I have used Hitena for my last 4 rod builds and I like everything about it except the pot life, way shorter than the flexcoat I was using before. By the time I get to the last few guides, it is stiffening up enough that it does not flow off the brush. I am in a climate controlled room set at 70 degrees so I dont think temp is the problem, I pour the finish in an aluminum tray after mixing. Will the gen 4 have a longer pot life. Thank you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/2020 11:02AM by Keith Langford.

It should only take about 3 or 4 minutes to finish coat the average freshwater rod. So you have several options - work faster. Apply the finish and let it do what it does. 30 seconds per guide, tops. Or, use a finish cooler as outlined in one of the past magazine issues. This allows you to dial in the amount of pot life you require. Or, move to a finish with a longer pot life. I can't comment on the Generation 4 but I'm sure someone else will chime in regarding it.

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

I'm extremely slow Tom, between being very meticulous and arthritis , I need more time. The flex coat was giving me plenty of time, as a matter of fact it got easier to work after a few minutes in the pot, Hitena not so much but the end product is fantastic and no bubbles whatsoever.

Beyond your original question, here is a video that might help with your general finishing speed.

[www.youtube.com]

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Keith,
Like others, I have used a lot of finishes.
I also work very slow to keep veofy low profiles on my wraps.
For many years now I have used the following procedure that worked without negative consequences with all finishes - EXCEPT Hitena. Hitena turned cloudy in spots.

The procedure:
Prepare 5-6 "trays" cut from heavy duty aluminum foil- or triple folded light foil. The trays should be about 3" X 3".
After mixing the finish - pour out nickel size portions onto each "tray" and put all but the one you will start with in your freezer.
Now you can apply at your leisure. Take lunch or toilet breaks, etc.
Herb

Keith

I have to ask, if Flex Coat is working for you, then why go elsewhere?

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

Hello Tom.

The article is in issue-19, vol-5, page-12 "Finish Cooler" by Chuck Brewer.


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

John, I was getting bubbles with the flexcoat, I use a crb mixer, measure with syringes, pour into aluminum, and tried heating with bubble blaster after applying but cant seem to get rid of the bubbles. I am sure it is my faut as I am a rookie with only 8 rods under my belt, but that being said I did not have the issue with the Hitena, only short pot life. Any suggestions I will be glad to follow as I have two brand new 16 Oz bottles of Flex Coat unopened in the shop.

Tom, that is the video that I watched that changed my finish skills from oh crap to wonderful results. I was trying to apply finish with the rod turning before watching you in that video, after applying your technique my finish came out great, I am just not fast, plus on every rod I am coating a large area for decals, one between the split grips and one right in front of the reel seat, both are around 3 inches long each. But your video made it very easy to obtain a great looking final product, before I was trying to brush the finish instead of applying.

Tom is that issue available to order, thanks'

Are you warming the finish prior to mixing? You can warm it to about 90 degrees or warm to the touch. This will help with mixing and keeping bubbles out. Also, we don't like auto mixers. You get better results with hand mixing with a round non-porous stirrer like our stir sticks or the back of a brush, just wipe it off. Mix until it is crystal clear and then pour out on aluminum foil. You can flash it with a heat gun or torch to instantly pop bubbles if you have any at this point.

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

John, Yes , i use the bottle warmer to warm all the finish before mixing, I will try the hand mixing. I already have the stir sticks.

Keith, i know i,m a nag about this but if your wraps are not sealed you will probably be spending too much time trying to get your wraps saturated with epoxy and for penetration of the wrap..if the wraps are sealed with CP epoxy goes on quicker and levels quicker..bubbles quickly come to the surface and pop..

Tom I just ordered the back issue with the cooler, order number 2812. Ben, do you have a preference on the color preserver. I will start using it.

Keith Langford

I warm my bottIes in my shirt pocket, I wouldn't use a mixer if someone gave it to me. Simply blowing onto the mix through a soda straw gets rid of almost all bubbles. Flashing the coated wraps with a heat gun gets rid of the rest. Nobody's slower than I am, and I have no problem mixing 2 batches if need be. I might also add that I very frequently mix less than a 1cc total mix if that's all I need at the time. No issues.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/2020 06:57PM by Lynn Behler.

Keith, you can,t go wrong with Flex Coat CP and sealer, but just recently i got some Seymo CP from Mudhole..i,m still testing it but looks good so far..i soaked a test wrap in a jar of water for 24 hours and it didn,t get cloudy or change in hardness..flex coat gets milky in three hours, which is really no problem because i don,t spear fish..lol..i still want to see how epoxy responds to it and how well it holds guides..a few months ago i got a sample of a new one part rod and wrap finish from U-40 to test..i love it because it fits my MO..it,s called Aqua Gloss..i do a lot of tinkering, especially with guides..i,ve been using the Aqua Gloss to finish the wraps but when i cut the wraps off clean up is only minutes with isoprople alcohol..you get a perfectly clean rod..it also has great CP qualities and is not bothered by water, just alcohol..i hope it,s comes to market..i,m amost done with the sample..lol..i think fly rod and ultra light builders will like AG..only 3 or 4 coats in as many hours and you get solid wraps in a day of drying..it,s looks good as a rod blank coating also..finger nail proof hardness and no odor or dangerous fumes..sorry for the long gab..yes, you can,t go wrong with Flex Coat CP.

Ben Aqua Gloss sounds amazing! I’ve enjoyed the moisture cure urethanes when I’ve used them, but once I had kids I decided that those solvents just wouldn’t be wise for use in the house. Anything that I can work with that only involves alcohol for cleanup is preferable. I hope it comes to market as well. I would love to give it a try.

Heck, half the time I’m too lazy to use thread finish on my personal rods. Most of them have the guides only sealed with CP in case I decide to try something née with the guide train. It sounds like AG would fit my style perfectly.

Hi Joe..if AG doesn,t come to market, i,m thinking that the Seymo CP may be a good substitute because it is a water soluble polymer just like AG, except AG seems to be glossier..i don,t know if it would be as good a blank only finish..more testing is needed..i,m not sure of it,s hardness also..but AG sure looks good to me..

Keep in mind when recommending the use of CP, it greatly changes the appearance of nylon thread! Many of us do not want the look that CP creates o our wraps.

Keith, here is my two cents for what it is worth.

The faster the rod turns the better your edge (past the wraps) will be. Also, typically the better the overall end result will be.

IMHO you don't want the bristles of the brush to contact the wrap. You want the brush to hold an amount of finish greater than what is needed. Load the brush, bring it to the wrap so that only the finish contacts the wrap (without the bristles actually making contact). Now rotate the rod as fast as you can (or do that with the rod already rotating fast). Turn the brush over, move forward, and repeat if necessary.

Start at the tip of your rod. It seems backwards but try it (I'm trying not to say trust me here). The thinner the blank the thinner you need your epoxy to be.

I find it is better to err on the side of (a little) too much epoxy. I rotate, let it sink to the bottom, rotate, let it sink again, and repeat. Now I feel I have complete penetration and tunnels filled. Then I'll wick off the excess with my brush. But do this only after your have finished as many wraps as you can with a given batch of epoxy.

I would do the wraps in one shot, then do the decals/butt wraps as a separate operation.

I'm doing saltwater rods, sometimes with double foot guides and under wraps. If I can do a 7 to 8 foot rod in a 90 degree room I think you can one in a 70 degree room. That said, if the finish gets too tacky just mix another batch using a new cup and foil.

Personally I like a finish that sets up quick. It cuts down on the time I have to be concerned about dust ruining my wraps.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.