Ive been using the blue sable brush an ive noticed that some points of the finish come out smooth then others...any tips on gettin the finish applied evenly especially on the guides..

Do a search on "spatula"

Ray Zarychta
Glastonbury, CT

Work a little more quickly - more than 30 seconds per guide is wasted. The quicker you work, the more time the epoxy has to do what it's already trying to do - get smooth and level.

A wider brush, or a spatula as mentioned above, will allow you to apply the finish more quickly.

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

Tom, I hope you meant 30 seconds a guide for the pros? Gees, maybe that's one of my problems. I work slowly. I'm going to quicken the pace on my next build to see if it helps me.

I switched to a spatula about 4 rods ago, and I havent looked back! I still use a brush on some of the smaller guides, since i am not that good yet with the spatula. I also found that the finish I got with the cheap yellow 1/4 in brush was as good as with the sable. Just my opinion.

"My biggest fear in life is that when I die, my wife will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it."

Ditto on the spending less time per guide. I establish the edges first, then make sure the middle sections are wet, then move on. Shouldn't be more than 20 or 30 seconds. The longer you fuss with it, the more lumpy it becomes. You'll also get a feel for the right amount of finish to use. I shoot for one coat with threadmaster lite, but err on the side of less and go back over with a 2nd coat if needed. Too much gets you football shapes and finish wicked up into the guide frames.

On brushes vs spatulas, I switched to a spatula long ago and find I have better control, especially with edges. If you use a brush, I had better luck with stiffer flat cut brushes than the cheap ones. I also use the power wrapper in manual mode, meaning I remove the drive belt and just spin the rod by hand quickly to establish the edge with a loaded spatula. Makes for a nice clean edge.

Of course these are the things that work for me. Others may find using brushes or other methods such as spinning the rod around 100 rpm to apply finish works better for them.

Let us know how it goes!

Terry

I also use the power wrapper in manual mode, meaning I remove the drive belt and
> just spin the rod by hand quickly to establish the
> edge with a loaded spatula. Makes for a nice
> clean edge.
>
> Of course these are the things that work for me.
> Others may find using brushes or other methods
> such as spinning the rod around 100 rpm to apply
> finish works better for them.
>
> Let us know how it goes!
>
> Terry

That is a great idea Terry, will give it a shot!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2012 11:52AM by Scott Backholm.

Ok. I use Threadmaster Lite. On my first coat should I establish the edges first and then apply just enough finish to wet the threads? Then, on the second coat, should I just apply on the threads? Two coats of lite should be plenty to make a nice finish.
Bruce

I do the opposite of Terry. I wet the main wrap area on each guide first and then come back and finesse the edgesafter all of the guide wraps are done.

Rog

This site is great thanks alot for the tips

No, not for the pros. People get into trouble by trying to do "stuff" with the epoxy. If you just pour some out, it'll smooth and level perfectly. The trouble starts when the person applying it starts trying to poke and prod it around.

Just do this - load your brush and hold it straight up and down over the wrap. Now lower it straight down until the tip of the brush (and the epoxy) just touches the guide wrap. Now rotate the rod one full revolution. That's it, you're done.

If the guide wrap is longer than your brush is wide, reload the brush, move over one brush width and repeat. Again, that's it. You're done.

Once you have all the guides coated, you can come back and put a tiny drop of finish at each guide tunnel if you wish. A toothpick works well for this.

If you're doing anything more than this - it's not necessary.

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

I agree with the posts on speed being important.

I use my power wrapper to apply the finish. I apply the finish at speeds from 0 to about 300 rpm. 0 when I am going under the guide foot and 300 for the edges.
Normally 15-35 seconds is about the time spend on each guide wrap. and butt wrap.

If I am only working on one rod, I will then just slow down the power wrapper to my normal 10 rpm drying speed and let it go. I have one power supply with a fixed foot pedal that will stay at any setting that I leave it. i.e. there is no spring return on the foot pedal of this particular power supply and foot pedal.

But, if I am working on a batch of rods, I will transfer the rod to my drum dryer and move on to the next rod for finish application.

Take care
Roger