Hey everyone,
it's been a long time since i've finished a rod and last night i put a coat of gen 4 lite on.
left it on the rotiserie overnight and still looks like crap. i think i was being too careful and didn't put enough on.
I mixed 3cc of each and still had some left over after 8 guides and a butt wrap. Atleast it dried.
Question is should I have had any left and if I use all of it on a 2nd coat will that hide the blotchy look it has now?
Maybe a dumb question for all you that do his everyday but it's been a very long time since I've built a rod.

Oh, and can it be fished 36 hrs after 2nd or 3rd coat?

Thanks in advance for any and all comments

"Looks like crap" isn't very descriptive! Be a little more precise in what that problem is. Without know how large the coverage is, it is hard to tell if you should have some left or not.

Gen 4 is a fine finish as many builders will attest, so it's the process that needs some help. Start here: [www.rodbuilding.org]

I suspect you didn't get enough on. As the rod rotates on the dryer look for reflections off the surface and you will find any problems. You can put on a little excess to ensure coverage and wick the excess off to avoid footballs or droops or wavy finish I use two thin coats of lite. But often with micros I don't even do a second coat.

Mike,
I agree with Phil in that “looks like crap” does not precisely describe your dissatisfaction with the appearance of the thread finish. From the rest of your description, it certainly sounds like you applied the finish too sparingly; not necessarily a bad thing other than risking not totally filling the tunnels on either side of the guide foot. A total of 6cc is a rather, relatively small amount, especially considering there was a butt wrap involved as well as the 8 guides, even more so if they are double foot.
On an UL freshwater spinning rod with 8 guides where I am concerned with any additional weight (especially out towards the tip) and thus keep the thread finish to a minimum, I will typically mix a total of 16 - 20cc; there will usually be (guessing) 4 - 6cc left over in the cup after application. To make the epoxy on all the wraps look consistent, I initially apply more than needed (which also ensures filling the tunnels) and wick-off the excess with a wiped-off brush.
36 hours after the last coat was applied, most thread epoxies will be cured-to-the-touch and ~ 90 - 95% fully cured. Although full cure (at 70*F) may require as many as 10 days, 36 hours should be sufficient to fish the rod (unless CTS Crystal Coat was used). Yes, 48 hours would be better but heck, overnight would probably be OK.

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

Put another coat on a little thicker but not too much, see if it "looks like crap" after that.

Mark- Wow, mixing 16-20 cc of rod finish for an UL rod!!! That enough finish to do almost a dozen normal freshwater rods without butt wraps. I normally mix about 1 to 1.5 ml ea of resin and hardener for a total of 2 to 3 ml of mixed finish and this is more than enough to completely finish any rod I build and still have some left over. Larger diameter salt water rods with butt wraps may require more finish but I don’t normally don’t build these type of rods.
Mike - I do agree with the others that your problem may be due applying a very thin coat of finish to your wrap. So, after the finish soaks into the threads the wraps don’t appear completely coated. A second coat of finish should easily solve this problem. On the other hand, if you use too much epoxy, the finish can look wavy and uneven or the guide wraps can be bulged in the center giving a football like appearance. This problem is more difficult to solve and may require some sanding to remove the high spots.
Norm

Thanks for the input, I put a 2nd coat using more product and what a difference.
The finish layed out flat and even and looks great. Just didn’t put enough on the first time.
Now I know for next time

I'm more like Norman, use a fraction of 16-20 and still have most of it left unused.

Glad it worked out. I’ve been using Gen4 since being kindly provided some pre-retail. The first rods aren’t too many years old, but they are as clear as when built.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2023 10:04PM by Kendall Cikanek.

I stand corrected. After reading Norman and Michael’s reply to my “16 - 20cc” batch of epoxy, I realized that is the size of the batch I mixed for a double foot saltwater rod I just completed.
The important thing is that Mike solved his issue by simply applying more finish.

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

Considering you only mixed 3 cc and still quite a bit left over leads me to believe you didn’t put enough on. As others stated, I would try another coat and see how it looks.

FTR, I *normally* mix 5 cc (of each part). This ensures I have enough to accomplish the job, and helps to ensure a more accurate mix.

I rarely am done with 2 coats of epoxy - almost always 3 - sometimes 4. I apply them thin - first coat is really a penetration coat and I expect to see most of not all the thread texture showing as it soaks in. The second coat will generally give a nice result but typically needs a final light coat to address areas around the feet. I use Gen4 regular build pretty much exclusively. I place them in my dryer at around 77-78 degrees and recoat after 4 hours

Geez, I use flex coat high build only using 2ml of each part… usually have more than needed for my rods. I always do a second coat.