For those of you that make your own handles, how many coats of epoxy are you using to acheive a smooth top coat.

I have made several with great success but its somewhat hit or miss. The one I had on the dryer last night had issues with air bubbles popping but not filing back. I guess the expoxy set up too fast for the bubbles to escape. Thinking maybe I put on the first coat too thick.

Also what are you using for a buildup resin.

Thanks

Per the articles on the technique in RodMaker, I use Permagloss or Lumaseal as a topcoat for Carbon Skins. These are vastly superior to any epoxy as a top coat. Thinner, lighter, harder and clearer.

I do use epoxy to wet out the skins and then cover with epoxy as a sealer coat. 90% of that is then sanded away to level and smooth the surface which is subsequently coated with one of the urethanes listed above.

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Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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> Per the articles on the technique in RodMaker, I
> use Permagloss or Lumaseal as a topcoat for Carbon
> Skins. These are vastly superior to any epoxy as a
> top coat. Thinner, lighter, harder and clearer.
>
> I do use epoxy to wet out the skins and then cover
> with epoxy as a sealer coat. 90% of that is then
> sanded away to level and smooth the surface which
> is subsequently coated with one of the urethanes
> listed above.
>
> ..............
Yes its the wetting out and next coat(s) im talking about. Not the final coat as I use an automotive clear for that.

I like to get my glass smooth so I typically use several coats and wetsand between each... Just curious how many coats others may be using

I just put the one thick sealer coat on and find it to be enough to allow sanding down to a smooth surface.

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I have used 3 top coats after the initial wetting but have heard of others using as many as 10 or 11

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don

I have had those problems also and found that a GOOD seal coat on the core helps reduce this greatly.

Hal Lambert Wrote:
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> I have had those problems also and found that a
> GOOD seal coat on the core helps reduce this
> greatly.


X2

One thick sealer coat after lay up, sand, then one good coat of PG. I tried without sealing core and always got bubbles.

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane

I am like Tom's, 1wet coat,1 seal coat. Sand down between those two to320 gt. Sand down the seal coat to 600 gt and apply top coat.

Not sealing the core before the wet lay-up is a major cause of what I call 'latent bubbles'. The fresh shaped core probably has about a million mini air pockets exposed that can release a bubble during the cure.

Seems like most people I troubleshoot with who have bubbles issues skip this step.





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Riley Rods-Hard Core Grips to Go!-----Carbon Fiber - Composite Grip Store-----Capt Mike's Blog-----No Excuses Fishing Charters

yup thats most likely what I did.. I didnt seal the cf prior.

Hopefully I can sand this all out and have a usuable part..


Thanks

AHHH, said the blind man. I haven't done oneyet but it on the list.

So you pour the foam in the mold, let cure and remove, then put a thin coat of (laminating?) epoxy, on let dry (and sand?), Then do the wet layup with the carbon sleeve and laminating epoxy??

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I shape the foam to desired shape. I then coat the core with the wetting epoxy, slide the sleeve on and (wearing rubber gloves) smooth out the fabric onto the epoxy on the core. I find this does two things. One it helps keep the weave straight and two it helps hold the sleeve in place whil zip tying down. I then wet out the sleeve and put it into a rod dryer for a couple of hours to spin. I tried the shrink tube and found for me it didn't do any better or save any time as I had to do two coats anyway. I do get some bubbles in that first coat, but since I sand it down smooth to apply a thin second coat it is not a big deal. The second coat rarely has any bubbles and I sand that out smooth also before applying a top coat.

I did my first CF grip using the rr-321 epoxy from Riley Rods. I applied two final coats of the rr-321 to the grip and ended up with a glassy finish but it was rough in several spots, almost like the epoxy didn't stick to some small areas of the previous coting, even though I sanded the first coat bit with fine sandpaper when it was dry before applying the second coat. When I was applying it, it had a nice smooth finish but then once it was dried I noticed the roughness to it. No bubbles though. What could be causing the roughness?

A thin area in the finish.

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Like Tom said the finished might not have been applied uniformly and had a thin spot.

It could also be a contaminant (like maybe a fingerprint or residue left over after sanding) or uneven sanding/not being concentric.

Practice makes perfect



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Riley Rods-Hard Core Grips to Go!-----Carbon Fiber - Composite Grip Store-----Capt Mike's Blog-----No Excuses Fishing Charters

what are you all using for the wet layup.. ive read about people using everything from a typical resin like flexcoat to west systems epoxy

I have been using Riley Rods epoxy.

Could the same treatment be used to coat the Mudhole carbon fiber handle offerings?