Can you thin Pro Kote with DA?

If you thin it with anything, you'd want to use Acetone. Being more volatile, it will evaporate out of the mix sooner and decrease the chance that the epoxy will set with any of the solvent still within the mix.

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Heat will also thin the finish, enhancing leveling and bubble release, without altering the chemistry.

I have had good luck wit a Medium temperature lacquer thinner Just don't go over and thin too much Mix well

Bill - willierods.com

Harry Bell Wrote:
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> Can you thin Pro Kote with DA?

I would not use DNA. If you want to thin ProKote, use just 2-3 drops of Acetone, maybe 4 drops at the most. A very small amount goes a long way!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2015 10:10AM by Donald R Campbell.

The best thing with any epoxy finish is to never thin the finish with a solvent. As John says, it changes the chemistry of the material and potentially the quality of the finish.

In any event do NOT use DNA. DNA is not a good solvent or diluent for epoxy.

If you do use a solvent, use one that is specific for epoxy which is Xylene.

[en.wikipedia.org]


Xylene, as well as Acetone is very toxic and should only be used outside or in a place with good ventilation and a fan, to blow the fumes away from the work in progress and up the vent stack or out the window.

Use any of these Toxic Solvents very carefully, with appropriate precautions.

Be safe

Harry,

The simple answer is yes you can thin it with DNA. A little goes a long way, and affects the physical properties of the cured finish.

Before you consider thinning the epoxy, it's best to consider why you are thinning the epoxy. The only time I will thin a finish is if I want a white silk thread to go clear. Thinning the finish results in a better looking end result in this case. I owe John some pics, but my spool of white silk is still MIA.

Otherwise, I generally use heat to thin my epoxy, either by warming the 2 parts before mixing or heating the finish after it is applied to the rod. Heating before mixing helps in the winter when the area I build in drops into the 60s F. I'll warm the finish a bit and turn on the space heater when it's time to finish a rod. Heating after it's on the rod helps release bubbles and can help the epoxy to flow a bit better.

If you find that a finish is not thin enough for your taste, try a lite build of it or another brand. If that doesn't do it, then you might ask yourself if going to a few coats of a moisture cure urethane will give you the build you want. If that doesn't do it, then I would think harder about thinning your finish.

Thinning finish is one of those things that works, but not necessarily something I want to do if I can avoid it.

Good article on thinning epoxy:

[www.westsystem.com]

Not all finishes thin well I now use Flexcoat UV and it works well Did ThreadMaster and can not remember why but did not like it Early stages of use I should try Threadmaster again ??

Bill - willierods.com

The article ([www.westsystem.com]) I think should be added to the library section. Thinning epoxy as a topic comes up often and this article lays out the pros & cons very well. It also points out some of the pit falls in thinning. The summary paragraph sums it up very well:
"Does thinning epoxy make sense? In some situations, thinning is appropriate. In others, it is not. We feel that in most circumstances using heat to thin epoxy is preferred to using solvents. As long as the epoxy does not overheat during cure, the full physical characteristics of the cured epoxy remain. Adding solvent is a quick, simple method of thinning epoxy, but the strength and moisture resistance of the cured epoxy are significantly reduced."

Overall correct application, which has been addressed in RodMaker magazine, by Ralph O'Quinn a few times is best.

double post



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2015 02:36PM by Ken Preston.

I thinned my FlexCoat on my first few builds. On my more recent builds I haven't. I can find no advantage to thinning other than a little longer working time. But that also means longer time before recoat.

I thin mine Have never had a ny problems
If you don't want to thin then PAY THE COST OF A LIGHT FINISH Flows out better - releases bubbles better

Bill - willierods.com