How long should you wait after the first coat to apply the second and so on? Also, I dont have a rod dryer or anything that spins for the finish. Any suggestions as to achieve a smooth and equal finish without one?

Andrew,
I can't answer the first question since I rarely put a second coat on (mostly fly rods) . I only have on rod spinner so when I need to finish more than one at a time I place the rod in my rod building jig and rotate it every 5 minutes or so. If you have a warm room you only need to do this for a hour or two. That may seem like a lot of work but I normally set the rod up in my kitchen while I am doing chores. I just stop by every few minutes and turn the blank 180 degrees.

You can build your own very cheaply with a slow speed motor (look online) and a chuck you can make your self. Requires some electrical knowledge...

Quinn

Depending on what brand and thickness of finish you are using, you can apply a second coat when it's no longer tacky. Some finishes this could be as early as 4 hours or so, some 24 hours and some more than that. Leave some in your mixing cup and check it after a while. When you can touch it without it sticking to your finger, you can apply a second coat.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

on one rod its size D and the other is size A. < thanks for the input. Helped alot!

Andrew,
If you don't have something to spin the rod while drying, get something.

You can easily put something together for a few $$, or purchase one for a few $$$.

The dryer stand and motor just saves so much trouble and frustration that the few $$ that you spend on its purchase will be well worth it.

Folks use everything from an old grill spit motor, to a microwave turntable motor, to a surplus timing motor to a dc gear motor and power supply

Make an L shaped mount at a height that you want to turn the rod. Make or purchase a chuck for the motor and make a v-block that you line with felt to place the rod on while turning to avoid scratching.


If you have an interest, I can sell you one of my spare motor, stands, and v blocks at a reasonable price. Just drop me an e-mail at

hflier@comcast.net



Roger

Check the photo page there are a lot of home made dryers

Bill - willierods.com

There is an excellent article on epoxy finishing in the Library section of this site.

I was mainly asking what type of finish are you using such as Flexcoat high build, lite, TM, TM lite, ProKote etc. Example: Prokote, for me anyway, dries very slowly. It is still tacky for me the next day whereas Flexcoat and some others will set up much faster.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

I read that article in the library and do agree that automotive clears are great... I however think he needs to check his math... 1 mm does not equal .001 in.. LOL.. I read that and thought WTH is this guy smoking