I have read with great interest posts on what speed to use for rod drying. I have come to the conclusion that the speed is very dependent on the viscosity of the epoxy that is being used. Hence the speed may be brand and temperature sensitive.

Here's what I mean. As the rod turns the epoxy wants to seek the lowest spot hence the term self leveling. If the rod is turning at a speed such that the epoxy is moving at the same rate as the rod, a drip will form on the bottom and give an uneven finish. If its spinning to fast, the epoxy doesn't get a chance to move very far and I think we get the football effect.

So I think to get the perfect finish we need to control the brand, temperature and mixture and do a lot of testing or calculations to determine the viscosity of the mixture and how fast it will flow on the rod. I also think that's why the older approach of rotate wait, rotate wait works so well, the wait gives the epoxy a chance to move and level itself out without forming a drip.

So, for me that means I need a variable speed motor on my dryer so I can control the speed dependent on the viscosity of the mixture I happen to be using. It also allows me to turn faster for application and slower for drying. Roger Wilson does something similar with his four rod dryer where one is variable speed and the other three are fixed at (I believe) 6 rpm. I think 6 to 10 rpm seems to be a pretty standard speed that everyone seems to be using.

Just my two cents for whatever its worth.

I made 2 driers. One is 6rpm and the other 15rpm depending on what mix I'm using at the time

Eric Oertle
Old enough to know better - but crazy enough to try anyway

I have slow for drying == 6 RPM the other FAST 50 RPM , If I remember some builders use very high RPM like well over 100 RPM I could be wrong on the 100 RPM but it is a lot faster than my fast speed ,

William Sidney
AK

In the three or so years I have been visited this site, this topic has appeared a number of times. The curing RPM preferences seem to vary from as low as 4 RPM to about 50 RPM as Bill mentioned. I cannot imagine attempting to cure at 100 RPM as I would think there would be a tendency to fling the epoxy off the rod, but I have not tried it either. The 3-rod heated curing cabinet I built uses 9 RPM motors which work very well for both thin and high-build ProKote or Pro Flex wrap finish and even other (few) times when using thin viscosity RodGlu. 9 RPM seems to work very well in allowing either thin of thicker finish to flow as John mentioned. I am pleased with the results.

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

I have both 6 and 9 rpm drying motors. For me, I consider anything faster than this as too fast. A plus to slow rpm motors are they last longer and are less prone to problems, such as sticking in place, I have had some of my slow rpm motors for close to 35 yrs, which would include several thousand rods. I have had several 19 rpm and higher motors just stop working, and I replaced them with low low rpm motors. I actual,y think you get a better finish with the low rpm motors, with a lesser chance of getting footballs. I use a higher speed motor for applying finish, but transfer to rod to low rpms. Just my opinion.
Norm

I know there are many who apply finish at considerably higher speeds because they say it gives them clean edges but i have never heard of drying rods at those much higher speeds 100 rpm + . If it works for people than by all means everyone's different . I have managed with an old rotisserie motor which is ridiculously slow but i made it work by watching the wraps closely for a while after i finish applying the epoxy .

As soon as the rod starts to turn after applying the finish i manually stop the rod every few minutes when the spinning guides are facing directly downward and look closely for any sagging , often times hitting the wraps with a short burst of heat . If no sagging is present i leave it on the rotisserie overnight and into the next day . Of course i still have a habit of checking everything repeatedly but better to catch an issue early than noticing it the next day .

I think footballs are caused by too much finish being applied at once. 2 light coats work best for me. My dryer turns at 5rpm.

Not just footballs Lynn , before i got the hang of applying finish i applied too much and had all sorts of issues including the wavy uneven look , footballs, bubbles, i was traumatized & nearly checked in to a mental health clinic but i live Murphy's Law so this stuff is expected.

For a perfect finish, ditch the rotator and rotate by hand, only as needed. This allows you to manipulate the finish depth on any particular axis. If you want it thicker over the guide feet, you can do it by this method.

But, since you specifically asked about dryer motor speeds - 18RPM is the all-around best speed. Works with the widest range of viscosities.

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

Different strokes for different folks! Use whatever suits you the best, they will all work. When I first started building I turned by hand, This really gave me an appreciation of how much epoxy to apply, how well it self levels, and how slow you can turn a rod still a get a great smooth, sag free finish. This is one of the reasons I prefer a low rpm drying motor, and another, as I previously mentioned, is that slow rpm motors seem to last longer. Centrifugal force does tend to pull the finish outward, so there is a greater chance of getting footballs when using too much finish. This is especially true in the smaller diameter tip section of the rod.
Norm

Not only the viscosity of the epoxy but the ambient temperature where the rod is drying should be reckoned with.

Grab a variable speed dryer, link below - problem solved!
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Team Mud Hole Custom Tackle
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Email: sales@mudhole.com
Toll Free Phone #: 1-866-790-RODS (7637)

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I normally dry at 85+ deg.

like Tom says, you can control where the epoxy builds up if you turn by hand. if you want to have some fun, place a little extra epoxy just on the butt guides and turn the rod 180 often enough to keep the sagging/build up from forming on the bottom or top..you will get flat footballs with the build-up on the sides..kinda neat looking..i only do this on ice rods not any others..