i know this topic has probably been beat to death but after running 2 searchs i came up empty handed. here in south texas it ain't exactly cold. the felt temp. was 118 deg. the other day. my rod building/reloading room stays at around 90 deg. despite two fans. i put some D2 finish on some thread today and it got gooey in a hurry. had to do two batches to finish a 7.5' rod. after it was on i thinned it using a flame but there has to be a good way to keep it thinner longer in the pot. thanks.

You can coll down your area which will help 90 is way to hot You can also if you are using a heavy finish thin it with a solvent of say Medium temperature thinner which will keep it wet longer Use a lighter finish If you can put in a air conditioner

Bill - willierods.com

Maybe cool the components in ice water before measuring and mixing? Or store the components in the refrig then let them warm to 70 degrees or so before measuring and mixing?

You can change your finish, some have a longer pot life than others. For example, ProKote and Aftcote have a longer pot life than treadmaster. You can mix smaller batches .5 -1 ml ea. You can cool your room. Finally, you can cool your finish after mixing. I have cooled my finish by placing my mixing cup on top of a gel ice pack, or even on top of a chilled damp towel. if you cool before mixing the resin may crystallize.
Norm

You may want to try mixing a smaller batch and/or spread it over a glass plate to keep the mixture "cool". I like to use a glass plate 1/4 inch thick, it is a good insulator and cleans up easily.

If you still need to mix more than one batch then so be it. It's usually the last step in the building process and is one of the least expensive components. Considering all the time and effort you put into the build, it would be reckless to cut corners at this point.

A word of caution, mixing large batches is more forgiving if the component ratio is slightly off, however mixing smaller batches of epoxy requires extra care to make sure the correct amounts of resin and catalyst are measured and mixed.

I am in Florida so I try to do most of the finish work in the evening after the sun goes down and the house becomes a little cooler.

John

Work early or late, pour the mixed finish out on foil to allow exothermic heat to escape more rapidly. Don't store the finish in a hot area. Make sure it's cool when you start. Ideal temp for mixing and using most finishes is about 70 to 70F.

.......................

thanks for all the replies. rather than addressing all the responses individually i will just have at it.
cooling the room is not an option. its small, 8'x20', brick, and a metal roof. the only way to further cool it would be a very expensive portable AC and my electric bill is already thru the roof trying to keep it liveable. people laugh when i tell em i water down the house/roof everyday around 5 PM to cool it. the sun here is brutal.
i have tried working at 3 AM and its still between 87 and 90 deg.
i use ice gel packs now, with metal pots that have been sitting on em for 15 minutes before i mix the epoxy and pour it into em.
cooling the epoxy is a good idea and something i should of thought of myself. duh.
the other thing to watch out for is not letting sweat drip onto the epoxy or on the wraps when applying finish.
i think putting the epoxy in the fridge for a few minutes before mixing will be the next step. thanks for the interest and replies!!

We have been getting temps around 100 lately It does get cooler and maybe very early 4 - 5 :00 may be a better time to apply finish One or two hours before the sun comes up seems to be the coolest time
I do believe the Aftcote is about the longest to set up and may be your best bet I have been thinning my high build finish for years and it does help

Bill - willierods.com

Jack, Try some PAC-BAY epoxy. Like Bill said, It's been very hot and sticky here in NJ and it seems the warmer it is, the smoother it goes on. I'm not kidding, I use it all the time. It's great epoxy. No bubbles and it doesn't blush.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

It is strange - and funny - that you can't find anything on RB about extending pot life. I have been beating the drum on this site for years about the following technique:

Before you mix the finish cut some aluminum foil into 3" squares to form little "trays". You will need 5-6 of them.
Mix as much finish as you wish.
Pour out about a nickle or quarter size circle of finish on each "tray". I pour out less on one tray that I use to fill my guide wrap tunnels because I do that first.

Put the rest of the trays in THE FREEZER section of the refrigerator.
Take them out as you need to.
I have used the frozen finish 24 hours later for touch-ups.
It only takes 30 seconds out of the freezer to become soft enough to use.

It will not affect the properties of the finish.
Regards,
Herb

Pour the mixture out on a paper plate covered with aluminum foil. This will extend the pot life and help eliminate bubbles.

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

Herb Ladenheim Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It is strange - and funny - that you can't find
> anything on RB about extending pot life. I have
> been beating the drum on this site for years about
> the following technique:
>
> Before you mix the finish cut some aluminum foil
> into 3" squares to form little "trays". You will
> need 5-6 of them.
> Mix as much finish as you wish.
> Pour out about a nickle or quarter size circle of
> finish on each "tray". I pour out less on one tray
> that I use to fill my guide wrap tunnels because I
> do that first.
>
> Put the rest of the trays in THE FREEZER section
> of the refrigerator.
> Take them out as you need to.
> I have used the frozen finish 24 hours later for
> touch-ups.
> It only takes 30 seconds out of the freezer to
> become soft enough to use.
>
> It will not affect the properties of the finish.
> Regards,
> Herb

I actually tried that and it worked. I've done it on two occasions now.

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane

{cooling the room is not an option. its small, 8'x20', brick, and a metal roof} I'm sure this is your workshop correct? Why not just do your finnish in the house? I have had NO problems with epoxy odors at all in my house, Just curios? Jaa

I agree with Norm Miller. the easiest way is to just use an epoxy with a longer pot life. I also use Aftcote on long rods requiring more time to apply the epoxy. It pot life is about twice as long as the other epoxy I use which is Flex coat hi build



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2016 07:43AM by Tom Wewerka.

Jay Dubay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> {cooling the room is not an option. its small,
> 8'x20', brick, and a metal roof} I'm sure this
> is your workshop correct? Why not just do your
> finnish in the house? I have had NO problems with
> epoxy odors at all in my house, Just curios? Jaa
the room is part of the house, a garage turned into a bedroom and my small shop. moving any of the reloading/rod building into the house proper is just too much of a hassle. its all in dedicated areas etc where it is.

Jay Dubay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> {cooling the room is not an option. its small,
> 8'x20', brick, and a metal roof} I'm sure this
> is your workshop correct? Why not just do your
> finnish in the house? I have had NO problems with
> epoxy odors at all in my house, Just curios? Jaa
the room is part of the house, a garage turned into a bedroom and my small shop. moving any of the reloading/rod building into the house proper is just too much of a hassle. its all in dedicated areas etc where it is.

Jay Dubay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> {cooling the room is not an option. its small,
> 8'x20', brick, and a metal roof} I'm sure this
> is your workshop correct? Why not just do your
> finnish in the house? I have had NO problems with
> epoxy odors at all in my house, Just curios? Jaa
the room is part of the house, a garage turned into a bedroom and my small shop. moving any of the reloading/rod building into the house proper is just too much of a hassle. its all in dedicated areas etc where it is.

why in the world did my reply post 3x? i swear i only hit the Post Message once.

Tom Wewerka Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I agree with Norm Miller. the easiest way is to
> just use an epoxy with a longer pot life. I also
> use Aftcote on long rods requiring more time to
> apply the epoxy. It is about twice as long as the
> other epoxy I use which is Flex coat hi build
wheres a good place to get it?

You hit it 3 times, it's in the log. Not a big deal, however.

..........