i have seen where acetone can be used as a finish thinner.if so, will it not hurt the blank or thread.what is your take on this and what is a good thinner?

IMO, there is no such thing as a good thinner for finish - just buy a lighter formula. That being said, here is a link to the Flexcoat information on doing what you asked ... [www.flexcoat.com].

BTW, do be aware that thinned finish can be aggressive toward labels and such. Cover them with CP first.

What would be the purpose of thinning it?? Just apply it thinner or use a Lite finish. I know some do it but thinning it will affect the chemical properties of it and may cause long term problems.

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!!

Generally it will not harm the blank nor the thread, but heed the cautions that these gentlemen have given you.

If you want to use it to clean brushes, go right ahead. But regular isopropyl alcohol will work nearly as well.

.............

There is a bunch of posts back on 24/6 on this subject. & plenty of threads before that.
different people have different perspectives on the use of thinners in finish coats.
in quick summary of your question:-
the biggest effect is on the strength of the epoxy when it has finally set.
definitely not recommended for final top coats, but many builders use it as a thin first coat over NCP or natural thread after CP.
5% acetone thins epoxy a lot & has a significant effect on epoxy strength............... a little thiner goes a long way & the aim is to minimise the amount used ..........if you are going to use it.
No noticeable effect on the blank
No noticeable effect on nylon or polyester thread & the CP is protecting the thread from the epoxy anyway.
in general terms.
If you are playing with Rayon thread stay away from acetone.
No experience with silk thread
What is a good thinner ???
Epoxy............... *****acetone *****
waterbased acrylic CP ( the milky ones )............ water..................but you should not need it.
clear acrylic hydrocaron solution CP ( the smelly ones ) ............. automotive spraypaint thinners.
If you are going to play with thinned finishes use it on a test piece of rod binding before you go anywhere near your rod. Proceed to the rod only when you are confident of the test result achieved.
Thinners can have an effect on anything they are capable of acting as a solvent on. But in small amounts in thinned mixes they evaporate off fairly quickly before they affect the material underneath ..........in general terms.
make sure the substrate & coating below your thinned finish coat has fully cured ( say 48 hrs minimum ) before using a thinned coat on top to minimise any compatibility issues or effect from a thinner.
Partly cured undercoats are far more susceptible to being affected by thinner in the next coat than fully cured coatings.
DenisB

thanks for all your help.the only reason i ask the question was because i am slow when it comes putting on finish.i get about 3/4 the way through and it starts to thicken.even when i use lite coat.hot weather i guess.thanks again.
jim g.

Jim,

You'd be better off just using two separate batches or work on speeding up your technique. What finish are you using? Some have a longer pot life than others.

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,am using FC.is in my opinion,a good finish.thanks.

I wholeheartedly agree with Mike's statement about using two separate batches. I don't even try to do my label area with the same batch as the guides, even though I use a light formula finish. There are some things that are worth an extra dime or two and an extra minute or two - IMO, finish is definitely one of them ... especially considering that once the finish is applied, it is all over but the drying.

James: Threadmaster Lite has a working time of about 1 hr where the regular finishes have a working time of about 30 minutes or less. Also keep in mind that TM Lite takes a lot longer to set up.The rotation time is 4 to 6 hrs and drying tack free is 6 to 8 hrs.

Yep
totally agree on the use of multiple batches............. with batch sizes to suit the amount of work you need to do within the timeline of the potlife you are experiencing.
Not wise to try to use two different batches on the same guide coat etc .
ie
Some stiff -part cured epoxy - and some new mix on the same guide in the same coat.

Stop if you haven't enough mix to fully do a guide or you think the mix might get too stiff before you can finish the next guide when the batch starts to get difficult to handle & start with a new batch ( using another mixing board ) on the next guide. Multiple coats on a guide etc is perfectly OK and even desirable in some cases.............but allow each coat to cure before the next coat is added ontop.
Using thinners just to try to extend potlife is not a good idea at all.
DenisB

Jim,

Acetone in any form can and and most times will destroy decals of anykind.

Jimi Ellis



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/2008 07:29PM by Jimi-Ellis.

If you want a very thin coat use Permagloss. IMO it is an excellant undercoat that helps bring out the thread color and can be overcoated with most types of finish. My stard proceedure is CP, Permagloss, then finish.

Ed Smith
Flat Rock, NC

Acetone has it's place - for example, we use it to wipe down our rod lathe base and metal parts one weekly. But we learned the hard way not to use it as a brush cleaner. As a result, we've gone to denatured alcohol.

The only finish product we thin is 811, and there we add about 30% denatured alcohol. But the way to solve that is to get Andy's new CP.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods