I just finished a rod where I epoxied a large area to cover decals and hook keeper. After watching for some time I left it and not pleased with what I see now. Can I just use a second coat to fill in a couple places or do I need to smooth it down and epoxy the whole thing again? If yes, how do I go about doing it without ruining anything. This is a Christmas gift bought by a friend and want to offer a better product.

If it's only been a day or two since coated I'd just put another coat over it. If longer, scuff it lightly with scotchbrite, wipe the dust off with a damp coffee filter, let dry and recoat. Don't put too much finish on. ( Damp as in water, not coffee! )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2016 08:14PM by Lynn Behler.

What is it you see and do not like? Did it fish eye? Was there too much epoxy that footballed? Something else?

Never had a lot of luck with a second coat over epoxy problems not corrected at least in part first. You can level cured epoxy by sanding PROVIDED you are VERY CAREFULL not to sand into the blank or decal. Of course if the problem is fish eye you've got to first get rid of any remaining contamination and its source first.

What Donald said
Herb

Not fish eyed I don't think. Just doesn't look good around decal and on it. Probably being too critical and should just leave it alone or I'll make it worse. Lol!

Thanks for the replies!

I was under the impression that he was just a little thin in some spots.

I'll see what it looks like in the morning and then make a decision!

You will get much more detailed help if you provide real detail on what you are observing. There are many ways that epoxy can be less than even and smooth.

Look at the library article about epoxy.

Having to use two coats of epoxy to get it smooth and even is not unusual. I'd say that it usually requires two coats. But if you don't do it right, it won't be right after two coats.

The most common problem I have with the long length of epoxy over decals is that of having "valleys", or uneven thickness. If that is what you are seeing, follow these suggestions. Before putting on the second coat use fine sandpaper on a block (using a block forces the sandpaper onto only the high spots, leaving the low spots alone.) Get it as even as you can without going through that first coat. Go through it and you have a real problem on your hands. Be sure to wipe all the sanding dust off the area. The best way to apply epoxy to long areas is to use strokes that run longitudinally along the blank. And rotate the blank slowly as it hardens to keep it from hardening with more on one side than the other.

If this is not your problem, you simply have to offer more details for us to help. "Not pleased with what I see just doesn't do it."

Give it another coat of epoxy, you will probably never know you had a problem. A lot of times you can get thin spots in your finish or you can see or feel the edges of the decal. Usually a new coat solves the problem. Since it has only been a couple of days you probably do not need to sand.
Norm

Michael Danek Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You will get much more detailed help if you
> provide real detail on what you are observing.
> There are many ways that epoxy can be less than
> even and smooth.
>
> Look at the library article about epoxy.
>
> Having to use two coats of epoxy to get it smooth
> and even is not unusual. I'd say that it usually
> requires two coats. But if you don't do it right,
> it won't be right after two coats.
>
> The most common problem I have with the long
> length of epoxy over decals is that of having
> "valleys", or uneven thickness. If that is what
> you are seeing, follow these suggestions. Before
> putting on the second coat use fine sandpaper on a
> block (using a block forces the sandpaper onto
> only the high spots, leaving the low spots alone.)
> Get it as even as you can without going through
> that first coat. Go through it and you have a
> real problem on your hands. Be sure to wipe all
> the sanding dust off the area. The best way to
> apply epoxy to long areas is to use strokes that
> run longitudinally along the blank. And rotate
> the blank slowly as it hardens to keep it from
> hardening with more on one side than the other.
>
> If this is not your problem, you simply have to
> offer more details for us to help. "Not pleased
> with what I see just doesn't do it."

X2 Use strokes that are linear to the axis of the blank. Apply heat evenly to get bubbles out. Leaving the heat too long in one place will cause uneven surfaces. Use water or spit to remove dust after sanding. The best preventative is to use CP over the decals. Epoxy will cover that better than the slick surface of the decal.

Matt,
All good advice, especially Donald’s concerning eliminating contamination before continuing. But, without seeing the actual problem, I agree with Lynn and, at this point with nothing to lose, would put another coat on it and see if the issue goes away. May I suggest allowing the present finish to set for 2-3 days and lightly scuff with a scotchbrite before proceeding. If solved, great, if not, you only have one more coat of finish to remove before starting over. Attempting to preserve a vintage Garcia Conolon decal and logo, I put a coat of CP over them as learned from this site before applying finish. Without scrubbing on the decals, everything was cleaned with DNA but still got a lumpy surface on the finish. I left well enough alone due to, obviously, not being able to replace the decals. It is OK, just not up to my standards. Worst case scenario for you is purchasing another decal and starting over. Unfortunately, none of us have a magic wand to lend you.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Mark T just hit on an important point. If the problem is that the finish is not level, and if you think sanding is the preferred option to correct, then adding one or two additional coats of epoxy BEFORE sanding to level will give you a bit more margin of sanding error before damaging the decal or blank.

By the way, I find that it is better to never use denatured alcohol to clean a coated epoxy surface. Rather, just use a simple cleaner that is water soluble.

I have found that in many cases when I have tried it years ago, that the dna tends to combine with the epoxy surface and leave a less than perfect surface for recoating.

Good luck

Hey all,

Thanks for the advice and sorry for being vague! It just didn't look real great a couple hours after doing it but this morning in normal light it looks pretty good. I use a bright table lamp while working and i could see some tiny imperfections in the finish. I used color preserver on my decal and all around it. I also used it on the whole area because i have had trouble with fish eyeing type finish on the white MHX blanks in the past so i wiped it down real well and used the preserver. In normal conditions it looks pretty good. I am new at this still, been doing it less than a year and get better with each rod. I appreciate the feedback and have followed much of it very closely over the year as i have asked several epoxy questions! I am very particular (good or bad i don't know) with these rods and get nervous on the big ones looking professionally done as a rookie!

I have been building several ice rods and sold a few and really like those. As tough as they are, the areas to wrap and epoxy are not near as big and i enjoy that! Just turned out a split grip cork rod about 30" long! Can't wait for it to dry!

Thanks again and next time i will include a pic or better description!

You can follow my little adventure on instagram at JAMM Custom Rods.

Matt

Roger,
I will remember your opinion of DNA.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.