i have a area over some decals that i can't get smooth with epoxy.
i have it block sanded smooth now.
instead of trying epoxy again, is there another product i could spray or brush on, that
would hide the light scratches and make it glossy ?

just seeing if there's another option, other then epoxy.

thanks guys,

thx

David

Another light (think very, very thin) epoxy application will solve your problem. The sanding marks will disappear and there will be a gloss sheen. It will not fix any remaining hills and valleys.

You wrote that the finish was not smooth. I suspect what you saw was hills and valleys or a series of shallow footballs? It was most probably the result of applying too much epoxy. What would be drips or sags of excess epoxy on a stationary rod are the "hills" or centers of the footballs where the drips / sags formed rings on a rotating rod.

If you are up to one more go with the epoxy, and you have leveled the area as best you can, clean with DNA, and apply as thin a coat of epoxy as you can manage. Then rotate the rod by hand 180 degrees every 30 seconds for 5 or 6 minutes watching closely for any sags or drips forming. If sags form, wick off the excess epoxy and continue rotating by hand. After the first 5 to 6 minutes of manual 30 second rotations gradually increase the time between rotations to 1 minute for another 5 or 6 minutes and continually inspect for drips or sags and wick them off. After 15 to 20 minutes of the manual, 180 degree rotations you should be good to go with the dryer.

Good luck.

what Donald gave you is good , all I could do to help would use a wide brush to apply the epoxy fast an get off as fast as you can
do the edges first then fill in the middle, it might help

William Sidney
AK

David,
If you have sanding marks, you might want to try to remove these marks by lightly sanding with much finer grit. You can get such sanding materials where people do auto paint refinishing. I have used emery paper up to 12,000 grit to remove sanding marks. I use wood grips on a lot of my fly rods and find that there are sanding marks even when I finish with 800 grit. Using even finer grit emery paper allows me to eliminate these marks. Good luck.

Mike Blomme

Sand with finer grit to get rid of the scratches; the finish should be like "coarse matte" but with no distinct scratches, then use Permagloss for a glossy, very hard, finish. You may be having trouble with epoxy by applying too much? I never use anything finer than 600 grit and have no problems with scratches showing. Usually 400 is fine enough.

thanks guys,
i block sanded first with 600grit, then with 1500. it's just a dull finish. maybe i shouldn't have said scratches,
but thats what it really is... the epoxy has covered it great in the past.
surface is dead smooth now.

my epoxy doesn't seem to be leveling off. what it looks like after i apply it with brush, is what i get.
i apply it really thin.

i have tried a heat gun set on low heat. but just got thinking since i run it on really low heat, i have the air flow on high,
maybe i'm blowing the epoxy to the sides... and making thin spots. going to buy a alcohol burner next.
i will do the turning method after appling too, thx!

is Permagloss more user freindly then epoxy ?

Except for slight heating of the epoxy in the bottles with hot water before mixing, you should need no heat. I've found that when I try heating after applying I often screw something up, so don't do it any more and get good smooth coats.

David Hauch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> thanks guys,
> i block sanded first with 600grit, then with 1500.
> it's just a dull finish. maybe i shouldn't have
> said scratches,
> but thats what it really is... the epoxy has
> covered it great in the past.
> surface is dead smooth now.
>
> my epoxy doesn't seem to be leveling off. what it
> looks like after i apply it with brush, is what i
> get.
> i apply it really thin.
>
> i have tried a heat gun set on low heat. but just
> got thinking since i run it on really low heat, i
> have the air flow on high,
> maybe i'm blowing the epoxy to the sides... and
> making thin spots. going to buy a alcohol burner
> next.
> i will do the turning method after appling too,
> thx!
>
> is Permagloss more user freindly then epoxy ?

David,

Perma Gloss is very easy to use. It is a totally different product than epoxy. It is very thin and drys is about an hour and can be recoated. It sets up very fast and I would recommend keeping the bottle in the refrigerator after opening. Pour just a small amount into a mixing cup and replace the bottle into the refrigerator after opening. I use it all of the time on my wraps before apply epoxy. A couple of coats of it penetrates the threads well, drys quickly, never yellows and is bullet proof.Fly rod guys use 8-10 coats of it in their guides as it is very light. I have never tried it over a decal area. Make sure you have epoxy covering the entire decal as, Perma Gloss is "Hot" and will melt the decal if applied directly on the decal.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

If you want a thicker perma gloss finish, let it set for half an hour before applying to your wraps. I first apply a few thin coats to really soak into the thread first.

i nailed it! thanks to all your help.
warmed up my epoxy bottles in some warm water. mixed it slow, no bubbles.
warmed up my tin foil a little before i pour epoxy in.
while turning about 30rpm, i applyed a thin coat once across my span, and never touched it again.
rotated by hand, 180 degress like Donald suggested, and put on dryer.
looks really good.

i never did get any sags. does that mean it was a light coat ?

thx again guys,

That and the higher speed and not touching it all helped
Most put too much on The 180 turning helps to get a nice level coat

Bill - willierods.com

i did put a little more on then what i was doing. that seem to give it a little body
so it could move and level out. just guessing here though...