Hi All,

About to apply my first coat of flex coat finish. What is the minimum time between coats I can have? Presume the room temp is 71. I am going on a fishing trip tomorrow and I really want to bring this rod with me!

MInimum - once it sets and no longer moves - probably 2 1/2 - 3 hours?. It will still be tacky though and if you use a brush it will get stuck. YOu're probably safe waiting until it's tack free about 5 hours. I'm guessing at these times since I don't use FC but I know it sets up tack free pretty quickly.

Give it at least four hours at 71 degrees. I can do a second coat in 3 hours at 78 degrees. But after applying the second coat I wouldn't use it the next day. One day after applying second coat is too soon to use and not enough cure time.

I second Swampland's comment!! You should wait at least 2-3 days before using the rod.

Do you have a space heater?

If so, set it up in a small room...like a bathroom.

Let your rod cure in that room with the heat on high.

It will be set, but I wouldn't use it tomorrow.

if you have any permagloss you could put 4-5 coats on it every 20 - 30 min It dries hard and fast
But don't know after a days use or the next day You are cutting it close

Bill - willierods.com

I always try to do my first coats before bed time and second coats in the morning.

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Super Tight Lines......Don

I put finish on a rod at 7PM, took the rod fishing the next day at 6AM. I never wait as long as others do for finish to cure. It's more important for me to fish the rod than to worry about the epoxy...and nothng ever went wrong with my epoxy so I had nothign to worry abotu anyway. I'd be using the rod in the morning if I were you

Functionally that won't hurt anything, but if the finish is still soft enough to be imprinted when touched or bumped, etc., you may injure the rod's aesthetics. 11 hours is likely pushing that envelope pretty good.

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Chris,

You have a few options. If you are using CP, put your CP on and fish the rod the next day. I have a couple personal rods that either just have CP on the thread, or repairs with CP only to see how it holds up. They have been in service a few years that way. Granted the wraps won't stand up to the same level of abuse as epoxy, but it's a great option for a quick repair or to get a rod on the water in a hurry. I keep telling myself that one of these days, I need to make my personal rods a little more attractive, but they are great for learning the long term effects of certain building mistakes or techniques like forgetting to fill the guide foot tunnels, locking and blocking wraps or lack thereof, CP only wraps, etc.

The second option, put on one coat of finish, and give it a good 8-12 hours to set and harden and fish it. If something goes haywire, you can fix it later, but like Billy I haven't had any issues. A second coat can be applied within a couple days with no worries, and beyond that, you will just need to scuff the old finish a bit. By the way, if you use the heater in a bathroom trick to speed up the cure, check on the rod a few times. The epoxy may warm enough to flow just a little bit. I did that on my first build, and ended up with some finish sags to deal with. I ended up rewrapping it a year or so later, and a lesson was learned.

The other option is to use a one part finish. The moisture cure urethanes (Permaglos or Lumiseal) are the best option if you go this route. You can also use Threadmaster One (builds up like epoxy, but takes a little getting used to), or a one part Rod Varnish. The only issue I've had with Rod Dancer Rod Varnish is that I can remove it with isopropyl alcohol, even after it cures, but I thinned my bottle a bit with water, and this may be the issue (also a neat feature if you want to experiment with guide train layout on a single blank). All of these options are set and cured in an hour, so you can get multiple coats on if needed quickly.

Joe

Thanks everyone for your help and inputs. I am going to put a second coat on tomorrow morning. I am leaving late in the afternoon and going for a week. I wont use it the first day thats all just to be safe. It is my first build!

Why is everyone in such a hurry to fish a rod without a proper curing time? Plan ahead, make sure what you are doing will give the best possible outcome. If you re doing the rod for yourself, then go ahead and take a chance like Billy says. If it is for a customer, then do it the right way. Let it cure for a few days. Nearly 43 years experience taught me this.

If its good enough for billy...

I never had a sag because of a heated drying room. It is always good to check to be sure everything is going well, though.

Take it with you and have fun.

X1000 on Randy's comments.

I would imagine that anyone who is building a rod, has a bunch of other rods in the rack.

Plan ahead for a build that you want to eventually use. Give the finished rod a nice week of good curing time and then there is no question on the rod being ready for use.

Really, no reason to rush the cure on a rod before fishing the rod.

Be safe

For those who feel the rod needs to wait a few days - why? If you always let the rod sit for a few days, how do you know there will be problems with it if you fish it after 1 day? What have you experienced first hand to make you feel it needs to wait so long before fishing?

I had a rod fall over after about a day. The finish was dented and dulled in a few places. If the same thing had happened 3 days out, it's unlikely the same minor damage would have occurred. I can knock any rod I have here over or handle the wraps as much as I want, and there is no damage to them. Of course, the finish on these is long cured.

.........

Like I said, 43 years experience, been there done that, learned my lessons, at least most of them. still learning some.

use the rod
If at the worst when you get back if the threads are alright scoff it and recoat

Enjoy your trip

Bill - willierods.com