What's the down and dirty on this stuff? What's the best out there? Using Pro-Kote but is there something better. Especially for threads as Pro Kote does get a lot of bubbles in it. Just takes a little extra time is all. Anything that is a quick cure and not 8 hours?

My best could be your worst. You have to try them all yourself, and then the best will be what your comfortable with.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

One of the most asked questions ever , hopefully a few of the below links will help but if you want a straight answer here's what Tom Kirkman himself says : They're all excellent and there is no best . My opinion is that if you want faster drying Pro Kote is not what you should choose it's one of the slowest curing , Threadmaster regular is exceptionally popular and cures relatively quickly , Threadmaster lite takes a lot longer . Flex Coat is excellent as is their help section and advice , many seem to love Hitena's rod finish , link is to the left , they're a sponsor . You can't go wrong with any just follow directions mix accurately and make sure you apply in temps 70 degrees or above.




[www.rodbuilding.org]


[www.rodbuilding.org]


[www.rodbuilding.org]


[www.rodbuilding.org]

Dang, 3 edits already and i just finished , got to snap out of it .



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2019 10:56PM by herb canter.

Jacob,
I have to agree with Tom’s quote from Herb = they are all good. I started with regular ProKote, then tried ProKote High Build, tried a few other brands, and now back to regular PrtoKote. Although possibly needing an additional coat for those rare thick build situations, the thinner viscosity flows out better and does not seem to trap as many microscopic bubbles as the higher builds. I found what I like; now it is your turn. Don’t over think it as I am prone to do.

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

Getting bubbles in your finish, that is an issue with how you are mixing it, does not matter the brand, if you mix the wrong way, you'll get bubbles.

Be gentle when you mix, circular motion for at least 3 min. If you try to "slap" the mix around, bubbles will form, its happened to all of us. Also, if you do get a few bubbles in the mix, having a small diameter piece of tubing handy, blow them out, they will rise to the top of the mix in a minute or two after you have mixed it up.

Like the other gents have stated above, all the finishes are good, I played around with a couple years back and finally settled on the one that worked the best for me.

Wrap epoxy takes time to cure, eight hours is not unreasonable to get past the "fingerprint" stage, it will take even longer before it is completely cured. Faster in warmer temperatures.

The most important rule is to accurately measure the proportions of each component before mixing. After that any brand will do the job. Pick one that you have confidence with.

Have fun

john

One is not better than another. They are all very much the same with minor differences in viscosity and pot life.

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

I have recently tried the new epoxy from Hitena and so far it seems to have all of the "best" characteristics you look for in a thread epoxy, but as noted, results may vary slightly with technique. Threadmaster has been my go to for the past few years but Hitena for me at least, does just a little better job overall.

Ray Zarychta
Glastonbury, CT

There was an entirely new type of two-part thread coating available at the Expo a couple weeks ago. CTS Fishing had it. It is absolutely clear and cannot yellow, or so I was told. Unfortunately it is measured and mixed by weight, not volume so you need to have a scale on hand to get the mix right. Seems thinner than most epoxies but maybe closer to the lite types most of us are used to.

I did pick up some CrystalCoat from CTS at the Expo. I have not tried it yet, but it is very clear and colorless in the bottles, I.e. no yellow tint in the hardener. Here is the description from CTS. [ctsfishing.com]
I have also tried the Hitena finish and it reminds me a lot of Threadmaster. Both are excellent in my opinion, if you want a quicker set time and a harder finish.
Norm

if and when i use epoxy, i use pac bays mustard package premeasured epoxy..put it in the pocket to warm up then snip and squeeze and stir..ready to go..if you don,t make many rods a year it,s the way to go..heck if i made many rods i would still use them..

I mentioned to Steven that "Crystal Coat" was the name used on the product that Clemens Tackle repackaged from Klass Kote back in the 80's and 90's. He was not aware of that. So although the name is the same, the product is not. It's a fit of a different chemistry than most common 2-part epoxies.

.........

Mike,
Any two part mixture can be measured by either weight or by volume.

If the instructions suggest using weight, you can mix by volume if you take a given amount - say 3 ozs or part a and 3 ozs of part b : Then figure out the volume of each amount.

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But, I think it is likely easy to figure out, if you use a syringe to suck up a given volume, say one syringe full of each part. Put the full syringe of part a into one small cup and then put one full syringe of part b into another small cup.

Weigh the loaded cup of part a. Then, weight the loaded cut of part B. Compute the difference between part a, and part b by weight. Then, use this factor to multiply the appropriate cup to obtain the multiplication factor to be able to use a syringe filled with the correct amount of part A, and another syringe filled with part B - to insure that you are mixing equal weights of part a and part b.

So, lets say that one full syringe of part a weights 3 ozs. But , you find that one full syringe of part b weighs 2 ozs. Thus, when using a syringe, you want the amount of part b to be 2/3rds the amount of part a.

Best wishes.

Figuring out how to weigh accurately is not the issue , the issue is many do not own scales to weigh stuff with and i would highly doubt most will be running out to purchase one for this purpose alone . That being said a good scale is a worthwhile purchase and a good percentage of rod builders do own them .

Jacob, I have bin using flex coat for years and like it a lot. I just got so use to it I don't think I will change.

larry basilio Wrote:
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> Jacob, I have bin using flex coat for years and
> like it a lot. I just got so use to it I don't
> think I will change.



You make a very good point when you said " I just got so used to it i don't think i will change"

I often read people saying that although they were very pleased with a product, they decided to try other things and in most instances they end up going back to what they used in the beginning . These days i tend to stick with what i am comfortable with and have learned to not abruptly change things without a very good reason to do so , curiosity is not a good reason i have learned.

I fondly remember times where things went badly that i knew would have turned out much much better IF ONLY i had stuck to what i typically did & didn't throw caution into the wind. I wish i could learn by making a mistake but no , i must repeat it over and over , i really do live Murphy's Law , no joke, i'm very serious.

I enjoy trying different things and techniques just to satisfy my curiosity. It’s all about educating yourself through experimentation, how else do you know what’s hype and what’s not, Besides that, it’s fun!
Norm

The point i was trying to make was DON'T attempt to satisfy your curiosity on a build that is almost finished and up to that point has turned out near perfect you're asking for trouble lol. I recommend experimenting on something other than your best work .

My point was, DON’T be hesitant to experiment and satisfy your curiosity. It’s the best way to learn.
Norm