Just been have real problems with getting Roddancer rod varnish to go off. (6 hours before touch dry).
Thinking about using a heat lamp to help things along, has anyone else tried using lamps?
Cheers,
Phil.

I use a couple of 100 watt lamps during the cold wither months about 10 inches above the rod.

Phillip
I do almost the same thing as Randolph. I have 2 magnifier swing arm lights (60w bulbs) that I position about 6" over each wrap for 3-5 minutes at a time while rotating the rod slowly. Then I move each light to the next wrap etc., and back around to the first set and repeat several times. This helps to gently warm the finish which smooths it out and helps get rid of any bubbles popping up. This will also help to speed up the curing process a little.
Rog

Phillip.
The only warning that you need with heat lamps and heat in general, is NOT to overdo it.

If you use heat lamps that are too close or used for too long, you can actually fry the finish rather than curing it.

Better to use lower wattage bulbs further away, until you are 100% certain of the best plan.

Certainly, a well designed rod drying cabinet is a great aid to help this issue. You can have even gentle heat to take care of your issues. Never hurts to keep a thermometer inside the cabinet to monitor the temperature as well.

Philip,

I have 4 @ 100 watt light bulbs in my drying cabinet which are wired to a dimmer switch for adjusting the heat in the cabinet. They work great.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Depending on how many rods you build you might consider using UV sensitive epoxy. It's clear, strong, hard, never yellows and sets hard in less than a minute by simply pointing a $10 UV flashlight at it - no matter how hot or cold the environment. The light-sensitive epoxy is pricey but there's no mixing, no bubbles, and no time for dust or dirt to get on the finish - and no building heating boxes and no risk of unattended fires. And you can take your rod fishing as soon as you finish it.

Phil,

Do you have some brand names you can recommend for the UV sensitive epoxy?

Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/2014 12:17PM by Phil Ewanicki.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/2014 12:19PM by Phil Ewanicki.

Steve: I have used Solarez and a few others. I'm not sure how much the chemical composition varies among brands. UV sensitive epoxy comes in different viscosities: thin, medium, and thick. The best viscosity to use depends upon the RPM rate of your dryer, the ambient temperature to some extent, and the brightness of your UV flashlight, which will decrease abruptly when your batteries tire. A test run applying and illuminating an epoxy-coated wrapping on a scrap piece of broken blank might save a lot of grief, and it will only take a minute.