin does not seek the bottom of the cup therefore making it harder to measure using the graduated cup.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

Easy as can be!!!! Drill a hole in each cap just big enough to tightly fit a syringe tip into. Invert the bottles and draw out the amount of finish you want and squirt into a mixing cup. Stick the syringe back into the cap and draw back an inch or so and place on a shelf until next time. When the bottles run dry take the caps/syringes off and place on new bottle. Never have to clean the syringes and you can't mix them up or lose them. I've been using the same syringes/caps for at least a couple years. Quick, easy, no mess, no fuss and consistant, bo brainer measurements every time

One tip, though. Use the syringes that do NOT have the little black rubber on the end of the plunger. They can dry out, compress, get stuck or come loose.


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've been on the same set of $1.88 Flex Coat syringes for 50+ rods. I use 'em until I've worn (cleaned) the graduations off the sides. After drawing my A & B and squirting them into the mixer, I just wipe the outside with Alcohol on a rag, then draw the plunger back up about a 1/2" off the bottom and toss them back in the drawer. I even use the same pair for HB and Lite.

Mark Griffin
[]
C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California

Needles? Unless you've some huge gauge needles, I would not bother. Fit to yorker caps and you've no need to reacy to the bottom.

Mike is right ... drill a hole in the top of each bottle - 5/32". Use the Flexcoat syringes - a whopping $1.79 retail. All you do is put the syringe into the top - it will fit snugly and sit right there. Always leave the syringe plunger drawn back when sitting on the cap.

When you need some resin/hardener, push the plunger in, invert the bottle giving enough time for the air to move into the top, draw the appropriate amount of epoxy into the syringe, upright the bottle, remove the syringe, squirt into mixing cup, put syringe back into cap, draw plunger back, mix epoxy. POOF!

I very rarely ever have to even wipe a dribble, I never have to wipe the actual syringe, I never clean them, I never get them "mixed up" between resin/hardener AND I never get the caps on the resin/hardener mixed up either.

I would estimate that I get dozens and dozens of uses before the syringes don't draw smoothly enough to keep me happy - I pitch them, put two new ones on the caps and move forward. I use three different finishes for various types of rods/work and don't have a problem with this method on any of them.

Try this method and you will NEVER look back.

Jim,

Try the syringes from Andy or LS They don't have the rubber plunger so they always slide easy. I'm on year 3 now with the same syringes and they've never been changed or cleaned

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!!

Both of my primary vendors ONLY carry the FC syringes, but since I buy them at wholesale and get 3-4 dozen rods finished before they start giving up ... I think I will survive. It would be more trouble than it is worth just to use another vendor. I have used the LS syringes and agree that they are better, plus smaller and much easier to draw up even when new.

Great idea on using the caps Mike, never thought of that. I too am using the same syringes for about a year now with no problems, I could not imagine trying to do it any other way. Rob

I have some Mudhole rod repair syringes and needle tips. Are these suitable? They have the black stopper piece in them. I notice that the Flexcoat ones have this also.

The OLD Flex Coat syringes had that. They use the same type of plunger (w/o seal) as Trondak now.

Mark Griffin
[]
C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California

Different syringe completely, primarily in that it doesn't have ANY graduated markings. You really need to get the FC or LS syringes with graduated markings up to 3cc.

Needles are to small to use with finish

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!!

Chris, if you do it exactly like Mike described. You wont have any problems. That's the only way for me.

Thanks lads.. again, you have delivered.

The only issue is that I don't rod build every week so storage of the epoxy with the syringes hanging out of the top may be an issue.

I will probably have to keep the syringes separate.. probably in a plastic bag or similar to prevent drying up.

Cheers
Chris

They won't dry up, the seal is very tight if you use a 5/32" drill bit - you have to push them into the opening quite solidly. Just draw the syringes back toward the 2.5-3cc range and you will be just fine. Neither the hardener or resin will dry without being combined with the other.

Its probablly the worst method EVER!!! But on large SW rods I've had success by just pouring and eyeballing 5 cc of each in a graduated measuring cup. (7.5cc with a butt wrap). Limited mess, no syringes.

Fred Yarmolowicz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Scott.I know you have had success with this method
> but did you ever weigh equal parts in volume to
> compare the weights?In High Point we asked Ralph
> O`quinn about this and he adimently (spelling?)
> stated the two are not equal in weight with I
> believe the the resin being the heavier.This was
> also brought up while adding parts to the mixing
> cup to add the hardener last so the resin does not
> seek the bottom of the cup therefore making it
> harder to measure using the graduated cup.
>
> Freddwhy(Rapt-Ryte)

Fred, yes you are correct, the resin is slightly heavier than the hardener. I should have clarified that, and the fact that I am currently using FlexCoat High Build in Quart Kits. When I first started using the scale with a fresh quart kit, I did notice that once I was about 1/3 of the way into it, I began to notice a slight difference in the levels between the two bottles. I continued through the kit using the same method and in the end I had about an inch of hardner left over. The slight difference in weight vs. volume is still within the small margin of error to achieve a reliable mix with FlexCoat, I honestly cant speak for other finishes though, as I havnt tried them measuring by weight. With consecutive quart kits, I have learned to compensate by adding a few extra drops of resin to each mix and have maintained consistently matched levels, kit after kit since...really more out of concern of the extra wasted oz. of hardener, than concerm over the accuracy of the mix. I would guess that measuring by weight is close to the same accuracy(maybe better, especially with smaller batches) than measuring by eye using the graduations on a mixing cup.