Hi all,

I just need confirmation before start using it. I'm currently using a Heatgun for popping bubble and it's working kind of fine for me but the only downside is that it's blowing too much air (even on low and medium settings) resulting in creating airborne dust. I'm in the process of getting myself a alcohol lamp but I can't seems to source denatured alcohol in South Africa, or atleast it's called "methylated spirits" in S.A according to google. Does anyone perhaps knows if this is correct?

Thanks in advance.

I simply use a straw and the heat from my breath to pop bubbles.

Ray Zarychta
Glastonbury, CT

James,
Yes:

[en.wikipedia.org]

At least here in the states, one can often find Denatured Alcohol in home building supply stores in the paint department. It is sold in the paint department to use for cleaning, and also for use with Shellac as a thinner and cleaner.

Another potential place to purchase denatured alcohol is in stores that work with the camping industry or the marine industry to supply fuel for alcohol burners or stoves that are common for use with both camping as well as in sailing.

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From a large supplier side of the business, here is a list of various suppliers, distributors and manufacturers of the spirits available in your country:
[www.alibaba.com]

It looks like Brights Hardware in Capetown carries the spirits that you are seeking.
But, there are certainly many other suppliers in the country as well.

p.s.
One of the checks for high quality spirits is that when it is consumed in a burner, there should be virtually no visible flame. If there is any yellow or visible flame when the fuel burns, it is generally indicative of some carbon impurities in the fuel.

For example, here in the states, if one goes to a drug store and purchases rubbing alcohol that is only about 70% alcohol, it does a very poor job of heating. It burns with a very smoky yellow flame that is absolutely not the best fuel to use in an alcohol burner.

Best wishes and be safe

You shouldn't have many bubbles unless you mixed the epoxy much too briskly. Aside from that, bubbles will release under a bare minimum of heat. Get yourself a butane cigarette lighter and simply pass the flame under the wrap (do not let the flame touch the finish) as you rotate the rod. This shouldn't take more than perhaps 2 or 3 seconds per guide wrap. This is all you need to do.

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

Jerme
Another method to warm the finish to release bubbles is to hold a 60W (+ or - ) incandescent light bulb about 5 - 6 inches from the finished area for a minute or two. I use my bench magnifier lights and position them over the finished area as I slowly rotate the rod. This also causes the finish to level out nicely. Keep an eye out for late forming bubbles, especially near the guide foot tunnels, and pop them as needed.
Rog

Thanks everyone for your input, it's much appreciated. At this point the bubble isn't much of a concern. @ Roger, Methylated spirits is quite freely available I used it to smoke fish with it, just wanted to make sure Methylated Spirits and Denatured Alcohol is the same thing. Here Methylated Spirits is purple, apparently they added the colouring to prevent people from drinking it, just cautious that the colouring might have a effect on the clean burning properties.

No need to "flame" your wraps - ever.
Use a proper mixer like PAC BAY.
If you need your finish to flow a little easier for some reason - like you picked a piece of lint off a wrap and left a divot - I use a 40 watt soldering iron a few inches under the wrap for 30 seconds or so.
Herb

I use a small bernzomatic micro butane torch. It is instant on and off and you can direct in any direction you want. After mixing my epoxy I flash flame it with the torch and the bubbles instantly disappear. When I say flash flame, I mean quickly, zip zip, pass the flame over the epoxy a few inches away and watch the bubbles disappear. Takes just a couple of seconds. After applying the epoxy I may flash flame the wraps if needed. Works great for me.
Norm

Relating to the original question about alcohol in SA, I believe that isopropyl alcohol in Africa is available under that name. It works fine for rod building. I think what I use is about 90%. If you can find isopropyl alcohol, give it a try.

[en.wikipedia.org]

Roger: Thanks for an excellent tip! No worries about soot deposits, starting fires, storing noxious chemicals, and much easier to see when bubbles are gone so you don't overheat.

I'm with Tom. Don't overthink it. Buy a lighter.

I apologize. I missed Roger's Wikipedia link above and posted it myself. Careful with lighters, they can produce a bit of soot at times. I do as Ray does above.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2019 02:49PM by Lynn Behler.

Brian,
As posted above, please don't use a liquid burning lighter. The fuel burns with a yellow flame that will potentially soot up the blank.

But, if you want to use a butane lighter with a clear smoke free flame - by all means do so.

Buy the way, when one looks at tours of factory manufacturing plants for fishing rods, it is almost universal that flame is used in between coats of finish to thin, level and insure a bubble free finish on their millions of rods built every years.

I will also say that except for one or two rods built a long time ago, I have used gentle heat from a flame or a heat gun for every rod that I have built since then.

Easy to do, the results are excellent.

The key word is GENTLE heat. If you put so much heat on the finish that it boils, say goodby to that finish. Start over.

So, in a word, DON't over heat the finish if you do use heat.

Normally when building rods, I am in production mode, so time is money. As a result, I use standard flex coat and normally in a 1+ application of finish. i.e. I apply one coat and if, as the finish is curing, I see a thin spot somewhere, I will add a touch more finish to that guide and then use gentle heat to blend it into the curing coat. One coat of finish means one drying cycle. So, a rod built one morning, can be shipped the following afternoon.

For production types of rod building, normally there is no need to spend a lot of time on an individual rods with simple wraps and inscriptions.

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If you were to look at time spent in rod building factories for their run of the mill rods, with pre shaped grips and reel seats with pre made arbors - the assembly, wrap and coating time of a complete rod is likely under two hours and likely less.
But, remember, no grip turning, no grip boring, no mandrel prep for a reel seat, no wraps more than a trim band or two and normally premade decals and or a paint machine to automatically apply the painted on label. So, hundreds of thousands of dollars spent in tooling and pre buying of components, but having said that - the rod assembly time and finish is minimal.

Take care

Hey Roger
I get your concerns about using a regular lighter. But..... If you use it (by "it", I mean a Bic) in a certain way, there are no issues at all. Simply tilt the lighter 90 degree so that the yellow flame doesn't come into play. No soot. No problems. I don't build rods as a hobby - it's my livelihood. I've been using Bic lighters to pop bubbles and deal with little imperfections in the finish for about 35 years now. LOL, I feel old......
Love this site!
Brian

Brian,
Read and understood.

But, the flip side of the coin is that if you use an alcohol burner, there is 0 flame visible to ever soot up anything.

Just use a method that works for you to do the job that you wish for it to do with no negative side effects.

Take care