Finished butt section around decal and the epoxy finish got "wavy" on me. Can this be corrected? If so, how? Sand lightly until level and recoat?
Thanks for any info..............

Thats how I do it. it works out even better when I sand it down smooth and straight, just got to be careful not to go down to the thread, happened to me and I had to redo the whole wrap.

If I sand....will I see sand marks(scratches in the epoxy still on rod) after I recoat?

What size sand paper do you use?

Hi Dave,

Because the decals are raised over the rest of the surrounding area there will usually be a bit of a wavy surface with the first coat. I try to put down the smoothest first coat I can and then forget about it. The 2nd coat will even things out better and by the 3rd coat I have a flat surface all the way around.

Another thing you can do is put your finish on, smooth it as best you can and then once the finish in your cup is starting to set up apply that on the low spots on and around the decal. Shouldnt move as much on you.

If you need to sand, I use wet sand 600 grit. Some might prefer a different grit.

I may add I use the lightest i can go, like Adam stated, 600, I always finish with a higher grade don't know if it matters but to me it makes me feel more secure when I put the epoxy coat on.

I don't want to state the obvious, but keep your 600 fresh, don't stay on one spot too long, as the finish will melt if you let any heat build up and use a sanding block to keep your paper flat.

Dave,
If you sand finish, it goes better, if you do your sanding wet. i.e. use wet and dry paper and keep a tray of water close so that you can keep the paper wet when sanding. Frequently wipe off the rod, with a damp cloth, so you can see progress.
After sanding, be sure to let the rod dry well, before you put on another coat of finish.

The water keeps the finish cool and it keeps it from melting and burning from the sand paper.

Roger

You might consider a pre step to prevent the waviness in the future. I had this issue over labels until I started coating with either CP or Krylon fixative prior to applying finish. There are spots of adhesive that leak out of the edges of the label and will cause some repelling of the finish so if you can eliminate these, your first finish coat comes out way better. I can get perfect level finishes now with the first coat, and only add more coats for depth as needed.

Hope this helps.

Terry

One thing that I have done for years, after experiencing the same problem, is to give the decal a quick shot of my wifes hair spray. The laquer type only. It drys quickly and the epoxy adheres evenly. It gives a light seal to the edges of the decal and over the decal itself. Plastic decals have a tendency to repel epoxy probably due to being smoothed out by fingers that have a small amount of naturally occuring oil on them. The laquer hair spray eliminates this problem. Give it a try on a scrap piece of blank first.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! Finally it happened to someone else. I have had terrible trouble with wavy epoxy over the Decal Connection "peel n sticks". The best result i had was with the matte fixative or clear spray laquer. This removed the wavyness and gave me a much better finish. All that sanding and mucking around will become very tedious. Use the fixative and I guarrantee you'll get a good result.

I don't know if any one has done it in - one coat -
I find the first coat a heavy one Next day another
I also find at least two to three coats

Bill - willierods.com