Do any of you have any suggestions about thread finish having a "greasy" film on it after it's cured? I've been using Flex Coat and sometimes it sets up glossy and hard and other times it sets up not quite as hard and once you touch it the gloss turns to opaque.

Thanks

Toby Wiggins

Sounds like it is not dry. Eather you mixed it wroung or your room is too cold just let is set a few days if that doesent do the job mix another batch and go over it.

This is almost always due to an issue with not mixing well enough, or the portions are not exactly 50/50. Either of these errors will result in a less than clear and hard finish. You can mix another batch and recoat to fix this.

Always mix for 2-3 minutes until the mixed finish goes from cloudy to clear and all the swirls are gone. Use syringes to ensure that the amounts are measured exactly and try to mix in batches of 3ml (1.5ml each). Mixing batches too small will make any error in measurement worse.

This should fix your issues.

Terry

It can also be caused by something known as "amine blush" which is rare but can happen with just the right combination of CO2 and moisture present. Generally, allowing the epoxy to set fully in a very warm environment will take care of the problem.

Otherwise, you're back to what Terry mentioned.

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I had this happen on one rod. It was the same finish mixed the same way as I always do. The surface looks like oil poured onto water if you look in the right light. The only difference is that I applied it in a back bedroom, in the middle of winter. So it was cold and humid. Since then I've run a small space heater in those circumstances and it sets up perfectly. It has to be "amine blush" because it looks exactly like all of the descriptions. It never really went away, but is much less noticeable after wiping the rod down with pledge.

I think the best advice is to mix another batch and apply a thin coat over what you have.

Good luck. I was pretty frustrated at the time, but the rod fishes great and so I don't sweat it.

Drew

I knew there was a name for this phenomena "Amine Blush' I have found this on my finish of late because of the conditioner's in the house and the climate control in my studio not so good. Getting up in the morning and inspecting the finish I have found this slight hazy effect over a smooth perfect finish job. Knowing I mixed accordingly and with all my safety procedure's in line there couldn't be any other reason. Moisture was what I believed it to be, my solution was a direct sunlight bath for 4 to 6 hours and then a rock solid clear appearance was my result. Thank you Tom for the information reading on these forums is always a pleasure!

Rick H.

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Perhaps Tom Kirkman that should be added to the glossary section for future reference. I noticed it wasn't in there or perhaps I missed it ? Just my thoughts on that one!

Rick H.

rwheil@msn.com

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Thanks for the help gentlemen. Not sure what to do about the CO2 possibility but the moisture I can fix. Would you guys suggest fabricating a finishing box as I've seen others do?

Humidity in itself isn't a problem - epoxy will set up no matter how much moisture is present and will do so in virtually the same way as it would in very dry conditions. It's a specific combination of moisture and CO2 that has to be present for this to happen. Even then, the function of the finish isn't affected. You simply wind up with an oily appearance on the surface that will only go away by exposing the rod to warmth. I know that Ralph O'Quinn used to recommend setting such rods in a warm place, preferably in direct sunlight, to remedy the situation.

The next time I update the glossary, I'll add "Amine Blush" to the mix.

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