It seems to me that I am a little slow applying epoxy to my guide wraps and butt section. Currently, I am using a small artist's brush for this work, with bristles approx 1/4" wide by 3/4" long. It is nice and soft, and does not add bubbles to my finish.

The problem is, even when I spread my epoxy over a piece of foil, I have a hard time getting the epoxy applied to the entire rod before it starts getting thicker. Getting a nice straight edge, and getting epoxy fully around the single-foot guides seems to be the areas that slow me the most, not to mention doing the whole butt section.

What tool would you recommend to make this work faster and easier?

Thanks in advance.

TH

Try an artist's spatula. You should be able to get them at any craft store. No bristles so so bubbles and you can scoop and level fairly easily with minimal practice

Ack, no edit.. I meant to type "so no bubbles" not "so so bubbles"

Tony what type of epoxy finish are you using? What it sounds like is you are adding more resin than harner it is vary important that you use equal amount of both resin and hardner. if you use more resin the mix well set up faster. Also at what temprature are you working at. You can also slow the set up time by using ice underneath the foil.
I use a paint spatula to apply epoxy
Good luck and have a Happy New Year
Bob

Bob,

I'm using Flex Coat, but I am using syringes to get a very exact mixture. Thanks for the ice tip. I'll try that soon.

I'm starting to wonder if I'm not mixing a little too long. I'm sure my brush is too small for this work, and am going to look into both a wider brush, and that spatula thing everyone seems to like.

Thanks for the help!

TH

Tony,
I have been using Dura Gloss LS Supreme. I have enough time to apply to butt wraps and all guides then use a toothpick to get under the guides around the tunnels on singlefoot guides. I mix for 2 full minutes. So far so good. No bubbles either Duragloss LS Supreme is very forgiving.
Mark Schulte

I use a #5 painters knife. Kind of like a spatula, shaped like a pie server. On butt wraps you can use the base (wide portion) to spread fininsh over a large area quickly and evenly. Then on the guides use the tip portion. For staight application alongside the threads, I turn it on edge and lay it against the blank and thread. Lays down a very nice line of finish about 1/16"-1/8" beyond the threads. Works great for me. For under the guides I use the toothpick method as mentioned by Mark above. I like the plastic toothpicks (dental I think they are called) one end is strait, the other curved.

Tony,

I stir my epoxy for 2 minutes, max, then I spread it over the area I'm working on. Check one of my earlier posts on how I keep my epoxy thin while I apply it on the rod. Don't be afraid to mix more than one batch of epoxy per sitting. You may be trying to cover your butt wrap and guides with one batch of epoxy and if you work too slow, it will start to set. You will need to figure out what the optimum speed/batch scenario on your own.

I like to use a spatula that I made from plastic card stock and lollipop sticks. I used scissors to cut them out so I would get a crisp edge. I usually scoop up some epoxy (LS Supreme) and flow it onto to the wraps. The more perpindicular I hold the spatula to the surface of the blank, the more the expoy flows onto blank. You will need to learn to control the flow.

For a crisp line of epoxy I use two hands to keep my spatula steady and I just let the (almost dry) spatula tip roll off the edge of the wrap (already covered with epoxy) and capillary action will wick some epoxy to the edge of the spatula and voila, straight edge. The LS Supreme will level off by itself. It will take some practice, be patient. Before the above, I did it differently by using scotch tape. I would wrap it around blank, apply the epoxy, and wait till it started to get thicker then pull the tape off. Scotch tape gives me a cleaner edge and no seeping under the tape.

Hope this helps, thanks for the feedback on the Tica Reel, and Happy New Year to every one!!!

Tony
If you are satisfied with the results by taking a little extra time stay with what you are comfortable with on your rods mix the extra batch of finish needed it's cheap enough.By all means pratice with other methods on scrap to increase speed but don't attempt on a rod untill you have totally mastered the new system
John

When I used flexcoat, I used to heat it a bit with a small torch just enough to thin it out once it started getting thick. I've had to heat the finish sometimes up to 4 -5 times to keep it workable (lots of surface to cover) Thats one of the reasons I've switched to LS Supreme it stays thinner longer. Flex Coat is a good finish. When it starts getting thick try a little (little) heat to thin it out a bit. One other problem I had was that I was spending to much time on one section trying to make sure it was layed perfectly. Now, all I really want to do is get the wrap covered with the finish and move on to the next guide. Once all the wraps are covered, I have time to go back and check my work. I try and let the finish do the work, It will level on its own. I usually only have to keep a close eye on those pesky bubbles.

I have never been able to get the hang of the spatula thing. I use an artists "shader" brush in various sizes depending on what I am doing. I rarely will ever try to do a whole rod with one batch of Flex Coat. I divide the rod into sections and mix enough FC to do the section I am working on. I "always" do the butt wrap by itself with a fresh batch of FC.

I wish I could work with you in person. There is really no reason you can't coat a wrap in just a matter of a few seconds. The important thing is to keep moving - get those wraps covered from butt to tip and then come back do any touch in or touch up that is necessary. The touch up stage is easy to do even after the finish starts to get a bit tacky. Trying to cover an entire guide wrap once it gets like that is almost impossible.

Load your brush (I use one just like yours, same size and everything) and hold it above the wrap, just bringing it down enough so that the finish touches the thread. Now rotate the rod underneath it, 360 degrees one way, then 360 degrees the other way. Now move up and repeat with another loaded brush. You achieve the depth of finish you want by how much you load onto your brush. If need be, put a book or piece of wood behind the rod and rest the heel of your hand on it to steady yourself. A crisp edge is not really that hard - you just have to get that hand steady.

Yes you can briefly warm the finish to thin it - be be warned, as you have raised the temp, it will then set up faster. You reach a point of deminishing returns where it will thin less each time you heat it and return to a state further down the curing road each time. But Bob is right, in a pinch, this trick can get the finish workable again for a another minute.

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

"Try an artist's spatula."
"Don't be afraid to mix more than one batch of epoxy per sitting."
"I use a #5 painters knife."
"Duragloss LS Supreme is very forgiving."
"For under the guides I use the toothpick method"
"I've switched to LS Supreme it stays thinner longer."
"I 'always' do the butt wrap by itself with a fresh batch of FC."
"put a book or piece of wood behind the rod and rest the heel of your hand on it"
"be be warned, as you have raised the temp, it will then set up faster."

WOW! AGAIN, this place proves to be like a college for rodbuilding! And I'm listening with both ears!

It looks to me like I need to:

1. Mix epoxy for no more than 2 minutes
2. Use the "foil-wrapped, chilled ceramic tile" trick
3. Make 2 smaller batches of epoxy rather than one big one,
4. Try using a spatula to see if I like it
5. Use a hand prop on my desk to keep a stable hand
6. Only heat when needed, and sparingly
7. Give LS Supreme a shot. Sounds like what I'm looking for.

Again, THANK YOU for sharing your experience with me. I REALLY appreciate all of the help, and being part of such a great group of guys!

TH

UPDATE:

I followed someone's directions, (thanks!) and made a tool from an old credit card, with a wide, upturned flat end and a pointed end. Worked GREAT!

The flat end applied the finish fast, the pointed end got around the guide foot better than any toothpick, and the best part, is not a single bubble formed, so I never even had to blow on the finish!

Also, THANKS AL G. for that trick of using a frozen ceramic tile with foil over it to work my epoxy from. VERY long lasting epoxy! It started out making it thicker, which actually helped in keeping it in place before I turned on the turner. Then it thinned as I started spinning the rod, and the finish was as thin as I wanted it, but VERY slick! :) Excellent!

Thanks again, everyone, for the many helpful tips!

TH