Good morning. I have finished a fly rod with single foot guides and 4 wrap tags. Everything looked really good after four coats of color prez. I brought the epoxy up to room temp, was careful to measure in a graduated vessel, mixed thoroughly and didn't overwork. Much to my disappointment the cured finish although it "feels" good is dull and it looks like it got contaminated. I was careful to clean the rod, cup and brush in alcohol and let dry. I used a new brush and I have not used the epoxy for several months and wonder if it is too old. What is the wisdom out there? Thanks.

It is not too old - epoxies don't get "old." It will last longer than you will.

Okay, now exactly what's the problem. It could be a case of amine blush that can and sometimes does occur when there is a certain concentration of humidity and CO2 present. Neither of these alone can cause it and it takes a certain combination for it to occur, but it can and does happen.

Does the surface of your epoxy look "oily."

If this isn't the case, then it could simply be a situation where the epoxy wasn't completely mixed. In that case the batch will be a bit cloudy/swirly, etc.

One of these 2 is likely the culprit.

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

I always wash my brush cup or what ever with mid-temp lacquer thinner. I was thinking that the alcohol since it is said to leave a film after it drys, might be the cause ??

Bill - willierods.com

Thanks. The surface is not oily, in fact the as I worked my way up the rod, the finish actually improves. The worst instance is at the winding check/hook keeper. The left over epoxy dried in the cup clear as a bell so I think the mixing was complete.

I have had enough of hand mixing epoxy and ordered a mixer last week. I have been using Spar urethane as an alternative and the results have been very good without the unintended consequences of chemistry.

Chris:

Is it possible that you put the 4 coats of CP on too heavy. This will cause the CP to form a milky glaze on itself some times because the thread wraps are fully saturated. It may be this glaze that is causing the epoxy to look cloudy when in fact it's the undercoats of CP. If the CP has saturated the threads on the first or second coat, another coat or two is not necessary as the wraps have already been sealed.

Just a thought.


Harold

Did you start the finish job at the butt end?

You MAY not have mixed the finish well enough, but as it sat and got used over and over toward the tip section, you were actually still mixing it a little and thus by the time you got up about halfway it was perfectly fine to use. Just a complete guess as a possibility.

One other possibility - I have seen this happen. Slightly unmixed epoxy gets up on the side of the mixing container (this is why we all must remember to scrape the sides of the mixing container when mixing). If your brush picks that up, you get a swirly, hazy bit of finish on there. When the brush hits the middle of the mix, away from the cup edges, the clarity is fine. Just something else to consider.

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

All great responses.

As for the CP being too heavy, it was quite shiny, in fact the wife thought it was the finish. Rethinking the whole affair Tom's last comment sounds most plausible. Onward.