I read the Rodmakers blog entry about epoxies and wanted to offer a comment for discussion. I assume this is okay for me to do here. The blog is not really set up for much back and forth exchange. I apologize if this is not the proper place.

Concerning wood working and craft epoxies, there is a wood working store near me that carries a large selection of System 3 bartop coatings. I have watched them as they sit on the shelf and the hardener will always turn brown if someone has not bought any in a couple months. All but one that is. Last year sneaky old me marked a kit named “Mirror Coat” so I could see if it was the same one on future visits. It sat on the shelf for at least a year and stayed crystal water clear. Both parts. It comes in a different type of bottle from the other epoxies.Thinner and clearer not frosty like the others. I finally bit the bullet and forked over the $40 for a quart. It was just so clear and bright compared to any epoxy I have ever seen. I have put it on two rods at present and after several months it still looks like new.

It is mixed two to one. It is very thin compared to most rod building epoxies even the light versions. I have to use three coats to get a nice covering. I would use four coats for a saltwater rod. So far so good.The clarity is better than I have seen in any epoxy on the market whether it is a wood working epoxy or a rod building epoxy. Maybe I am one of the lucky ones the blog talks about and stumbled onto something good on my first try. It may fall apart on me tomorrow but I’m willing to do some experimenting. So far so good. If you want total clarity check it out. Tapwater clarity. I will be happy to report as I learn more over time and use, good or bad. Does anybody else use a standard wood working or hobby epoxy for coating their threads and feel they get good results? Am I making a big mistake in trying this stuff?

My question is how will it hold up under the thosands and thousands of flexexs?

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

Time will tell. I believe if you check the literature that comes with that product you'll find that it's not recommended for exterior use. Just something to watch for.

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its always good to try different things out, of course that is how we got to the standards now adays. Hats off to experimenters.

I'll let you know in the future how it holds up. I bought some from the Klingspor booth at the ICRBE last Feb. They said it was a show special $31. It is the easiest finish I have used to apply, dries a little faster than Flexcoat and you can get by with one coat if you want to. So far I have had no complaints. I replaced a couple of guides on a flipping stick that I built in March. The guides were broken but the epoxy looked just fine. I have not had any complaints so far and it is still just as clear as it was when I got it. I love the stuff!

I found a alternate epoxie source at Joannes Fabrics & Crafts. It's called Enviro Tex Lite Pour On High Gloss. It's a 2 part just like the others but goes on so much better I think. It's bout 20-25% less than most of the other finishes. I have used it for about a year and have had no issues with it at all. Honestly I think it's better than the other big mfg's. The bubbles hassels are little to none.

Tight lines,

John