I just finished a rod and 3 days later it is still tacky. will I have to redo it or just put more finish?

Just add more finish....make sure you mix it correctly 50/50. The bigger the batch you mix the less likely you are to make a mistake. And make sure you mix it at least a full 2 minutes. I never mix less than 1.5 cc of each part.

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Super Tight Lines......Don



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2012 12:43PM by Don Morse.

Thanks I will do that.. I thought I mixed it 50/50 but I guess not. Live and learn.

Make sure you are mixing a sufficient quantity of both parts that you allow yourself a reasonable margin of error. Mixing very small portions can be false economy.

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Whtt is the least amount you can mix and be safe? Don Morse uses no less than 1.5 CC of A&B

I always mix 3ccs of each part.

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David,
If you mixed the mixture 50:50 - and I am guessing that you did; you most likely did not mix it long enough.

When I first started building, I would have a rod be tacky now and then and could never figure it out until one of the fellows mentioned the importance of mixing for a full 120 seconds. Also, frequently scrape off the side of your mixing cup, and the mixing stick to insure that 100% of each part is incorporated into the mix.

Many times, if you mix for less time than that, the mix looks completely mixed, but in fact it really isn't completely mixed.

By the way, you are about the 100,000th person who has had this problem in having a finish not cure completely on a rod. So, don't feel like the lone stranger.

Also, as long as you are using mixing syringes, you can mix about as small quantities as you want as long as you are very diligent in observing the exact level on the syringe, and as long as you continually wipe the sides of your mixing cup and stick to insure that 100% of each part of the finish is incorporated into your mix.

Larger quantities cover up small errors, but it is better from the get go to avoid any errors - even a small one.

Take care
Roger

Yes, that is the other possibility. Glad Roger brought it up.

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I like the yorker caps that come with flexcoat finish. I can get an accurate mix of 20 drops of each if i just want to do a single guide. But it is probably wiser to mix larger amounts.

Jersey, Channel Islands. (U.K.)

I use the Yorker caps and syringes NEVER had a finish not harden when left overnight
Guess i just live right

Bill - willierods.com

if you cover a bad layer of epoxy with a good one you will still have a bad layer of non cured epoxy. I have done many repairs to rods that have had soft epoxy in the middle and its just ugly and does not give the same structural bond. If it was me I would strip the blank and start over. Its not how it looks on the rod dryer but how it performs and looks after a year of use. I always mix 6cc total of epoxy and mix till I have zero milkyness in the cup. If the epoxy thickens before I use it all I throw it away and mix a new batch. In my mind the waste is worth it in the end. If you are new at rodbuilding you will adjust to the idea of a little waste is worth it when it comes to the finished product and will be one with epoxy soon. doesnt take long!

Good Luck

I forgot, most epoxy instructions say to mix no less than 3cc each part. I think this is because at that amount you are safe if you are even a slight amount off. any less and you have to be exact and i mean exact in your measurement.

Also if the rod is in a cool place such as a basement you may want to put in some place warmer. i had a problem with my first rod staying tacky. i moved it upstairs where it was warmer and 8 hrs later it was just fine. When in a cool place epoxy can stay tacky far longer that in a warmer place.

Kevin Gross
Many men will spend their whole life wondering if they made a difference. Marines dont have that problem - Ronald Regan

Good point, the room should be between 70-72 degrees to get the perfect curing conditions.
Cold equals longer curing time and warmer the epoxy cures to fast and might become uneven or create to much waste needlessly.

Matthew,
Some folks prefer to apply finish in a room at 50 degrees to give them a very long working life.

Some folks also mix their finish on a refrigerated surface to keep th finish quite cool to prevent curing while still applying finish to multiple rods.


Then, they use an oven around their rod while drying that puts the rod at 90 to 100 degrees. This will allow the finish to first flow out very nicely and then cure smoothly and quickly.

But, you are right 70 degrees is a very nice balance of working time and cure time.

Roger

PB mixer at 4 minutes always does the trick for me. If it doesn't cure, I know it was because it wasn't mixed properly. I seldom mix over 3 cc total, unless it is a decorative wrap because I apply several thin coats.

If it happened to me, and it has, I am with Matthew, Mulligan and do over.

A trick that I use is to get one of those small scales they sell at "Smoke" shops. Advertised as to be used for tobacco.. Yeah right. They are very small digital scales which go down to .000 oz or gram. You can pour whatever amout of resin you want then zero the scal, then pour the exact same amount of hardender.

Makes needing the syringes a thing of the past. I picked mine up for 13.00

Finish is not measured but Weight It is measured buy Size

The syringes are better been using them for many years and NEVER had finish NOT harden
And I speak the TRUTH

Bill - willierods.com

Okay guys, since I am new to this site I will put something out here so you all know where I come from with my posts.

1. If responding to a question/topic when someone is having a problem, I will always respond with an answer that is from the manufacture or the nominal design criteria. Being armed with the proper instructions and design knowledge is the best starting point. Then as we all know, different techniques can be applied once we get the basics figured out.

2. I will post information from all the real data I have collected. I do not speculate on things such as guide weights, thread weight, Etc.

3. My wife says I have a desease and am an anal retentive perfectionist:) When I am learning a new task I will do it and redo it a 100 times if I have to till its perfect. Yes I am sick, but I think its worth it.

I print this so you know my perspective and understand why I post what I do.

Back to the epoxy. Three different chemists from three different epoxy manufactures have told me some things that all beginner and professional epoxy users should know. First, is that epoxies are designed to be mixed by volume not weight. The part a and b have different density and viscosity. Second, the optimum mixing and application temerature is 70 degrees. There is an acceptable range usually +/- 10 degrees that can be adhered to with satisfactory results. Third, is that the relative humidity should be as close to 40% as possible to prevent blushing on the surface of the epoxy. Fourth, apply the second coat of epoxy before the first cures to get a chemical bond vice a mechanical bond between the layers. Finally if you have met all these conditions and the epoxy still isnt performing correctly then you screwed one of them up or the entire lot of epoxy they made is bad. Mixing epoxy is in itself a chemical reaction that has to be done following the manufactures directions precisely.

Once that is mastered there are ways to mix and cure epoxy that does not follow the design temperature guidlines. I would call that (advanced epoxy application)

Since a scale was mentioned I would use a digital calibrated powder scale used for ammunition reloading and measure useing grains as the unit of measure. 100th of a grain is much smaller and more accurate unit than ounces or grams. Then I would measure by volume 5cc (Exact) of part a and part b. I would place a mixing cup on the scale, zero the scale and dispense part a into the cup and record the weight. Then divide by 5 to get an accurate 1cc weight. Repeat the process using a new mixing cup for part b. Now for the anal retentive part, do this ten times with different containers or batches of epoxy then average all ten of the 1cc weights for both parts and you have good accurate info to work with. If you decide to use a scale not volume to mix epoxy the measurement would be within .233% between part a and b which according to three different chemists is well within the design standard of the epoxy.

Epoxy is a wonderful chemical to work with as you can do so much with it. Having built two 16' wood drift boats, a 20' crab boat restoration and rodbuilding I have developed a love for working with it. So much can be done!

bill boettcher Wrote:
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> Finish is not measured but Weight It is measured
> buy Size
>
> The syringes are better been using them for many
> years and NEVER had finish NOT harden
> And I speak the TRUTH

Ohhhh man im gonna have to convert you... the scales are sooo much easier. No need to get a syringe all messy sticking it down in a container. No need to worry about air bubbles causing the mix to be off. No need to worry about losing or storing the darn things. Simply drip the epoxy into your mixing cup right on the scale until you have even amounts and mix...