Epoxy Application Tricks I Have Learned.

Do not wrap a lot of rods. Just for myself and some friends. Been doing it for about 3 years and I am no pro but I can wrap a desent blank. I know just enough to be dangerous. LOL !!

Would like to pass on a trick I use when applying epxoy to the wraps. This may already be widly known but I have never seen it published before. So I hope what I am about to say will help someone and not be redundant.

There is always a lot of concern about air bubbles in the finish. I have never had this problem. I think I solved the problem by accident. I never worry about mixing air into my epoxy, in fact I usually have a ton of air bubbles in the epoxy when I mix it. Here is what I do to eliminate air bubbles in the finish. After flaming the wrap to singe off the fine hairs from the thread you need to heat up the wrap quite hot. You cannot heat up the wrap enough with an open flame as it is too hot and you will set your wrap on fire. Instead use a hair dryer. To keep the wife happy pick up a used on at a thrift store. Turn the hair dryer on high and heat up the wrap while the dryer motor is turning. This will keep you from overheating one section of the wrap. I ususlly apply the heat for about 30-40 seconds. Keeping the dryer motor rotating and the hair dryer about 3 inches from the wrap and moving back and forth. What this does is heat up the air trapped in the wrap, expanding that air and forcing a lot of it out of the threads. Now when you apply the epxoy the heated wrap thins the epoxy drawing it down into the wrap quickly displacing the small amount of remaining air which is forced out away from the epoxy that is being sucked into the wrap. Apply a thin coat first and wet the entire wrap then apply additional epoxy as needed. Now after applying the epoxy to your sastifaction take the hair dryer and re-heat up the whole wrap that you epoxied in the same manner as you heated it up originally with the dryer motor constantly runnig. But hold the hair dryer farthur away so as to control the heat application better. This will thin the epoxy, allowing any random air bubbles to rise to the surface quickly and will dissapear and the thinned epoxy will level out like magic. Go to the next guide and repeat.

I usually pre-heat the next guide wrap (#2)for about 20 seconds before I start on the wrap at hand (#1). This will pre-heat the wrap so it will not cool off so quickly when you get to it. And do not use a Heat Gun they get way too hot a hair dryer is perfect.

The truth of the matter is that the air bubbles in the finish come mainly from the air being trapped in the thread wrap not from the mixed epoxy. When the expoy is applied the trapped air is displaced by the epoxy and must escape the only way it can and thats up through the liquid epoxy. Conseqeuently you get air bubbles in your finish. The above method eliminates about 98% of that problem.

Have also found that the type of thread used makes a difference. The
Gudebrod NCP type of thread retains the least amount of air and works the best with the method above. And I never use color preserver.

Give this method a try, it may take a guide or two to get the hang of it but I think you will find it benificial. And thanks to all who contribute to this Board it has been a big help to me.

Walt
Walnut, Calif.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2009 12:12PM by Walt Galen.

If you eliminate all of the steps except for "apply the first coat with just enough epoxy to cover the threads" the result will be the same.

Walt,

If I had to go through all of that to apply finish to a rod, I think I'd pick another hobby. Honestly, Bruce is correct. Apply the 1st coat very thinly and dont add ANY more. Let cure and move to the next coat doing it the SAME way: nice and THIN. Even add a 3rd coat if it's needed on some of the wraps, sometimes it does need it. This method too will produce a bubble free wrap with a lot less work and a lot less chance of blowing some foreign matter into the epoxy with forced air from anything.

That said, as long as you're happy with your method, and it works well for you, you shouldn't care one BIT what I think or do! :-)


DR

A thin finish always releases bubbles a lot faster then thick. Try putting a straw and blowing bubbles in Honey compared to water.
Just some thing to ponder

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2009 04:59PM by bill boettcher.

Thankx for the feed back guys, Like I said I'm no pro and I appreciate what has been said. I think I like the idea if doing a thin coat first , that would facilitate a bubble free finish with the second coat and eliminate my song and dance. :) I will try that method on my next project. This could make my life a lot eaiser.

Walt

I will add that some epoxies are better at releasing bubbles than others. If you have a system that works for you, the best advice you will ever hear is to use that system.