To: The pannel opf experts

I use the product for the first time last night, (THL),and to my supprise 16 hours later its still tacky. I did not experiance that with the regular Thread Master. I mixed .5ml of both parts for 5minutes with a electric mixer (great no bubbbles) then poured the batch onto a piece of clean tin foil for 2 minutes then applied.

Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Cheers,

G.B.

Greg, TML should be tack free in 6-8 hours. What's your room temp.? Should be 50-90 degrees. You might put the rod in a well heated room or put the rod in a window so the sun can get to it for another day or so. That happened to me the first time I used it. I wiped it all off and started over. I made sure of my measurements and mixed it a little longer to make sure it was well mixed and it worked just fine. You might get a suggestion of mixing up another batch and putting over the tacky stuff to maybe get it to kick. That might work for some people but it didn't work for me. Hope this
help.
Terry

Hello Terry, Thanks for the info. Room temps about 68. I forgot to mention that I put the stainless roller in the mixing cup as well. Kinda what im thinking is that the amounts I measured out in the sirings was .5ml, and I think that I read some time ago that the minume is more than that?

I put on one coat, and I know that some rod builders just wet out with the first coat then apply a secound. Have you tried that and what would you recomend? How long do you mix for?

Thanks Again,

Greg

Greg, One of the benefits of TML is longer working time. Let it roll around for ten minutes of so just to make sure it gets mixed up good. Look to see if your steel balls are moving the epoxy around in the cup and if not I have added just a tiny bit of heat to loosen things up. I just put on one lite coat the first time and let it set up for 8 hrs before another coat. If you are using ball bearings I use 2 .
Here is some information you need:
Mix ratio 1:1
Application temp. 50-90 degrees
Working time at 77 degrees - 1 hr
Tack free at 77 degrees 6-8 hrs
Rotation time at 77 degrees 4-6 hrs
Recoat time at 77 degrees 8hrs min./48 hrs max. without any prep. After that you'll have to scuff up the TML with a Scotchbrite pad before applying another cpat.

I use a mixer on TM Lite. I mix for 4 minutes and I do use a stainless steel barrel .

I don't ever mix less than 2ml of each part when using the mixer, anything less and IMO you risk not getting a good result. 0.5ml is asking for trouble IMO, even mixing by hand - the margin of error is ever so slight with a quantity that small.

BTW, TM Lite does take considerably more time to set than regular TM or most of the finishes on the market. Here in Tampa, mine takes 4-5 hours to gel enough to suit me and 8-10 to lose all tack and 36 hours to harden enough to suit me ... I won't ship or deliver for at least 3 days when using TM Lite. Excellent finish, but like all products on the market - you do have to learn it and be consistent.

Greg,

I am having a similar issue...although mine was also getting a significant amount of fisheyes in the finish. However, the fisheyes will disappear when on the drier.

I am doing everything the same as I always have with the finish so I have no clue what I am doing wrong...but I let the finish sit for over a week and it is still fairly soft. I can dent it easily with a fingernail, but it 'springs back' and leaves no sign of the dent.

I apply in 78* temps...and have no clue where the fisheyes are coming from but it is only happening with the TM Lite. The Regular TM has no problems...so I'm wondering if the bottle is contaminated.

I pour directly out of the bottle and into a mixing cup, so there should be no contamination in between...

Odd, and throwing me for a loop to say the least.

I just re-coated the rod with the fish eyes and I got more, but again they leveled out. I am going to let it sit and see if it is tack free after a day. If not, I guess I will try coating it with TM Regular build.

SQ

Shawn are you using CP ? Your thread could be contaminated. What kind of thread are you using? If you are using Madeira thread you should give it at least a couple of heavy coats of CP. I learned that the hard way.

