Lately with the past few builds I've been getting fisheyes, waves and other distortions on my finish work. I have a question for the chemists among you. When I first started crafting fly rods, I used Acetone as a solvent for cleanup with finish epoxy. I believe most of my finish work was satisfactory to good, but I found the vapors from acetone irritating. So I started using Sunnyside Brand labeled denatured alcohol solvent ("DNA"), and used it satisfactorily for many years. Then, California banned the use of DNA. So thinking I was clever, I went on Amazon and found some in an acceptable, small quantity: but very expensive. The finish irregularities seem to have started since I've been using the new DNA. The brand is from Avon, NY. It's labeled Ethyl Alcohol, denatured lab grade. Contents: Ethyl Alcohol 64-17-5, water, 7732-18-5 Isopropyl Alcohol 67-63-0. I have no idea what the numbers mean, if anything.

I use Threadmaster LIght, two coats.

I guess I could go back to acetone, and this could be the dumbest question ever asked this board, but can my finish epoxy problem be related to the new DNA?

Thanks, Jack

Are you wiping the wraps with a solvent prior to finishing? If so, then you can bet your bottom dollar that is the problem.

There is zero reason to wipe thread wraps with a solvent prior to finishing.

And when cleaning brushes, just clean with alcohol or acetone, and then a quick soap and water washing with a cold water rinse. Or... just use U40 brush cleaner and skip all the steps. If you're just using the solvent for brush cleaning, always follow with a soap and water flushing and a cold water rinse.

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Jack,
First off, DNA (let alone whatever the Ethyl / isopropyl blend is you referred to) is not really compatible with epoxy as is acetone. You will not find any alcohol in a composite shop, but you will find plenty of acetone. That being said, there are many rod builders who use DNA, but it is a poor substitute for acetone in this case. Additionally, acetone is still readily available in California where DNA is not; what’s that tell you? Fingernail polish remover is basically very expensive, perfumed acetone.
I am not certain what you mean by “I used Acetone as a solvent for cleanup with finish epoxy”. If you use it as stated for clean-up only, then all is fine and good. But, ultimately, as Tom stated, “Are you wiping the wraps with a solvent prior to finishing? If so, then you can bet your bottom dollar that is the problem.There is zero reason to wipe thread wraps with a solvent prior to finishing.” I basically agree. In the case where contaminants need to be removed, most people simply smear the contamination around the area rather than actually removing it by using the same area of the cloth. Silicones are inherently difficult to remove by the way! To actually remove the contamination, one needs to continually draw a strip of cloth wetted with acetone in the opposite direction of the rotating blank; this provides a continuously fresh, clean portion of the strip as it is drawn across the rotating blank. While there are those who claim the surface needs to be sanded after being wiped with a solvent, I have never experienced a problem by skipping the sanding, neither with building rods nor in the composite industry, as long as acetone was the solvent. Additionally, I have never employed, needed, nor even heard of, washing a brush or whatever with soap and water after cleaning with acetone; who knows what contaminants might be lurking in the soap.

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

"...who knows what contaminants might be lurking in the soap."

And thus the reason for the cold water rinse.

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

Jack,
I simply have one suggestion:

Don't use any chemicals at all to clean up.
i.e. use a method for finishing your rods that will not require any clean up of any kind.

1. If you have started with a clean blank and have wrapped a rod - there should never be a solvent applied to the rod at any time after that.

2. Do not use any solvent or chemical at all of any kind when it comes to either mixing or stirring, or applying a finish epoxy to a rod blank.

3. Use disposable brushes so there are no brushes to clean up. If you need to clean dust off a wrap or off a blank, simply use blue low tack masking tape to tack off the blank and or the thread wraps before applying finish.

4. After mixing up finish in a disposable cup - use a mixing tool that may be a craft stick or a metal stir stick - simply use a clean paper towel that may be disposed of when finished to clean the mixing tool.

5. Never ever ever ever put any DNA, or Acetone, or Toluene, or Xylene on a rod blank, or thread wrap after any sort of initial cleaning has been done on the bare rod blank when first starting a build.

No chemicals of any sort on the initial rod blank, the rod being built, or the completed rod and you will not have any chemical induced issues ever.

To apply finish I use either the Flex Coat disposable finish application brushes, or similar brushes that may be obtained from big box stores in the children's craft painting area.

U-40 brush cleaner.

Yes ! U40 brush cleaner.

Throw away brushes. Why bother with the hassle of cleaning brushes?