i'm getting ready to finish my guide wraps. i'm using flex coat high build. i have my work area at 70 degrees. it says on this site to let it sit after applying finish until you see excess gather at the bottom, then remove it with a spatula/ credit card and rotate 180 degrees. how long do i need to hand rotate in this manner before putting it on my 6 rpm finishing motor? and how long do i need to let it turn? and lastly, how long afeter that before i can fish with it?


brandon

i'm almost done!!!!!!!!

note,that on the site that it says SOME builders do that...not necessary it you don't put too much on...with high build at least for me putting too much on easy to do...what you want to do after you put on the finishon is hand rotate till the finish starts setting up then turn on the dryer...then leave it alone don't touch it.. just forget about it till it is good and cured...I don't touch mine for 12 hours...it really depends on the finish you use as how long the cure time will be...some are VERY slow cure

Dave

so its fishable in 12 hrs?

Brandon, how soon you fish with your new rod is really up to you, but I've seen it recommended not to give the rod a deep flex for at least 2 days to let the finish fully cure. If not, the soft epoxy can stretch giving it a cloudy look and can let the threads pull apart. It took longer than 2 days to build, so have some patience and wait a few till you use it. Better safe than sorry. Greg

I would never allow sags, runs and droops to form. Your best bet is not to let that happen to begin with.

Load your brush, hold it above the wrap, lower it to the wrap and rotate the rod a full revolution. Then reload your brush, move over one brush width, and repeat. Then move along - don't worry about any thin or dry areas as you can come back later and touch those in after you've coated all the wraps. The main thing is to get all the wraps coated while the epoxy is still very much liquid. You have plenty of time to do touch in work.

The instant you see the finish getting heavy on the bottom of the rod (thicker than on top) rotate the rod 180 degrees. Then, watch it again, just as soon as it starts to get heavy or thicker on the bottom, rotate it another 180 degrees. Keep this up for as long as needed, which can be up to 2 hours. At first you'll be rotating the rod quite often, every minute or 2, but after a bit it will be every few minutes, then every 5 minutes and then every 10 minutes, etc.

If you're going to be using your 6rpm drying set up, you only need to get the wraps coated, touched in and covered to your satisfaction, and then you can go right to the dryer unit. Or, rotate by hand for say, 15 to 20 minutes to make sure everything is as you like, then transfer to the drying unit.

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should i remove any excess with a spatula or credit card?

Brandon

If this your first go at epoxy and if you have a scrap piece of blank, you might consider a couple of trial runs before you go to you newly finished rod.

I know you are anxious but I really made a mess of my first few several years ago.

Unless you put it on too thick, you shouldn't have excess but if you do, I would wick it off with spatuls

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!!

Brandon,

Put the finish on VERY THIN, just enough to see that it's there, nothing more. On your second coat you can try and get the pretty gloss like look you want, and again, THINLY applied and if a 3rd coat is required, and it sometimes is!....do it thinly as well and you'll get less build-up, no runs, drips or sags. I apply all my finish ON the dryer with it running......it's SO EASY to apply another coat if needed, but once you "gob" it on and get too much on the rod, it's a huge hassle to get right again.

Mix the finish with a FLAT plastic or steel instrument (no wood) very slowly stirring to prevent bubbles from being worked in by the mixing, stir 60 times one direction, then 60 times the other direction, then 20 times back the other way again. Instantly pour your finish from your cup onto a small flat piece of new aluminum foil. Now load your brush LIGHTLY with finish and start applying thinly to each area moving along at a fair pace, not rushing, but not goofing off either. Keep the rod turning and if you think you have too much finish on one area, use the brush to wick off the excess. You just want a THIN coat over everything.

Let the rod turn overnight and repete process the next day. And repete again IF needed.

You never want enough finish on a rod to make drips and sags!

After your finish work is done, and your last coat is on and dry, let the rod sit for at least 48hrs, preferably 72 hours, before you fish with it.

DR

Bobby is right on. I myself do not like thick finishes cause they hold bubbles . Put a straw into honey. Blow some bubbles in it. Maybe they come to the top and break open ? Do the same in water. Not that finish should be as thin. Like Tom K always said. Put the finish on, it will level, it is a liquid !
Is the rod LEVEL ?? Very important. CP helps to get rid of bubbles. It socks into the threads. Brush, card - even a finger, it does not matter what it is put on with, it will level. If you can put it on your turner. Coat the guides. Use a hand rest. Easyer. Then if you can, after coated, shut it off and hand turn. Put the guides at right and left. Up and down, when a guide is facing down the finish will flow onto the ring. Not pretty. Do this several times. then turn on the turner. Let turn until the finish in the CUP you mixed it in, is dry to the touch and your finger does not stick to it. Usually over night. Then still leave it alone. Fully cure - 72 houres ????

