I just finished a rod for my dear wife I used Madeira Ploly neon 40 thread and HT Metalic for trim bands. I applied three coats of Chromaseal color preserver to the rod each coat was given a minimum of 12 hrs drying time between coats. I then applied Flexcoat Highbuild finish to the wraps. I used the Pac-Bay mixer to mix the finish I turned the rod in the dryer for 12 hrs . I checked the rod the next day in the afternoon the finish was very tacky. I imediately thought that I screwed up the mix proportions. so I mixed up another batch and applied it again. Again i put the rod in my dryer and set it to turn for 12 hrs. I did not get to the rod yesterday at all. This morning when I checked I was shocked to find the flexcoat still LIQUID. Both batches were from the same flexcoat quart kit. both batches were measured with the flexcoat syringes. The second batch was proportioned exactley . Even the left over flexcoat in the mixing cup did not show any sign of hardening . We have had very high humidity here in the North East for several days. Epoxy cures by chemical reaction rather than air temp as I understand. Anyone who can shed some light on this problem please do!!! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Tight Wraps to all
Jeff

Jeffery sounds like you made a big common mistake mixing two parts of A instead of one part A-B don't ask how i know
John

Jeff,
Sorry to hear of your problem.
1. Have you ever used any of the flex coat from this batch before?
2. Do you have more than 2 different bottles or containers of flex coat? i.s. is it possible that you may have accidentally mixed two different batches of both part A or both batches of part B?

3. Before doing anything radical - Double check your containers, and mix up a third batch of flex coat, and simply spread it out on a piece of aluminum foil. Put it in your oven at 150 degrees for 6 hours and make sure that you get a good cure on the mix.

The fact that the remaining mix in your containers is still liquid forces me to think that the flex coat is bad, or two parts of both A and or B were mixed together.

================
If you had a good cure on your chrome seal, it is quite possible that you might be able to wipe off the uncured flexcoat from your rod without damaging the wraps and chromeseal.

If so - and if you are unsure of your flex coat - throw out the flex coat and get a new batch of coating.

Good luck

Roger

p.s.
With high humidity, you should still get a good cure on the flex coat. You might get some blushing due to the humidity, but the cure should still be sound.

john i did the same thing, it looks nice just never drys.

Paul@soonercustomrod.com

I'll admit to the two parts A blunder, but I did catch myself when mixing it, it did not get swirly, so I just added 2 parts B and had more finish than I needed to build even finish 3 rods.

I always mark my containers with a -BIG A and B , and even the syringes so I know what goes with what.

Bill - willierods.com

I'm guessing it wasn't mixed well, and yes I read the use of a mixer in his post.

DR

Take a look at your Flex Coat bottles. The levels of each should be the same, assuming you haven't spilled or wasted any and that everything has gone into the syringes and then into the mixing cup.

If you find that the levels of the 2 bottles is not the same, you have almost certainly mixed portions from the same bottle.

There is a possible fix but check your bottle levels and then return and let us know if this indeed the problem.

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

Hint!! Take a torch , be careful and heat the finish on the rod, while rod is turning and try and remove the old finish when it liquefies. Next using a new bottle of finish mix a new batch. Sounds like your old finish is contaminated.

Good Wraps Bob

All speculation at this point. It COULD have been poorly mixed. It COULD be you used 2 parts of A or 2 parts of B instead of one of each. I'm guessing not, though, because you would have had to make that mistake TWICE...for both the first and 2nd coat.

Is there a viscosity difference between part A and B? (Easy to tell, just tip each bottle and see if the contents moves at different speeds.)
If there isn't, there is another possibility, and that is that BOTH parts in your kit are either hardener or resin.

Stranger things have happened: I bought some Ace Hardware Extra Time Epoxy...I have used it for years and years...and mixed some to glue up a cork handle. It was completely set and unworkable in less than 5 minutes. I mixed some more...same thing. I went out and bought the same thing with a different lot #, and had 50+ minutes of working time. It was clear to me that the bad batch was 5 minute epoxy that was mislabeled.
Flex Coat is a great company and this might not be what happened at all. But there is that outside possibility that it isn't your fault. Try the test Roger suggested above to be sure.

Another gotcha, I have also mixed high build part A & 20 minute part B. it never set properly. I was sure I measured & mixed A & B correctly. Took some time to figure it out, but luckily I figured it out before I tossed all my epoxy

live & learn,
most of the time the hard way

No, your finish is not contaminated in any way. Leave the torch turned off - that's not going to do you any good.

Again, check the levels in the bottles. They should be identical. If not, then you have very likely mixed 2 portions of the same part. If so, there is a way to save your wraps.

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

Tom the heat was to help remove the excess epoxy that did not set up, not to make it set up. .. If he keeps adding epoxy, he will have one heck of a glob on his finish.
Good Wraps Bob

Good Wraps Bob

If he has 2 of the same parts on there, it won't need any heat. You can wipe it off with a finger.

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

If at is the case you are correct. I thought he said it was tacky! If it were tacky, it sounds like it started to set up. If he had just used one of the inexpedience (double hardener or double Resin, He would not have serration lines when mixing. I believe I am correct on that point

Good Wraps Bob

He said he applied another application of epoxy and it was still "liquid" the next morning.

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

I stand corrected then. In that case I would just wipe it off and add a fresh coat

Good Wraps Bob