Gee, wish I was an expert, but for me, regular Thread Master takes 8 hours, and the lite takes 12 to 16 hours to be tack free in a 68 to 70 degree room. Takes so long that airborne fuzz has twice as much time to cause me trouble. No trouble mixing 1 cc batches with 4 minutes of hand mixing. Love having zero bubble issues. Another couple days to be solid to the touch. Overall I am liking it due to feeling no pressure about working time or bubbles.

Pesco Ergo Sum

Let me preclude this post with "I am new at this"!! Having said that, I put on a coat of TML 9 hours ago and it is tacky still. My question is, do
I not put on another coat until it is no long tacky? I assume this after reading this post! Thanks for any help.

When I TRIED it, I received similiar results. 24 hours before I could even think of another coat or touch the rod. Takes a long time to dry in my climate......La Verne CA. Did one rod with the stuff and although the rod turned out ok, it was too temperamental for me and too long turning it with an increase in time of exposure for something to go wrong like a small dust speck falling in the finish. I am probably doing something wrong, most have good luck with it................not me......

Also not an expert, and a fairly infrequent builder, but I haven't experienced any of this with TML that I purchased last year. One of the attractions of TM was its slightly better tolerance when mixing the two components. I’ve been mixing ¼ teaspoon (1.2ml) of each component routinely and have never experienced a tacky finish. The finish sets up in the time specified when TML was released.

Jeff

I would think using syringes would be more accuarate than spoons or cups. And since I went to a mixer with a ball bearing in the cup, I introduce less bubbles, and wind up with a great finish. The only problem I've ever had was mixing 2 parts of resin with 0 parts of hardener - good thing it was on a single guide rework on an older rod - what a mess!

Mixing such small portions puts you at great risk for getting something other and a nearly exact 1 to 1 mix. Always mix at least 3cc of each part for the best results and the most cost effective application in the long run (you're not saving money if you end up with botched finish jobs).

...........

Greg, If your error was as little as 0.05mL in the 0.5 mL sample you were mixing, that would be a 10% in the given 1:1 ratio you need. Try mixing up larger volumes. In mixing 2.0 mL sampls of resin and hardener, I haven't had any problems in TM Lite or any other epoxy finish setting up.

Mike Blomme

To: All that replied, THANK YOU!,

I believe my error was skimping on finish, I will do larger batches in the future.

Best Fishes,

Greg

Greg et al....,

One other thing I'll mention, that hasn't been mentioned above, is the cup you're mixing in. Be it one of the 1 oz graduated, or the 2 oz condiment cups. You need to wipe them out good with denatured alcohol, as there could be mold release and other chemicals that leach out of the material they are manufactured from ie.....silicone. I don't know where I picked that up at, but it has been a boon to my epoxy mixing experience.

Bill in WV

Unfortunately, I've had similar results with TML. I mix it the exact way I mix the regular TM and I've had two batches that never hardened completely. Luckily it was only a couple guides each time. Maybe the batch was too small like stated in earlier posts. In the exact same conditions and amounts, regular TM is perfect. I'm absolutely positive on the 1:1 mix so I don't have a clue what the problem is. Mystery to me.

Update - I reapplied TMLite to the 'problem rod' on Saturday around noon. It was still not cured this morning.

I will scuff it down and re-apply regular build and be willing to bet that it has no trouble. It seems that the TMLite I have is contaminated or something...

SQ

I also have had problems with TM lite not curing even though I knew the mix ratio was correct it came down as to how I was mixing the batch. I stopped worrying about getting bubbles in it and mixed the daylights out of it (till it looked like the head on a draft beer) poured the batch out on a piece of glass covered with aluminum foil and spread it out as thin as possible letting the bubbles release, no more problems with TM lite cures as it should ever time.

Andy has said (and the instructions say) that you want to put a second coat on (if you need to) within 24hrs, and in any case don't wait 48hrs. The first coat and the second coat will bond and the whole thing will cure, albeit s-l-o-w-l-y compared to TM.

Well worth the wait, though.

Also, see Andy's separate posting about this. Read what he wrote. Believe it.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/2008 04:53PM by Russ Pollack.