Do not be in a hurry !!!!

All these people are right, I have made all these mistakes and have spent more time doing rework on my first three rods than I did doing them the first time. Also remember you are going to make mistakes, no matter how much you have reead and videos you watch, let it roll off your back and keep going, it is worth it.

Let it cure a minimum of 48 hours before fishing it.

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

OK, now for some heretical comments:

1) DON'T LET IT "SIT" AT ALL!. Apply your finish to the rod while it's turning in the drying setup. Aply a nice even coat but not so thick that it sags. It will level almost immediately. It will get tacky in somewhere between two and six hours depending not only on the temp but also on the humidity in the room. KEEP YOUR FINGERS OFF OF IT for at least six hours. That way, if it's not quite tacky yet, you won't get fingeprints or oil from yur skin in the finish.

2) LET IT SPIN FOR AT LEAST TWELEVE HOURS! This will let it cure enough so that it won't sag. After that, LET IS SIT in the drying setup for another twelve hours - that's 24hrs. If you want to apply a second copat (to make it thicker, but without having to worry about slop during the first coat), apply it somewhere between 18 and 24hrs after the first coat.

All of this eliminates having to worry about how to collect the excess - there won't be any.

Another sugestion would be to use one of the little drying motor units sold by some of the sponsors on the left. Mix no less that 3cc of each half of the epoxy, dump it into the cup, and put the little bearing in there, and let it go for about four minutes. Eliminates most bubbles and it's the most thorough mixd you can get. We usually apply the stuff right out of the cup, without even taking the bearing out, but you can extend the pot life and reduce the bubbles even more if you dump the mixed material into a little tinfoil tray you can fashion while the mixer is running.

Many of the problems that people have with finishes come from ipatience - let the stuff not only dry but CURE. We use a general rule of thumb of 24hrs between each coat of anything, except when we use a second coat of ThreadMaster.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

I 2nd Russ's comments 100%.

I mix up the finish. I really don't care if there are bubbles in the finish in the mix or not.

I put the rod on my variable speed wrapper - up to 300 rpm and start applying finish.
Typically I will apply the finish at about 50 rpm.
The nice thing about using this method is that it is easy to stop the rod at any point to apply extra finish at any point on the rod. The other thing is to be sure that any significant amount of "stop" time is with the guides on the top of the rod, rather than the bottom of the rod. You don't want to have any excess finish - if there is any from running down a guide.

I just insure that I have plenty of finish on each wrap, and that I have clean edges.
Then, keeping the guides ont he top side of the rod, I transfer the rod to my 6 rpm dryer.

Now, using a bright and a set of 3X glassess, I go over each wrap carefully, while the rod is turning. I have a heat gun in one hand and my brush in the other hand. If I see any sign of uneveness, or any bubbles, I will use "gentle" heat from the heat gun to think the finish, and to also drive out any bubbles if I happen to see any . I make sure that the finish is smooth, even and uniform and no thick spots. If I happen to see a spot that is a bit thicker, I will again, just use a bit of gentle heat to thin the fnish, and possibly wick a bit of finish off the spot with my bruch. Typically, there is very little extra work needed and there is seldom need for a 2nd coat of finish.

I never let the rod sit to let finish drip or run.

By using the high speed wrapper to make the initial finish application and then touching up any trouble spots with the brush and gentle heat - one can typically get an excellent finish applied in about 5-10 minutes per rod.

Take care
Roger

ANY of the above will work fine with practice. I will say that I ALWAYS apply finish on a stationary rod and turn by hand for about the first hour!! That WORKS for me and countless others. Everyone has their own way of doing things but I would NEVER presume to tell someone that they MUST do something a certain way. I'm not saying my method is better than anyone elses but I'll match the results with any other method

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 do it exactly as Mike does and my finish work is great. I even wrap by hand so I can watch every detail. I may be too much of a stickler for detail sometime but from my experience , that's what makes a good Craftsman.

I think everyone answered the question I must have missed it...48 hours or so till fishable...the 12 hours I mentioned was I let it dry that long before I take it off the dryer

Dave

If you want to check the finish for hardness, keep leftover in a cup or whatever you mix in and put your fingers in that, not on the rod.

Summer I'll fish a rod in as little as 24 hours as itll sit in 85-90 degree heat outside here in florida, other than that 72 hours for me.

I usually check the finish in the cup and if it does not stick to my finger it's dry. It is still soft so don't press hard on it. Usually let them sit overnight