Hi builders!

It’s been five years since the last time I finished a rod. In that time, my part B hardeners have yellowed. Is there any way to revive these? I have Pro Kote and some small bottles of Bullard Diamond II. I’ve heard of microwaving to decrystalize, but I’m not sure if that’ll do anything for the yellowing. With some red & white wraps, I’m concerned they’ll end up blood orange & yellow.

Also, much like a previous post from another non-mastered builder, I had issues with my last build using some old bottles of defunct Gudebrod color preserver. I’m thinking that I didn’t apply enough coats. The finished product on Gudebrod blue tiger silk thread left dark splotches after applying my finish. Does color preserver go bad? Six or seven years ago...I read somewhere that the old Gudebrod threadsealer was the best for silk, so I scoured the earth until I found it. Once I opened it up and smelled it, I realized that some of these water based sealers may be no more than thinned Elmer’s glue, similar to the feeling I get about concrete flexibility additive being thick Elmer’s glue.

I’m in no rush, but I’m excited to use my new CRB drying tent with heater, so I’m trying to find out if I need to replace these finishes and sealer. What’s money, right? (eye rolling)

Thanks,
-Raymond

All epoxies yellow with age, either in the bottle or on the rod. This cannot be reversed. Otherwise their properties are unaffected.

None of the acrylic CP's are akin to Elmer's glue, rumors to the contrary. Yes, they can age and thicken. When in doubt, buy fresh.

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

I use my old stuff for repairs on old rods. Its a perfect match because all the other guide wraps have yellowed. The stuff you have now will never get any lighter unless you have a time machine and go back seven years. I've used stuff the color of tea and it didn't hurt anything.
Hey, like you said,"It's only money".

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2018 12:28AM by Dennis Danku.

Sage advise. I think I’ll order all of these products new and find a color preserver that doesn’t require me to jump in the DeLorean and gun it to 88. I’m always wondering about the old ways of doing things. For all I know...some 90 year old guy uses the inside of a banana peel to preserve his thread color, as evidenced by a fly tyer whom I once watched use a pencil eraser to strip a peacock hurl. I’ve tied maybe 100 mosquitoes over the years, but watching him do that made me realize just how inexperienced I really am. Much respect...

Trash them! They are not worth the headaches that they may cause, buy some new fresh stock, they are not that expensive. All epoxies will yellow over time, some more than others, and there is no cure to prevent or reverse yellowing. I do not use CP very often, but I have had some that went bad with time, got clumpy and discolored.. All of the modern brands of epoxy and CPs are very good, but all have their pros and cons. So it will depend on what you like in the finished product. If you ask what epoxies and CPs to use you will get a lot of different responses and reasons why one is preferred over another.
Norm

Gudebrod 811S CP was clear and didn't have any smell. Right before they went out of business they changed the CP formula, and it smelled really really bad! And it didnt work nearly as well as teh old stuff. I purchased the remaining few gallons of good Gudebrod 811S in 2008 or 09, and I still use it all the time. It snot a perfect CP, it gets little sparkles and crystals on darker/black thread. If I do a wrap with a lot of dark, I'll use Chromaseal CP, after testing teh majoirty of the CPs on teh market and posting the results on this page/photo board, it did the best job of retaining colors.

If I were you, I'd just buy everything new

I agree with Billy, when I use CP I use Chromaseal. I also like Threadmaster for my epoxy; gives a hard and durable finish that yellows less and hardens quicker than most, Just my preferences
Norm

i'll add to the chant of "Buy new! Buy new!" i used old CP one time. i now have a great spinning rod with creamy dark blue wraps. i believe i must have gotten CP that had deteriorated, maybe due to freezing temps. ruined my wraps but not right off the bat. they gradually turned creamy.

The hardener should not be heated. The yellowing should go away upon mixing. The resin if not freely flowing, (sometimes may be coagulated in the bottle) can be microwaved in short bursts to thin it back to normal. I'd throw it out. Google it, you can still get it. I use D-2 , when I switch, it will be to Flexcoat.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2018 08:19PM by Lynn Behler.

Alright...
Buying all new. Going with ThreadMaster ChromaSeal CP. I like the idea of using my old finish for repairs that match. It won’t go into the garbage. I might even use it on my project to recreate my father’s Cabela’s/Fenwick kit rod. However, my father most likely used a varnish instead of an epoxy for his. The build on his finish is really light, as you can feel the wraps. I’d buy Bullard Diamond II for finish, but I’m pretty sure they’ve shut that operation down and the remaining Diamond II that’s out there is turning amber the the bottles as we speak. I’ll probably buy Pro Kote because they sell a lot. That turnover should give me some longer shelf life.

Raymond,
Perhaps avoid the use of thread preserver entirely.

Also, depending your rod building needs only buy enough product with a slight surplus to take care of planned builds for the next year.

Then, if the materials get to be a couple of years old, pitch them out and buy fresh.

When you do a rod, it will likely last for many years. So, why not use fresh product on the rod for the fresh build?

Over the years, I have learned, that it is many times much better to start with fresh product rather than taking a chance on a product that has been sitting for some years on the shelf. Why take the chance.

Good luck

D-2 is now sold by VooDoo Rods in Lafayette, Louisiana



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2018 07:29PM by Lynn Behler.