Hello,
New to the forum. This topic has probably been addressed in the past, but hoping for some help.

I am having the toughest time getting smooth epoxy finishes, especially over longer sections of thread or the rod blank itself. I Believe I have two issues that can be contributing to it.

1) epoxy sag (most likely too much epoxy)

2) I am getting small divots or craters in the finishes. These craters are over both thread or just the blank. It's frustrating and I cannot figure out what they are.

I am hoping for insight on how others get smooth epoxy finishes on longer lengths of thread or the blank itself. Perhaps I am not prepping the blank properly? Any help with my epoxy issues would be greatly appreciated!

Without more information it is hard to identify the problem. How are you measuring and mixing your epoxy. I use an electric mixer and wouldn't do without it. Are you using a dryer or hand turning the rod to dry? Some builders may have good luck hand drying but I would not do a rod without a dryer. How many coats of epoxy are you using? I tend to use 2 or 3 lighter coats rather then one heavy application of epoxy. How are you applying the epoxy? I brush mine on while the rod is turning. Some builders produce great finishes using spatulas to apply their finish. All of these plus many more factors can lead to problems getting a smooth finish. I'm sure others may chime in with advice on how to solve the problem or how they apply their finish.

Have you checked the Library? I know there is at least one article, "Improving your Epoxy Finish" that helped me a lot.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/2016 11:27PM by Robert Hummel.

A couple of things could be wrong
# 1 use a large brush loaded up with the epoxy
# 2 put the epoxy on fast an as even as you can
# 3 stop an let it sag take off the sag's with a old credit card , but don't touch the rod with the card
# 4 make sure the rod is as level as it can be as it rotates, [ so the epoxy won't slip from one side to the other ]
# 5 get an old blank an try it out a few times , an it will improve as you go along

the process will improve as you do it some that is how I do it

William Sidney
AK

Thanks Bill! I appreciate your response.

Hello Robert,

Thanks for your reply!

1) I do use an electric mixer and syringes to measure my two part epoxy. I have tried both threadmaster and flex coat epoxy products getting similar results.

2) I have a dryer, and started playing around with hand drying this last go around.......same issues though.....especially the small divots or craters in the finish

3) I usually apply two coats, but think my first coat gets too heavy trying to fix the "divots/pits" in my finish. When the divot or divots form, I spot treat them with a small drop of epoxy. The problem is they continue to form and I am continually treating them until the epoxy sets thicker.

4) I use the largest flat brush without it being wider than my thread wrap.

I did read the article in the library. It helped with the too much epoxy issue, but nothing on the pitting proplem. I did find an article addressing a similar issue with epoxy finishes that said pitting or divots in an epoxy finish can be caused by surface contamination (with oils or other impurities). Has anyone heard of this on rod wraps? Should I be prepping my surfaces (I.e. Alcohol swab the blank or scuffing the blank)?

Open to any ideas :)

It sounds very much like "Fish Eyes" which are caused by contamination & that can be caused by any number of reasons .The main one seems to be using embroidery thread .To over come that you can use a CP prior to epoxy. Another common cause is oil from your hands & to over come that either wear surgical gloves or give your hands a good wash to remove any oils in your skin transferring to the blank / thread ( my wife reckons doing the washing up will work wonders ).I have even heard of silicon being transferred from insect repellents ,however I have never experienced it my self .Before I start any construction of a rod I always dampen a "Chux"wipe with DNA & give the whole blank a wipe down & then another wipe down with a clean microfibre cloth .To date I have never had any fisheyes even though I predominately use embroidery threads for all my wraps .I hope this is of some help

Regards Baz

Bundeena
NSW Australia

Andrew

Your first issue is, as you suspected, too much finish. Excess finish can do only one thing - sag. Better not to apply too much than practice excess finish removal technique. It is easy enough to apply a second or third coat of epoxy, but it's the devil's own task to remove a cured sag or football.

The finish divots or craters as you describe it is most probably fish eye, which is nearly always the result of rod or thread contamination with silicone or other substances that do not play well with epoxy. Worse yet, it can be difficult to find the contamination source and clean it up. Giving a new blank a quick wash with Dawn or Simple Green will remove oils and not expose you or the blank to nasty chemicals. It you just got to use a solvent, rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol is the least harmful. (Just don't drink it!) After cleaning a blank you must not touch the blank without first washing your hands. No spine detection, guide locating, wrapping, finishing, etc, without freshly washed hands. Thread ought to be nylon, silk, or poly intended for rod wraps else the thread might have been manufacturer using something not compatible with epoxy. Never use Pledge or similar to dust the work bench and better yet do not use it on anything in your work area. Clean you tools and work surfaces with isopropyl. With a bit of luck you will have stopped the contamination thing dead in its tracks.

Go to YouTube and look up "Applying Epoxy Finish". It's a great watch and I believe it is one of Tom Kirkmans.

Andrew Bierman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello,
> New to the forum. This topic has probably been
> addressed in the past, but hoping for some help.
>
> I am having the toughest time getting smooth epoxy
> finishes, especially over longer sections of
> thread or the rod blank itself. I Believe I have
> two issues that can be contributing to it.
>
> 1) epoxy sag (most likely too much epoxy)
>
> 2) I am getting small divots or craters in the
> finishes. These craters are over both thread or
> just the blank. It's frustrating and I cannot
> figure out what they are.
>
> I am hoping for insight on how others get smooth
> epoxy finishes on longer lengths of thread or the
> blank itself. Perhaps I am not prepping the blank
> properly? Any help with my epoxy issues would be
> greatly appreciated!

Andrew,

I used to have the very same problem and it drove me crazy. I then tried Tom Kirkman recommendations regarding the application of epoxy to my thread wraps and decal areas. I could kiss him...not really; but the finish comes out looking like glass!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Andrew,
With respect to the contamination causing fish eyes.

# 1 rule - wash your hands
#2 rule - wash your hands
#3 rule - refer to rules 1 and 2.

Seriously, really important to work only with clean hands, clean equipment in a clean shop area, no oil, no silicone, no furniture polish

Try to wash your hands at least once every two hours, and any time that you leave the shop.

Be safe

Thank you everyone! I truly appreciate the feedback. Less epoxy and more hand washing!

Don Cambell,

Was there something in particular that you read or watched that I can get my hands on?

Your hands shouldn't be on the threads much. Try to resist the temptation of rubbing or running your fingers on and over the threads.

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