I did a test on a sample of Liquiglass thread epoxy finish and thought I'd share here. This is absolutely the clearest two part epoxy I've seen - ever. I subjected a mixed batch (as well as separate parts) to the equivalent of 3 years UV sun exposure and it did not yellow. As with any product there are good and "bad" aspects. In this case the good outweighs the bad. It mixes well with minimal bubbles captured in the finish and those release without pouring onto a flat surface. I mix epoxy vigorously and quickly with a wooden popscicle stick in a plastic cup (horror of horrors to some I'm sure). I also mix 6 - 10 cc's (3-5 of each part) of finish at a time so I can apply to 4-5 rods & get them into dryers. The second good part about this epoxy is the long pot life - the batch I mixed was still workable after 12 minutes (or more than twice as long as I normally need for 4 rods). I also poured some mixed finish out on aluminium foil. After 30 hours I can bend the foil double - the foil rips but the surface of the finish is not cracked or crazed. I'll check again after another day or two and re-bend for cracking. So those are the "goods". The "bads" - are the logical opposite of the "goods" - the long pot life also leads to a slow cure time (nearly 3 hours to 'non-drip') and something like 6 to non-sag with a full cure per manufacturer of 72 hours. So, if you're doing a lot of rods you will need a lot of dryers and ample time on each before turning over to a customer or shipping. The as yet unknowns - the finish viscosity is somewhere between "light" and "regular" - I only checked it on dark thread wraps so I couldn't check for penetration of the threads along the guide foot. The edge seal is excellent but I couldn't check for darkening along the guide foot. On one hand the long pot life means it should penetrate well - but the viscosity may work against that.
I got the best results applying the finish under power at high revolutions (over 80rpm). At low speed much less on the brush or applied with a spatula was best - again due to the viscosity (low speed coupled with a heavy brush load = footballs & 'clumping')

Ken Preston Wrote:
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> I did a test on a sample of Liquiglass thread
> epoxy finish and thought I'd share here. This is
> absolutely the clearest two part epoxy I've seen -
> ever. I subjected a mixed batch (as well as
> separate parts) to the equivalent of 3 years UV
> sun exposure and it did not yellow.

This is the part that caught my eye . How clear is clear? Do you mean it was perfectly clear like a pane of glass or just clearer than other epoxies on the market?

Where could I purchase some of this Liquiglass, I have been using Diamond 2, and it works really good, clear and is easy to work with, Iv'e only done a couple of rods one was mine and the other a friendof mine,, they turned out really nice, I just want to try others , curious.

To my knowledge, you can't purchase it. It's a commercial furniture finishing product. The smallest containers I've seen were 2-gallons each and those were samples. I wrote about it in a previous RodMaker blog entry a couple weeks back.

It is clear - every bit as clear as water, which is the remarkable thing about it. I've never seen any epoxy that didn't turn at least a bit amber after long term exposure to UV light. I'm still not convinced this won't also turn at some point, although Ken's test seems to indicate that it might not.

There is at least one other epoxy product I've seen that was just about as clear, and that is System 3 Mirror Coat. I think a few builders are using that now. I've seen it at the local woodworking supply shop and while their other epoxies all seem to go yellow or even brown, this stuff remains perfectly water clear. I haven't used it, however, so I can't comment on whether it would make a good thread wrap coating or not. The label does say it is for interior use only.

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[www.steebar.com]

The above link sells it at a reasonable price for a 32 ounce container.....

That's not it. It's Liqui-Glass, not Liquid Glass. Although that may be an equally good product.

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The product Jeremy referenced as Liquid Glass is pretty common. It looks about like any other epoxy including most of what is sold as rod building epoxy, which I tend to believe is all that any of these things are anyway. Repackaged woodworking epoxies. And they all turn yellow at some point from what I have seen.

I have no knowledge of the Liquiglass product that Ken reviewed so I cannot comment on it.

Someone mentioned MIrror Coat by System 3. This peaked my interest some time ago and you might remember a board post I made asking if anyone else had used it for a guide wrap coating. At least one other person had and said they liked it. I risked $30 on a kit and tried it myself. Yep, just as clear as clear can be. Much clearer than any other epoxy I have ever seen. But it is very thin. Much like our Lite epoxy versions. Expect to use three to four coats to get any build. But I continue experimenting with it. So far so good.