So I finished putting Pro-Kote medium build on my first ever rod project. I'm fairly happy with it but there are some spots that didn't level out very well. Do most use a second coat? If so, does that fix the leveling issues? Do you sand or polish in between coats? Any advice is much appreciated. Throw me some ideas.

How long since the first coat? If less than 48 hours you dont' need to sand or do anything except put on a second coat.

I put the first coat on at. 10pm last night so its only been 18 hours. Will it even out low areas?

Give the guides a sand - Just hit with say 400 - 500 wet dry sandpaper - dry Whipe off witha paper towel

RECOAT

Bill - willierods.com

From my experience, if the first coat isn't flat/level/smooth the second coat won't be either. The second coat will follow what is underneath it. You can sand it smooth, but be careful not to take too much off. I will do that only after applying the second coat. I generally do that on my butt wraps, but not always.

There are others on here with way more experience than me, that is what I do.

Chester

May your line be tight and your beverages be cold!

I put the first coat down without worry about creating a smooth or level finish. I just want to cover the threads and remove the bubbles. When it cures I cut off the fuzzies with a sharp new razor blade then cover again with a thicker coat and remove any bubbles. Rotate on a dryer and it will level itself, No sanding required!! If necessary apply a 3rd coat.

Don



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2013 09:26PM by Don O'Neil.

i do a minimum of 4 coats, each coat is relativley thin.
Mark Crouse- The Munich Rod Man

I don't put c.p. on the guides so my first coat is just a sealer coat. I coat all the guides allowing it to sink in a little, then i'll apply some heat and remove most of the finish until i'm left with a real thin surface where I can still see the thread ridges. Then another 2 or 3 thicker coats.

Jersey, Channel Islands. (U.K.)

About 90% of my rods use a single coat, are smooth and even and look great.

Once in a long while there might be a spot that needs fixing that requires a 2nd coat.

I usually try to get by just doing one coat on guide wraps. I use mainly the metallics which seem to release more air bubbles than regular or ncp thread. After applying a quick first layer I'll heat it briefly with an embossing gun to saturate and drive out the air. After cooling a few minutes, I will check for trapped bubbles and even coverage. Visible bubbles can be stripped off with a spatula and I'll apply finish again to the correct depth level on the thread.

Also Make sure the rod is level or the finish will sag to the low end of the wrap

I also after doing some wraps after about 3 hours I stuck my finger in the cup to see how hard the finish was it stuck to my finger and I thought it would stay a high spot in the finish Looked a half hour later Level
This is in about 85 degree weather

Bill - willierods.com

Thanks for the input guys. I ended up taking some 600 grit paper and cutting it into a strip about 3/4 inch wide and using it to sand down the part that was not level while the rod was spinning on the dryer. It did a wonderful job knocking down the high spots and I then, at the 24 hour mark, sliced off any thread ends or blemishes and covered with a second coat. It layed flat and looked beautiful this morning.

I'm in the same camp as Mark Crouse when it comes to epoxy applications. Generally, I apply 3-4 thin coats of high build epoxy with the first coat just saturating the threads adequately and driving air out of the tunnels. I don't apply color preserver to my thread work.

Experienced builders may have specific talent with their brand of epoxy, but I think beginners too often err on the heavy side with their first applications. Thus the frequent threads asking how to level wavy guides and inscription areas. My feeling is that we should encourage multiple thin applications, at least until they develop a method that works well for them.

Jeff

I use mostly metallic with ProKote medium build exclusively. I first apply two coats of Perma Gloss waiting about an hour between coats. The Perma Gloss helps remove the air trapped in the wraps around the guide foot. I let it dry over night them apply one or possible two coats of ProKote. The finish comes out beautiful. I use two coats of ProKote on my Bass rods and only one coat on the lighter Trout and Finesse rods.

On a related comment, the new Perma Gloss bottle cap works great. I keep the Perma Gloss in the refrigerator until I need a little then pour out just what I need into a small epoxy cup. I have not had any drying or jelling of the Perma Gloss in the bottle. That stuff is great!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com