Hi, im using flex coat lite finish. how long do i have to rotate to be sure that the finish will not sag? would like to free up my machine. thanks, mark

I am not sure about the flex coat lite; but, I just finished a rod today using Threadmaster and rotated it 1 1/2 hours and it came out beautiful....clear as glass. I just started doing the 180 degree rotation after being totally frustrated with varied degrees of finish using my drying cabinet. The first time I tried the hand rotation I rotated the rod for 3 hours, which became very tiresome. A guy replied to my post, wherein I had mentioned the 3 hour rotation. He said in his reply an hour would probably be long enough. I did an hour and a half today just to be on the safe side. Next time I will probably try one hour rotation and see how it comes out. I couldn't be more please with the 1 1/2 hour rotation results; but Threadmaster epoxy seems to setup pretty quickly.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Thank You Don! Its been rotating for almost 6hrs so i should be good then. Mark

The very best way to tell when it is ready to stop turning is when you check the epoxy you have left in the mixing cup and it will no longer run. Timing is different for Lite and High Build as well as different brands. Always better to check the left over epoxy!!!

If mixed properly, any of our finish should only need to be rotated for about 2 hours, unless you have thinned the finish with acetone. Then it will be longer. Phil's suggestion is the fail safe check.

Best

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

Don't be in a hurry If you take it off too soon it will sage Give it plenty of time

Bill - willierods.com

Mark,
I don't want to be obvious, but make or purchase a 2nd or more dryers.

When I am doing production batch runs, I essentially use 3 dryers.

I do all of my finish application on my power wrapper. Easy to control the speed, direction, start and stopping with the foot pedal on the wrapper. I always wrap with the top of the rod coming toward me. But when I apply finish, I always have the top of the rod going away from me. I reverse the direction with a flip of the switch on my control box.

After the finish has been applied, and is nearly ready to go - I transfer the rod to another single rod dryer having a variable speed motor so that I can also use it for applying or cleaning up finish if necessary.

In the main time, I will have applied finish to another rod on my wrapper.

Then, I go back to the single rod dryer and do a final quality inspection. If all is well, I then transfer the rod to my 12 rod drum dryer with adjustable speed. I only transfer to the drum dryer after the rod has been on the single rod dryer for at least 15-20 minutes, so that the finish has stiffened a bit so it will not sag much if at all during the transfer to the drum dryer.

Then, the rod is left on the drum dryer for 12 hours.

After removal from the drum dryer, the rod undergoes a final inspection and if quality is perfect will be shipped.

Good luck

...also, if your room is cold and you have a thick coat, it could take up to 4 hours.

The test with the left over finish could be flawed in that if it is left in a mixing cup it often hardens faster than on the rod. If you pour it out on aluminum foil like we recommend then it should cure close to the same rate as on your rod.

sorry for the confusion

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

Donald R Campbell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am not sure about the flex coat lite; but, I
> just finished a rod today using Threadmaster and
> rotated it 1 1/2 hours and it came out
> beautiful....clear as glass. I just started doing
> the 180 degree rotation after being totally
> frustrated with varied degrees of finish using my
> drying cabinet. The first time I tried the hand
> rotation I rotated the rod for 3 hours, which
> became very tiresome. A guy replied to my post,
> wherein I had mentioned the 3 hour rotation. He
> said in his reply an hour would probably be long
> enough. I did an hour and a half today just to be
> on the safe side. Next time I will probably try
> one hour rotation and see how it comes out. I
> couldn't be more please with the 1 1/2 hour
> rotation results; but Threadmaster epoxy seems to
> setup pretty quickly.

So you find that rotating the rod manual 180 degrees gives you a better finish than a power dryer?

Phil

I too rotate by hand, but usually for only 30 minutes, then the rod section(s) rotates on the lathe until the set aside, unused epoxy is cured to the touch. I've used about every technique known and the manual rotation produces the superior results for me. Your milage might vary.

Close observation of the epoxy during the first 5 minutes of manual rotation is critical, t's a magic time window, as it is the last, best opportunity to wick away any excess epoxy. Granted it is best not to have applied any excess, but it happens now and again and need not be a problem if detected and corrected very quickly. Manual rotation and very close observation is key.

180 degree manual rotations permits the epoxy to do what it does - self level - and provides timely feedback as to where a problem is developing in the bargain.

I use a medium viscosity epoxy and find that starting with 30 second manual rotations works well. You will need to vary the time between rotations according to the viscosity of the finish you prefer.

Phil,

I have the best results rotating the rod by hand for about an hour then move it to my rod drying cabinet, which is heated. I adjust the heat to around 80 to 90 degrees and let it dry for 4-6 hours depending on the epoxy used. I was having terrible results putting the rod directly into the rod drying cabinet, even as a slow speed rotation. I then followed Tom's recommendation about the 180 degree rotation and was thrilled with the results! The rod / epoxy comes out looking like glass and could not be better.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2016 12:56PM by Donald R Campbell.

Just to be clear, I rotate by hand on the 180 for about the 1st hour or so then put on the dryer for 4 hours, so 5 hr.s total. As stated check the leftover finish in the cup. Lynn (I'm the guy who replied to Donald R. Campbell's original post)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2016 04:07PM by Lynn Behler.

Thanks for the tips!

Yes thanks for the tips. Going to try it. How often do you rotate 180?