hey guys,
i have 2oz. bottles of Pro Kote medium thread epoxy. i used some last winter on a rod. it's been seal and at room temp.
i see the color of the hardener is the color of apple juice. i don't remember if it was that color before, i'm concerned about using it know.
anyone know if this the original color, or should it be clear ?

thx dave

Normal, no issue.

All epoxy hardeners will amber/yellow over a bit of time, both in the bottle and on the rod.

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so i'm guessing this hardner was clear when new?
if i apply this hardner now, will it have this yellow tint to it right now on the rod ?

Yes and no. In a thin application such as you'd have with a guide wrap coating, it's not really noticeable unless it's applied over white thread. In any case, even if the hardener were clear now, it would still take on that same color at some point after you had applied it to the wraps.

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No and probably not.

Seriously, it is not unusual for the hardner to be yellow / light brown. And it should clear when mixed and remain clear on the rod - for a while. As Tom K noted above, epoxy does yellow with time and exposure to UV radiation. The clarity difference between epoxy and long oil spar varnish is the spar starts life with a light amber tint so the darkening of the finish is a bit less noticeable over time.

The ultimate clarity is probably an acrylic or urethane finish. But hey have their issues as well.

If you want to put your mind at ease, mix a test batch of the epoxy you have on hand and apply to a test wrap. I'll wager it will be fine.

hey thanks guys. thats what i was looking for, the technical info on this yellowing.
going on dark thread, so i'll be good then. just thought i better ask first. or i should have just done a test.

thx again for your help, dave

Really? I wouldn't know for sure, but a guy at mudhole told me that the prokote has a "shelf life" once it is opened. He said something to the effect that once you've opened a container that you need to use everything in it within 4 months or so or it will go bad. Is that not the case?