Hey all. I have purchased a kit of Rod Bond and mixed up a portion to test. I attempted to join 2 pieces of metal (2 bolts). After more than 48hrs I was able to fairly easily pull the pieces apart as the adhesive felt as though it was still slightly soft. I checked the mixing pad that I mixed it on for the left over, and it was also slightly soft. Not to the point where you could put your nail into it, but soft enough that it was very flexible, and you could push a screwdriver into the surface with only firm pressure.

Is this correct for Rod Bond to be this flexible after curing? Realistically it would still do fine to hold on a grip or a well fitted seat, but it is no where near the hardness or adhesion of araldite.

Ron Bond takes a good while to cure. It dries slightly flexible, but strong. It was designed specifically for use on fishing rod assembly, not for joining metal pieces such as you suggest.

However, if you have a good water-break-free surface, and have properly measured and mixed the two parts, you'll find it very adept at other uses as well. It sounds to me as if you didn't quite get something right if it's still that soft after 48 hours.

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Did you scuff both surfaces to get a water break free bonding surface before applying?? A search here on Rod Bond ALL DATES will show dozens of uses that people have found for Rod Bond. I have a friend that repairs brass musical instruments for a living and he switched ti Rod Bond and said it's the best thing for the job that he's ever used!

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!!

Sounds like you didn't quite have enough hardener in your mix. It can be (at first) kind of tricky to get the "globs" of each part approximately the same size. For certain things, I wouldn't use anything else. Please give it another try before you dismiss the product...

RON.

I'm pretty sure Rod Bond is supposed to be mixed equal parts by volume, but I have had a couple instances where my "eyeballing" the glob sizes didn't come out right, so I switched to measuring precisely equal WEIGHTS of each on the scale I use for ammo reloading -- where it's important to measure accurately (in grains of powder). Since then, I've had zero problems and the Rod Bond sets up correctly every time.

Tony M

I once prepped and installed 2 nuts to a scrap blank to test the bond. The next weekend we put the blank in a vise and used a torque wrench to test the bonds, the blank failed at around 30 ft lbs.

One thing to keep in mind when measuring epoxys and finishes. Measurements are made by VOLUME, NOT WEIGHT (per manufacturer). There is generally a difference in weight between the two parts so if you go by weight they will NOT be equal. An example is TM Lite. which according to Andy, uses the same hardener as the TM high build. I assume that the Lite resin is lighter than the High Build so an equal weight mix would be off. On a small amount, it probably is not going to make much difference, but could. Equal Volume (recommended by manufacturer) and equal weight are NOT the same.

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!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2007 10:13PM by Mike Barkley.

Mike: I agree that equal volume is what is specified. I just have not been able to judge small amounts by volume well, such as the amount needed for mounting a reel seat on a fly rod. Do you have any favorite or suggested methods to assure equal volume measurements on a one time mixture such as this ?

Thanks
Tony M

I have mixed as little as a quarter cc of Threadmaster with no problem. I 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!!

Mike: Appreciate the method for TM -- I'm not having any trouble mixing TM well. This thread was dealing with difficulties measuring Rod Bond accurately and I was discussing using weighted portions of Rod Bond resin and hardener. I can't eyeball the two dissimilar viscosities of RB in small portions and was looking for techniques to accurately dispense equal volumes of Rod Bond.

Thanks
Tony M

I have mixed Rod Bond using toothpicks with no problem (a little dab of each). I have watched Ralph O'Quinn (formulater of Rod Bond) eyeball small quantities numerous timesI do the same with Andy's Ultimate Gel. Not that critical

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 have mixed Rod Bond using toothpicks with no problem (a little dab of each). I have watched Ralph O'Quinn (formulater of Rod Bond) eyeball small quantities numerous timesI do the same with Andy's Ultimate Gel. Not that critical

My point wa just to point out that there is a difference in weight/volume. I wasn't questioning your method. Whatever works!!

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!!