I finish my rod with pro kote epoxy which I’m pretty sure is the low build, it’s been several days in a climate controlled shop, I’m pretty sure I was dead on with the 1:1 mixture of part a and part b. I’ve heard low build can take a while but is almost a week normal? Or did i do something wrong

If the temp in your shop is about 72F, then it should cure reasonably firm in no less than 3 days. How did you measure your epoxy parts? 3ccs of each part? Syringes?

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ProKote has one of the slowest cure rates of all the popular epoxy finishes. One of the reasons I don’t use it. It will eventually cure. To speed it up increase the room temperature.
Norm

I used ProKote on my first rod a week or so ago. It was cured to the tacky state in about 10 hours or so and stayed tacky for around 24 hours, then it was dry to the touch. Just for comparison, I mixed 6 ccs (3 each). I read and watched videos on the topic ad nauseum before I started and the one common theme from all sources was "be very accurate with the measurements and mix thoroughly".

p.s. We keep our house at 72. Also, one of the guys at Mud Hole gave me a tip that might help you in the future. He said to let it sit for five minutes after you mix it before you start applying it to the wraps. IIRC, that was to get rid of any remaining bubbles.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2023 06:21PM by Daryl Ferguson.

Brandon,
Something isn’t right; temp or ratio. I used to use ProKote, both low and high build, and neither required more than 24 hours to set, usually overnight, at anything over 65*F.
But all may not be lost. As Norman suggested, elevate the room temperature or better yet, give it a post-cure of 150*F for 6 hours. A post-cure can easily be performed with a low wattage (~25W) lightbulb in a cardboard box. Do I need to suggest insulating the bulb from the cardboard? I strongly suggest that you insert a cheapie meat thermometer in the box to ensure getting enough heat but not overcooking it.

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

It was 3 ccs of each part I mixed thoroughly for about 5 mins then applied. Idk what I did wrong but it’s still tacky after week. Guide wraps are all cured up just the portion over the rod decal is the part that’s giving me a problem. Thinking about sanding with scotchbrite and re applying

I'm with Mark. ProKote is relatively slow to cure but it does not take days.

If it is metaphysical certainties the mix was equal parts and the temperature was 72 or above, then the combining of the resin and hardener is the remaining variable. How did you mix the 2 parts and for how long? Are all the wraps tacky or have some cured and some not so cured?

Hey norm which epoxy do you use

Donald all wraps on guides are perfect, the part in question is the portion over the decal

I’m not an expert so by no means am I saying I didn’t make a mistake somewhere along the line which I had to of from what I’m hearing

Brandon,
You have just included another variable not disclosed earlier; thread wraps = OK but decal area not. I suspect you applied one batch of (PK) epoxy to the wraps and a different batch to the decal area. Apparently, the wraps cured but not the area over the decal even though given the same amount of time in the same environment to cure. By process of elimination, ambient temp is not the culprit; either mix ratio or not thoroughly mixed is the culprit.
The LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO is attempting to sand or Scotch Brite the uncured epoxy; you WILL create an irreversible MESS!!! Since the uncured area is confined to just over the decal and not the entire rod, your best bet is to give that small area a post-cure as I described earlier. If there was any hardener in the mix, it will go-off eventually, even if not optimally. While such may not be considered appropriate for structural composite laminates, this is simply a cosmetic situation. Post-cure the affected area until the epoxy is at least somewhat set and then apply a PROPER coat over that. Oh, and learn from the experience.
If, for whatever reason, the epoxy over the decal refuses to go-off, then strip it off with acetone (alcohols such as DNA and isopropyl are not suitable / compatible solvents for epoxy) but you will most likely have to redo the wraps and replace the decal. It should be a no-brainer which method to attempt first.
GOOD LUCK and keep us posted of the outcome.

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

Brandon,
A number of years ago, Norman suggested that I try Threadmaster, which I did and still use it although I prefer the lite version rather than the high build like Norman. I also use Flex Coat lite and for special applications CTS Crystal Coat. The point is this; all the various thread epoxies are basically variations on the same theme and they all work remarkably well. The slight variations between them are for the rod builder to experience and experiment with to discover which suits their own personal preferences. One is not necessarily better than another, but only is more comfortable to suit those preferences.

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

I use both ThreadMaster and Gen4, I like both of them very much. ThreadMaster cures faster, and has a shorter pot life. In my opinion, they are both more tolerant of mixing errors, yellow less, and are less likely to crystallize than other epoxies I’ve used.
Norm

Lots of ?'s around here involving Pro-Cote.

The ProKote that came in the kit I bought were in pre-loaded 24 cc syringes. I don't care for those because that in and of itself can make mixing tricky. However, one tip I can give regarding the syringes is to draw the material up into the syringe a hair and then plunge what you need onto foil or cup, whatever. If you try to plunge the materials out without doing the slight draw, the material is going to be reluctant to flow and when it finally does, it's going to come out in a manner that's hard to control. The second option, and the one I chose to do, is to plunge both syringes empty into separate cups, then draw the 3 ccs back into the syringe(s), then plunge both into a 3rd cup and mix. Then, while I was giving the finish 5 minutes to sit after mixing, I drew the remainder of each part back into their respective syringes for storage.

What are people’s thoughts on permagloss I’ve heard good things about it

Brandon,
PG is certainly another option, but acts / reacts quite differently than epoxy; another avenue for you to explore at another time, but let’s try to resolve your present issue. PG over your prevailing issue will only compound your nightmare further.

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

There is a good possibility that most everyone is missing the problem here. The assumption is that because the proper proportions are used in the proper quantities that the mix will be homogenous. Not necessarily so. There is always a good possibility that the mixture at the edges will not be mixed as thoroughly as the mix at the center of the puddle. This possibility could explain the fact that the guides cured properly while the decal area did not. Guides got the center, decal got the edges. Mark T mentioned this possibility.

I always take my epoxy from the center of the puddle in case I didn't scrape and mix thorougly enough.

I have never had a problem with Pro Kote and seriously doubt if there is anything wrong with it other than that it has a very long cure time.

Thanks guys think we are just gonna call this growing pains and a learning experience!

I think I know what I did, someone said that acetone will strip the epoxy if I need to restart…. I have 2 cans one has acetone one has dna in it. I think I may have accidentally used the acetone to wipe down the blank before application… I feel extremely stupid hahaha