I am extremely grateful for all the help and responses I get from this forum....Here's my question, and it seems so basic, but What is the difference between Epoxy and Finish? Also do I need to apply finish to my rod after the epoxy? What is finish? can finish be used insted of epoxy? Also does the 2 part epoxy ever go bad? Is it supposed to be warm-hot while holding it in your hand when your applying it to your guides? Again thanks for the help, Im a newbie to the rod building game, thanks

Ernest Cameron

"Finish" is generally what folks refer to when talking about coating the guide wraps. There are several products that work for this, including epoxy. Epoxy doesn't go bad, but it will tend to turn a bit amber or yellow over time, either in the bottle or on the rod.

Your rod blank does not need to be coated with anything.

................

Ernest ,
In addition to the words that Mr. Kirkman used are the following:

Epoxy glue may be obtained in many forms.
i.e. 5 minute, 15 minute, 30 minute, 60 minute or slower drying glue.
These are all various forms of adhesive that are used for assembly. The time indicates the normal working time of the glue. But I have found that generally, the working time is about 1/2 of the listed number. i.e. mix and then use the glue.
So, 5 minute gives you about 3 minutes of working time, 30 minute gives you about 15 minutes of working time and 60 minute gives you about 30 minutes of working time.

Normally, as the epoxy glue dries - it "kicks" or goes through a chemical action that causes the glue to heat. So, if you are feeling the glue getting hot, you need to hurry, because you have very little time left before the glue sets and gets hard.

Rod building finish is another form of epoxy, but is much thinner than the glue used as an adhesive and tends to have a much much longer working time and gluing time.
i.e. the glue stays soft and runny for a considerable length of time. The advantage of this property is that the finish can be applied to a rotating rod, and as the rod rotates, the finish will flow and continue to flow out and be even as the rod rotates over time.

Generally the working time or flowing time of the glue is 15-60 minutes depending on the particular rod finish. But to avoid issues, the rod needs to continue to turn for several hours to both continue to cure, and also to get hard.

Be safe

Ernest, "Finish" in broa terms can be, a multitude of coatings, like paint, varnish, urethane and some epoxies. "Epoxies in rod building are in two basic forms, 1.) adhesives: this type comes in both fluid and paste, and is used primarily to glue components to the blank. 2.) coatings: this type is fluid and used to coat guide and decorative wraps. The two basic forms of epoxy are not interchangeable, one is for gluing and the other for coating and they have a number of different properties.