bubbles

[sid_fishes]

how do i stop air bubbles when i epoxy, i warmed up my epoxy, i flamed it , i blew on it when i mixed it, so why all of a sudden am i getting air bubbles, and how do i get rid of them when my epoxy is dry cheers ian

[tunaticer]

The bubbles could be appearing from your thread. Possibly a little bit more sealer may be required and a longer cure time for the sealer.

I mix my epoxy on thick cold glass with a flat bladed knife. This gets a very even mixture without adding air to the mixture. I wave a flame over it twice then let it sit for about 5 minutes before applying.

I flame the rod once after about an hour and then leave it be for two hours slowly turning on the rotiserie. After two hours i check once more for any bubbles and if it is needed will flame it once more very lightly then leave it to cure completely.

Jack.

[sid_fishes]

jack, thanks for the reply, i did 2 coats of cp and i thought i had allowed enuff time for it to go off, but as i type i have had to pull a sheet of paper off the wet epoxy, so ill just scrape it off and start again. thanks again for your reply cheers ian

[finga]

What epoxy are you using Ian??
I tried one and had the same trouble then tried Flexcoat and no problems :)

[sid_fishes]

scott i only use flexcoat, i just dont know what i,m doing wrong. how was the sausage sandwiches today? and how much stuff did you come home with

[Owen]

G'day Ian,
I'll tell you what I do.
Before mixing your epoxy, stand both bottles in hot tap water.
This will thin them a bit.
I also stopped using a brush as I feel these add bubbles.
Take the kids to maccas and pinch a heap of their coffee stirrers ;)
I feel plastic is better than wooden icy pole sticks as the latter is porous and could conceivably hold air bubbles although a lot of people use them with no problems.
Only put just enough epoxy on the rod to cover the thread. In fact on the first coat it doesn't matter if you don't do any more than fill all the hollows.
Don't over flame as it can "boil" bubbles out of the thread, especially on a weave.
Just a light lick and then remove any excess epoxy by holding a stirrer flat on the bottom side whilst it's spinning and allow thw epoxy to gather onto it. If the epoxy is not gathering on the bottom then leave it alone.

[wheezer]

there's a previous thread on this somewhere down the list....wouldn't worry about how many bubbles are in there after mixing, just get yourself an alcohol torch and you won't have any dramas

[DR]

Sid
this is how i always did it..

mix epoxy slowly so as not to create bubbles, pour onto ice cream lid covered in foil. Allow to stand & settle for 5 mins.
use flat ferrule artists brush to apply. again leave alone for 5-10 mins as it revolves.
grab a butane gas bottle, don't turn it up too high ( will come with practice ) & lick lightly over the epoxy, go right along all guides & leave alone for a while.

being blunt.. don't be put off by those saying don't use gas, have done 1000s with gas & haven't lost a patient yet..

with practice you will be able to get your epoxy almost to a consistency of water on the first application, it will soak in easily. Only do this on the first hit over..or as an emergency fix a bit later, but while the epoxy is still liquid.
then basically just keep an eye on it as it revolves & as a bubble appears hit it lightly again. In no time you will be able to get a custom finish on all your rods.it can stay workable for a fair while, as it starts to set you can still do it BUT it starts resetting a lot quicker & takes more practice to get even..

if the bubbles are there when it is dry, have a good cry :'( & remove it all & start again. You can fiddle with it trying to cut them out & re epoxying, but if it's a nice job you can still see flat spots on close inspection..:-/

probably not necessary, but rest rod on a couple of supports, not in drier, when applying epoxy. it can be rolled a lot easier & makes the job faster & better. when done, then stick in drier to do the above as the revolutions keep the finish nice & even..

like all things you will work out what is best for you, this is what i eventually came up with as the best for me..to each his own.
cheers
Dave

[wheezer]

what makes alcohol torches better IMO than gas is that it burns at a lower temp, also once mastered you are in control of size of flame, making it super easy to get rid of bubbles without overheating and possibly damaging the wrap

[Matt_Campbell]

Sid
Get yourself a hair dryer. Put it on the highest heat with the lowest fan setting. Make sure the area you're working in is relatively dust free.

Make sure you heat the epoxy before mixing and as others have said mix them with a plastic stirrer or similar.

This worked for me though i used Erskine's exclusively.
Matt C

[Noelm]

I have found that the mixing is usually the culprit (as long as the filler has had enough coats of course) try not to mix too fast, I know it is obvious but you will be amazed how really tiny bubbles form that you can hardly see, but they expand when coming to the surface, I know it is frustrating to do a Rod and it goes belly up on the finish coat!