I finished my third rod last Wed. and let it dry for 2 days. The finish seemed to be dry but soft. I was out of town over the 4th weekend and checked the rod Sunday. The finish is dry but soft, it leaves no finger prints when I touch it but seems soft to me. I posted earlier about thinking I had a problem with the epoxy but after microwaving it for 10 sec. it cleared was applied nicely. Will it get hard with more time or what can I do? Thanks Phil Ayers

If the mix was off by a little the final product can be slightly soft. And, some epoxies do not cure as hard as others. If it leaves no fingerprints when pressed, it's probably okay. Most finish epoxies take up to a week or so to arrive at their final cure and overall hardness.

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Phil, If not sticky, Put out in the sun on a 85 degree day if ya can, in a safe place. Just don't put one out their when sticky or you will have every bug in the world in-bedded, I made that dumb move years back when I just started building LOL. I also have had a coat that would not harden up. And would leave a finger print from not mixing enough or mix being off, So I re-coated with a second lite coat and made sure I had equal parts and was well mixed. It Hardened it all Right Up, that was 3 years back the rod still looks great. tight lines Jaa

Phil,
Jay is right on about ratio and mixing.
Be sure that you have exactly a 1:1 mix.
Then, be sure to mix slowly for at least 120 seconds or 2 minutes.

It is quite possible to mix for 30 or 40 seconds and it may appear that the finish is mixed up, but continue mixing for the full 120 seconds to be sure that every particle of part a mixes with part b.

I expect that if you do this in the future, you will not have finish issues.

Be safe

Thanks to everyone and you are correct in thinking about the next time, I learn something every day and everyone here is great to me. Thanks Phil Ayers

I poster earlier about the finish that was soft, It has been a week and still is a little soft not sticky just soft. Jay advised to apply a second lite coat. Is there anything I should do before I add the second coat?