Herb, that,s one of the pluses with using CP..if something goes wrong you can wipe the epoxy off the wrap with a iso soaked paper towel and not disturb the thread wrap at all..

I don't use CP but thats a good thing to know , with a build i'm almost finished with i stick to things i'm familiar with and what has worked well for me , i call it using "Basic common sense " . That old saying "Don't try to fix whats not broken" is very very sound advice , problem is i never used to listen to that advice , i used to try and fix stuff that wasn't broken and guess what , every single item i tried to fix ended up in the obituaries .


If i paid to have a rod built and the builder called me up and said i'm almost done and it has turned out perfect so far but i have an overpowering urge to experiment we would have a problem , no experimenting on my rod , the next rod you plan to build i think you should pursue that urge to experiment but not on my rod .

Herb and Norm, your curiosity, experimentation, and willingness to share benefit us all. Don't stop on my account.

My experiments have resulted in countless tragedies, Norm is the one who has had success .





Tragedy: An event causing great suffering, calamity, destruction and distress, disaster such as a serious accident, fatal event , catastrophe.


The above definition fits perfectly as to what i have experienced when i had the urge to experiment .

I checked Harbor freight and they have digital scales from $10.99 to $21.99 that will work fine for mixing by weight.

[www.harborfreight.com]

Have fun

John

Experimentation is good not bad. Without it we would know nothing!
Norm

Norman Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Experimentation is good not bad. Without it we
> would know nothing!
> Norm


Do you have any idea how many anglers have suffered an agonizing death and perished due to having the urge to experiment , numbers are in the billions . It is those anglers that gave their lives while experimenting that we owe a great deal of gratitude to because without their sacrifice how could we have possible known the curing time differences between Flex Coat lite & Threadmaster lite .

They deserve your gratitude.
Norm

Jacob,
You have received many excellent replies from qualified veterans since my original reply and I certainly agree with them. Taking into account all the replies and summarizing;
1.) Precisely measure the epoxy and the hardener.
2.) Mix and apply between 70*F and 80*F
3.) Mix thoroughly yet slowly enough to avoid introducing excessive bubbles into the mix.
4.) If your mixing cup has a square bottom-to-side corner, use a square cornered mixing stick. Conversely, if the bottom corner is rounded then use a rounded mixing stick. This will avoid unmixed epoxy left in the corner which is often overlooked.
5.) Continually scrape the sides of the cup as well as the bottom to mix thoroughly.
6.) Allow the mixed epoxy to sit for 1-2 minutes. Many pour the mix into a shallow, large diameter aluminum tin or onto aluminum foil to extend the pot life. While certainly not a bad idea, personally, I do not bother. If it starts to go off, I mix another batch.
7.) Remember that while a quick blast of heat on the surface of the mixed epoxy will pop the majority of bubbles, the additional heat will also shorten the pot life.
8.) After the wraps are coated with epoxy, gentle heat will thin and encourage the epoxy to flow-out and level itself as well as eliminating any stubborn bubbles.
9.) Place the remaining epoxy in its cup in the same environment as the rod while curing. Not only will this be a perfect example of the state of cure, but will also afford insight to the cause of any problems should they occur.
It may seem involved or tedious, but it really is not, especially considering this is the final step after all the previous hours invested.

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

Is the requirement for precise measurement of hardener and epoxy applicable to both thread finish as well as the paste glue? So many how-to videos show the folks mixing the paste glue components by taking globs of each component on a popsicle stick and then mixing. An approximation of equal at best. If precise measurements of the paste glue components is necessary how do you measure the paste? Weight?

What is the downside to the ambient room temperature being in the range of 63 to 65 degrees? Just extended cure time? Or ineffective cure? Or...?

The gel type epoxy adhesives have a much wider range of tolerance for mixing equal amounts. Ralph O'Quinn once told me that Rod Bond could be mixed at 60-40 and still property set and cure. Two-part epoxy finishes do not allow the same margin for measurement errors, however. This is one reason that it is recommended not to mix less than 3cc of each component part. Being off maybe one drop on a total 6cc mix may still get you where you need to be, but being off one drop on a 2cc total mix may result in failure. The more you mix the greater your margin for error is.

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

roger wilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 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.
>
> -----------
> 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.

Roger, ?

About the last paragraph above.

Forgive me....but are these amounts right? I mean by volume you would require more B than A, being that the B weighs 1/3 less than the A.

Bob Ginther Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is the downside to the ambient room
> temperature being in the range of 63 to 65
> degrees? Just extended cure time? Or ineffective
> cure? Or...?



All types of issues Bob NOT just an extended cure time. The biggest problem i have dealt with is that when the room temps are 70 degrees or below the product thickens very quickly and is a complete nightmare to get it to flow as it should . it gets clumpy almost instantly even if mixed perfectly .

On another note, two part rod epoxy glues like Rod Bond & Pro Paste are far more tolerant to mixing inaccuracies than thread finish epoxies , the " This clump of glue looks about equal to that clump of glue " works perfectly well with the two formerly mentioned glue types . Very different than thread epoxies like Flex Coat , Pro Coat where accuracy is paramount.

If you can up your drying temp to between 85 and 90 for wrap finish you will be a happy camper.

I wish i could do that but no way , i start getting extremely uncomfortable at 75 degrees and above . My ideal living temp is 60 degrees year round.

I dry a 7 ft rod in 2-3 segments on the dining room table over shallow narrow cardboard boxes lined with aluminum foil to act as a reflector. Two swing arm desklamps with 60 watt bulbs provide the heat. I have no deadlines to meet . I don't keep the house at 90.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2019 08:40PM by Lynn Behler.

there is a jobber on the left [ MUDHOLE } [ one of the largest ] was / is selling a drying station that has lamps an in a long box / drying booth . like Lynn B put together [ home made ] an it works very well

William Sidney
AK

Sorry big finger

William Sidney
AK

Never thought of using lights and aluminum foil as a reflector , i just let dry under fluorescents for being able to see what i was doing not as an intent to dry faster. I used portable electric heaters to get the room temp up to 75 degrees ( I'm in a cold basement) and it worked well enough . At first i learned the hard way about how critical temps are , one time i attempted to apply epoxy when the room temp was under 70 degrees and the entire plastic cup of epoxy instantly turned to a thick gel .