Thanks Mike, I have seen those and actually contemplated getting one. I deal with the small amount bubbles, was just looking if there is something I have been missing.

Stay safe,
Mike

you can make a perfectly bubble free mix but if it is applied to a wrap that is not sealed you are only trapping air with the epoxy you apply and it will come back to haunt you..lol.

Well I mix it all wrong and I do get bubbles in the mix, I don't care. I use the dreaded popsicle stick and stir thoroughly in the bottom of a beverage can. Still don't care. I blow thru a soda straw into the mix which releases almost every bubble. After coating I pass over coated areas lightly with a heat gun. 0 bubbles remain. Search function is your friend. Welcome to the forum, hope you can feel it. @#$%&, I might even be using the wrong finish!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/2020 07:18PM by Lynn Behler.

Sounds great Lynn, your what I am looking for, another idiot like me that can’t mix Epoxy without bubbles but never fear we can manage the bubbles ????.

Thanks for taking the time to respond, don’t abandon you PPE and stay safe,

Mike

OK. Back to the original question. U-40 dries rock hard, crystal clear. Not a long pot life and does not like heat. All the Flex coat products are easy to use, fairly hard when dry, have a decent pot life, takes a bit of heat and a great choice for first timers or production users. Pac Bays Rod Smith is close to U-40, maybe a bit more forgiving and stands a bit of heat. Don't know if I can mention Bullard's D2, but it's a very nice finish as well. That's one builders opinion. If it was dark and if those 4 were in my cabinet, I'd use whichever one came out first. A disclaimer...I use a mixer, a spatula, throw away brushes and I'm not troubled by bubbles. I'm lucky, I get all my supplies from a shop just down the street so I use what they carry. Your milage may differ.

Thanks Grant, exactly what I was looking for. I have built quite a number of rods but still far from being accomplished; as mentioned in earlier posts I was checking to see if maybe there was something I may have missed; I use FlexCoat light , in view of all of the responses to my post I think I will stick with it.

Thanks again Grant and stay safe,
Mike

Another thing I have found very helpful in eliminating bubbles is I leave a small amount of epoxy in the plastic cup from the previous build. Most cups have a ridge in the bottom and when your stir
stick hits that ridge it can create a bubble every time the stir hits it. With the epoxy in the bottom it is perfectly smooth and eliminates the bubbles. I'll do this several times per cup. And as Tom has said I tilt the cup to the side when stiring and fold the epoxy not stir it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/2020 10:15AM by Tom Wewerka.

Thanks Tom, I quit using the plastic cups for this reason, great idea, I will try your solution. I still have a ton so it sounds like I can go back to using them.

Thanks again and don't give up on your PPE yet ,stay safe,

Mike