Working on fixing two finish issues.

1. Bubbles - as the finish penetrates the thread, it pushes bubbles out. It looks like the factory's thin their finish to get away from this, but is there any other way? I use Flexcoat High Build UV. Is there a thinner finish you'd recommend for first coats? I use a lot of size D thread, do you see less issues with size A or even B?

2. Decal area - I fight with two problems here, one is waves, the other is finish repelling off the blank. I use 91% isopropyl for blank cleaning, is that part of the problem? Should I use denatured?

Thanks all!

Thanks - Marc

Keep it simple - that's all I can handle!

1. Some do thin their epoxy and most are using Flex Coat. The Flex Coat website has instructions for how to thin their finish.

2. Clean the blank before you start work, never after. If you're wiping things just prior to applying finish that is likely to be at least some of the problem. Slick, smooth surfaces tend to repel epoxy. Try coating the decal with color preserver or a spray on clear fixative before applying epoxy. If you're getting "waves" in your finish, read the article on how to improve your epoxy on the library page here. It explains what causes that.

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

Marc,
I use high build all of the time. I never thin the finish.

I mix the finish for 2 minutes slowly mixing with a craft stick to insure complete mixing.

I start with the butt wraps and with the rod turning at a good speed - like about 20-70 rpm, I coat the thread and butt wraps. I stop the turning as needed to get the finish worked in to the tunnels of the guides.

I do this quickly starting with the butt wraps running on down to the tip of the rod. I don't worry about being smooth, bubbles or anything else, I just want to get the finish on thick enough over all parts of the rod that need to be finished.

Then, I slow down the rod so that it is turning about 20 rpm, and I use my heat gun to thin the finish on the rod running over each part of the rod fairly quickly. I am just getting enough heat on each part of the finish to let the finish flow and for any few bubbles to move to the surface and leave.

Then, I go back to the beginning again, and with the rod turning now at about 10 rpm, look over every part of the wrap to insure that I have on a perfect layer of finish that is just right with no bubbles, sags or thin spots. If necessary, I will remove a touch of finish or add a touch of finish depending on what I am seeing. I continue this on down the rod to the last guide.

All of this has taken me about 3-5 minutes.

Then, with the rod slowed down to about 6-8 rpm, I go over the rod one more time to continue to insure myself that everything is perfect on the rod. It is likely not necessary at this time, but if I do detect a thin or thick spot on the finish - I will clean it up with a brush or a touch of heat.

At that time, the rod gets moved to a single or drum dryer for overnight drying. I will ship the following day - with no need to add any additional finish or more coats.

There needs to be enough finish on the wraps to cover the wraps in a smooth finish. But, no more than that is needed. As long as the finish is smooth and level and free of bubbles, the job is complete. For most rods, the total time applying finish, checking and double checking is about 10 minutes.

Also, I have never added thinner to an epoxy finish and I don't expect to ever have to add thinner to a finish.

Good luck

To answer your question about thread size, yes "D" will have more opportunity for bubbles as the thread does not pack as tightly as smaller diameter such a "A".