Threadmaster gives a longer working time, which is helpful to me. Even so I have been doing the final coat in 2 mixes. One for stripper and buttwrap, one for all the smaller guides. I'm a little slow and I want to put it on when as unset as possible.

First coat I like thin,. Lets me mess with any birdeyes for one thing. And if I really want smooth, I smooth that coat a bit with wet-n-dry sandpaper the next day. The finish coat just comes out that much better for me that way.

I have also been putting it on thick enough in the final coat to get drips to form. I want the drip to form right in the center of the wrap, with the guides up. If not in the center, then I question the level of my rod. Then horizontally take off the forming drip, level it a bit across the bottom, and 180 the rod so the guides are down. By this point it is thickening up just enough that can't run down the legs much, but still thickens the cover over the feet a bit. I don't bother with the dryer until I am happy with the leveling already. Certainly I don't rely on the dryer to do my leveling for me.

Probably as many specific ways to do this as there are people applying. From my furniture days though, I've formed the belief that the only way to get a perfectly flat and pure finish is if your final coat is going over a trued surface. True or not, I stick to that thought personally.

I'll jump into this---just because I had the same problem and got it solved by posting here on RBO. I've used both Threadmaster and FC, and get great results with both (for my level of rod building) on sections of about 6-7"" max. I very quickly apply a generous coat of finish along the rod axis, turn 90 degrees, apply more, turn 90 again, apply more, etc. until entire area is covered. I eye-ball the level as I turn by hand, and make long, gentle strokes with the brush to move any excess epoxy along the length of the area and even it out a little. I then blow any bubbles, continuing to turn by hand. I also allow a little sag and remove excess with a straight edge when necessary--and most times it's not necessary. After all this...which takes only a couple minutes, I turn on a 6 RPM dryer...still checking for bubbles in the first minute or so, then I walk away and leave it alone. Good luck!

When I first started doing rods I read here about all the troubles every one was having with their finish. I was scared to death to finish a rod for the first time. I use flex coat light and I like it. I can get two coats on and it looks great. I do not know if it because I have painted for years or if I have worked with fibergass and epoxy for years too but I do not find it difficult to get a smooth finish even on a long run over decals and name wrappings. Here is what I do and it may not work for every one.

I mix up enough Flex Coat to cover all of my wrappings. I use the syringe method of measuring my epoxy. I then (while the rod is turning away from me) put on my epoxy and I do not put it on lightly nor do I care at that time if I globbed too much in one area. As I work an area out I can then transfer the over abundance of epoxy to another wrapping or back to the jar. On the long areas I make sure I have a light on my surface so I can see what I am putting on and how smooth it is. I am not worried at this time about flowing out, I just want a good even coverage. After I am satisfied I have a good even coverage I use my alcohol lamp to slightly heat up the area, by holding it off to the side. You will notice then your epoxy will flow out and will then be smooth and any bubbles will come to the surface and pop. NOTE, I have about 1/2 of area between the flame and the blank. I will then do this for all the wraps. On my second coat I will do the same thing again noting any dry threads on my wraps. I will almost over coat the second wrap till it almost sags. If I see it starting to sag as I am flowing it out I can take my brush and just touch the area of the sag and it will flow to the brush and every thing is peachy. You best friends here are your alcohol lamp and the light you can shine over your surface to see any imperfections. Oh, by the way. It will also pay to buy a good brush just to use for finishes, just make sure you clean it out after each use. I use Flex Coat epoxy brush cleaner and I have had the same brush for over 3 months now.

I think Billy nailed it right away. There are more ways to apply finish than there are people who can offer an opinion on the subject. This is one of the biggest area in building that actually takes practice. NO finish is going to solve your problem. You have to adjust your technique to the finish. Practice makes perfect. I've been doing this for a long time and I still occasionally have to break out the sandpaper and chunk of wood to do some levelling. There's no quick fix. Work to find a finish and technique that works for you and stick with it.

I'm a long time Flex Coat user, who has endless trouble with LS.. to the point where I've given up on LS on thread and use it for other areas.. which it excels in, as it turns out. On the other hand, there are a lot of folks who started with LS and cannot use FC to save their life. Some people swear that Threadmaster is the end all, be all, to finish.. I personally have a lot of trouble with Threadmaster but work through the endless pain when it comes to white thread. Not because of any fault with the finish, but because of what I'm used to working with.

Work on your technique. I'm sure there are guys who can make any finish at all work perfectly... but I'll also bet my lunch that they also have a favorite for ease of use, based on what they are used to working with.

Mick hit the nail on the head. Find something that works and stick to it and every now and then be prepared for something to go wrong. I have been using one brand for a while now and have been happy with the results. Recently while applying epoxy to a thread wrap I had 1 big bubble which kept appearing in the same spot. It went right on down to the thread level. I sat there and burst the bubble everytime it came up and still there was a hole in the finish. I sanded back (twice) and it kept appearing. I finally got a perfect finish over the entire wrap, except for that small spot which I finally hit to some extent. It had to be some form of contamination on the thread but I will never know. I think what I am aiming at is, if you keep your routine the same everytime and stick with your preferred epoxy, these types of little problems shouldn't appear to regularly and when they do it just to try our patience. Practise, practise and practise again until you are happy with Your system.

On the other subject, I think everyone should lighten up a little and take ALL comments with a grain of salt and a laugh.

Regards
Mark Fisher
OUTBACK RODS

My two cents... I'm an amateur with barely three dozen rods under my belt, but because of the article in Rodmaker I now get perfectly level finish using a 30 rpm turner, and Flex Coat. I use Lite for the first coat for the penetration, and Regular for the second coat. My procedure is to add more than enough and allow the rod to sit a minute, wicking off the sags as they appear. Same goes for long label wraps. Pull off the excess, and your finish can do it's job. It's the excess that makes waves.

I leave the rod in my 30 rpm turner, and have no problems.

Oh, and make sure the axis of your rod is level!

Good luck!

Dave

Emory my biggest point in how i aply finish is thats what works for me. The most importent thing is too find a way that works and stick with it That and work fast.

Billy Broderick,
Once again I agree with you. However, I think that I might argue that we should all probably be continually working to refine and improve our rod building techniques. I have been building a lot of rods for a lot of years and I am not sure that I ever built one that I thought was perfect and could not be improved upon.