On my last couple of builds there appear to be small pin pricks along the length of the epoxy.
Granted my epoxy is a little old at this point but I have never seen this before.
They are very tiny but evident when the rod turns under the light.
They lessen with each coat.
I'm using Flex Coat High Build in my garage in Florida. :-)
Any ideas what might be causing this? Thank you.

Could they be the result of popping bubbles? Have you tried mildly heating uu epoxy after the application, to cause bubbles to release faster?

To hide the problem, add a little coloring powder to Gen 4 epoxy, stir it well, and use as a final coat. This will fill in, and hide the previous imperfections.

Tight Lies and frisky fish

RJF

do you still park your car in the garage..may be car exaust soot.

John

Give me a call and we can talk about the issue.

512-858-7742

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

Just got off the phone with John a bit ago and wanted to share what I talked with him about. Basically we believe that these are micro bubbles left over from the mixing. I went over our best practices from our instructions and videos and we believe this will fix the issue. Most notably warming the finish prior to mixing, using a round nonporous stirrer, mixing until crystal clear and pouring the mixture out on aluminum foil to pop bubbles and extend pot life. It is always great to keep in mind that custom rod building is a process of a hand made product that is often a one off. With that said, it is not from God's hands to us, the minor anomalies that are inevitably present in all custom handmade products are just one more factor that make it special and unique. Don't beat yourself up too much on perfection, just keep working and trying. Just my opinion on the subject.

Here are the videos I sent to him for review:

[www.youtube.com]

[www.youtube.com]

[www.youtube.com]

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

"The minor anomalies that are inevitably present in all custom handmade products are just one more factor that make it special and unique. Don't beat yourself up too much on perfection"


Great point and so true . I used to drive myself batty worrying about such ridiculously minor stuff and when pointing it out to others they said "What are you talking about I don't see anything" .

Another lesson I have learned the hard way more than once is to just leave things along. More often than not if I try to fix something little and nearly unnoticeable it turns into something big and ugly that a blind man could see. Hardest thing to learn in any craft is sometimes you have to accept good enough.

Unfortunately, in many of my jobs in the work place if work wasn't perfect, lives could be lost. Solder joints had to be perfect, ,Measures to prevent electrostatic discharge had to be strictly observed. I worked in Aviation Electronics repair for U.S. Navy, and with General Dynamics, and on the U.S. Navy's Deep Submersible Rescue Vehicle when I worked for Lockheed. Failures caused by a cold solder joint could cause radio, navigation, weapon system, or other failures. They could even cause a plane to fall out of the sky. I was also a quality assurance inspector, responsible to evaluate other people's work. With that background, I was trained for years to expect, and strive for perfection. This has become a part of me, and makes me frustrated when a guide wrap isn't perfect, or the epoxy coating isn't as smooth, and blemish free as possible. This also makes me a natural researcher, always looking for a better way to make something work. It is this trait that is currently making life difficult on my current build, where I put the stripping guide in the wrong position. The guide wraps were beautiful, and the epoxy coating completely saturated the wraps, and filled all of the voids perfectly. Now, I'm trying to remove the guide to position it correctly. In spited of the videos that show multiple ways of removing the fully cured epoxy, and how easy it can be, this epoxy removal is a royal pain. Well, it shows that When I do reposition the guide, and wrap, and coat the wraps, it will be strong enough to fight any fish the blank can handle.. For some of us, striving for perfection is just part of our DNA, Always strive to do your best work, and try to plan everything correctly so as not have to redo, or correct errors.

Tight Lies and frisky fish

RJF

Robert,
Interesting history. Years ago, when first starting work I worked with a computer company. At that time, we had a unique memory that required such similar perfection. I traveled the world teaching local technicians how to solder wires the size of a hair, that were separated by about two hair widths. A microscope and a steady hand were required.

In more recent times, when I began to build rods, it was second nature for me to work with bright lights and magnification to create the exact wrap that I wished to use. As a result, perfection was also part of the work that I did - for a similar reason as you stated.

Best wishes

Michael S, what you refer to is what I call "The Dry Wall Principal." In every process there comes a point beyond which anything you do will only make it worse. It is challenging to recognize that point.

John, I too have had this problem. I use one coat Flex Coat High Build. The problem is greater with larger thread.
The bubbles are very very small, and most people never notice them. But I do!! I've found that the bubbles are from air trapped in the surface grooves of the thread. Not air trapped in or under the thread but on the surface in between threads.
Don't know if I can explain it correctly but that's what I've observed. I apply my epoxy ( no bubbles before I start!) with a very trimmed, sparse fibered brush. I do not even touch the wraps with the brush but let if flow on or more precisely let the thread pull the epoxy onto itself.
I find that applying heat just makes the bubbles larger and only creates more problems.
I've found that 3 things help. 1. if I have the time I apply a first coat of permagloss or lumaseal and let it dry thoroughly, or a coat of lite formula. 2, I almost always use Hitena AA thread. 3, warm the epoxy a little before application.
It took me a long time to figure this out! Using a spatula for application did not solve the problem and helped me find the cause.
Most of the time the bubbles do not reach the surface with the high build but sometimes they do!

TJB

Thomas, many rod builders use CP to seal the threads from leaking air into the finish coat. no odor like PG, no weight like epoxy and not too costly.

John M,
Bubble release, or failure to release, has troubled rod builders for decades. As a result, numerous workarounds have been developed/used by rod builders. Here are my simple observations, having worked with half a dozen thread epoxies over the years:

- Regular build epoxies naturally release bubbles less well than “Lite” versions of epoxy.
- Thicker applications of epoxy naturally release bubbles less well than thinner applications of epoxy.
- Some epoxy brands naturally release bubbles better than others.

Good luck going forward John - do not relax your personal standards. You don’t need to.

"The greatest barrier to discovery is not ignorance, it's the illusion of knowledge" - Daniel J. Boorstin

I get no bubbles with Gen 4 epoxy. And it's tough as nails, and crystal clear.

Tight Lies and frisky fish

RJF

I’m a big fan of Gen 4 myself and Andy Dear has been helpful to me. However, John at Flex Coat certainly just earned John Menken’s loyalty in much the same way.

I used to get those and I started using a drying tent and that cut down on it a lot. I think it was tiny dust particles that would settle on the finish. But I agree with your previous statement John, and I also try not to beat myself up over small imperfections.