After applying a coat of threadmaster and flaming, the surface area under one double foot guide is irregular. Will this disappear with a second coat or should it be sanded first?

These unopened threadmaster bottles were a gift and the hardener is amber. Is this a problem? Does this mean it is old?

Why did you flame it?

All epoxy hardeners will amber over time, either in the bottle or on the rod. It's not a problem.

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

At a course I took they recommended using an alcohol burner to remove air bubbles and have used this successfully. I recently visited an experienced rod builder and he used a butane torch so I tried it and it seemed to work fine too. I am not sure the flaming was as much the problem as perhaps the finish may have hardened a little and as the blank turned it was too late for the finish to smooth out. Other areas were fine. Will this be covered up by a second coat? It really just looks like an irregular surface, very mild, not anything like footballs.

I don't know if this is the same irregular as some of mine where, but when I have a small hump on one of my epoxyed wraps, I will take a popsickle stick a small one or something similar, and wrap a piece of 320 wet dry sand paper, and sand it down wet very carefully, cause at one time I sanded it down to the thread and had to redo it, lol, but as they say, experience is the best teacher. Good luck n tight lines.

Jeff,

It sounds like you maybe had a little too much epoxy on the wrap. Excessive epoxy will cause ripples or "humps". After applying the epoxy go back with your brush and remove any excess epoxy.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

get the Light Finish Less bubbles and thinner coats Releases bubbles easier also

Unless you overload them

Bill - willierods.com