Wellllllll.........
Still rolling after 30 hours and still not set. Thanks for the advice nigelr and roz. Will be patient.
Will let it roll until set.
Thanks, rob.
Wellllllll.........
Still rolling after 30 hours and still not set. Thanks for the advice nigelr and roz. Will be patient.
Will let it roll until set.
Thanks, rob.
scott, are you sure you didn,t give pommy 2 part A,S OR B,S , cause its pouring down here at the moment, and was yesterday. and all i can say is for the first time in 2 yrs i,m happy with my epoxy job it looks trick[ got to build my ego up abit]
Rolling, rolling, rolling.
Keep that rod lathe rolling.
Rolling, rolling, rolling.
Rolling, rolling, rolling, I'm tired!
Bet the Blues Brothers never sang that!
Epoxy starting to set after 36 hours. I think???!!!
Regards to all, Rob.
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
Hey Roz, You want to send some of that rain West? We could do with some. Have you tried Threadmaster epoxy? Great stuff and doesn't seem to be effected by humidity.
Regards
Mark
Greetings all!
Just back from school. Still rolling after 55 hours.
One epoxy was clear and colourless and the other clear and amber in colour.
Mixed 50/50. Warmed each little test tube with a cigarette lighter to make contents run out (as per Doc Ski's DVD). 4 mL of each. I'm a Senior Chemistry teacher of 23 years so I probably got the quantities and reagents correct.
The wrap above the top grip is pretty much set but the smaller end rings are still tacky to the touch when I just touch my fingertip to the 2mm that goes beyond the binding onto the blank.
Humidity here probably 90%.
Will keep on rolling.
Regards, Rob.
I have just started using diamondite 2 part and it is awesome. long pot life and dries in no time. recommend it for anyone 2 use as well "easy"
Marty
Wish I could Mark, we've had more than enough.... and by the way WELCOME TO AF.
I havn't tried Threadmaster epoxy yet, took a while to wean myself of erskines. I really thought that was a good product until I used flex, not implying erskines is a bad product but the other is certainly streets ahead.
r.
GO THE CRUISER UTES!
....OH WHAT A FEELING!
Sorry to enter at the last minute all, but I'm starting to worry for your epoxy Pommy.
Bit late now to mention this, but I first got started rod building by reading a magazine I found in a newsagent called "Australian rodbuilder". Written by Ian Miller and Steve Starling, it had all the specs for commonly available blanks and quite a few recipies. Have not seen it for years, maybe not available any more, pity as it was well written and easy to follow.
OK folks.
The 4'' binding above the top grip is now set and the 40 and 30 rings almost so but the epoxy on the smaller bindings at the other end of the rod is still very sticky.
Possible scenario follows.
I mixed the two components for 2 minutes.
The mix for the first binds was thin and painted on easily.
After 20 minutes, as I got to the 4'' bind the epoxy was quite viscous and took some care to apply evenly.
Could it be that when I mixed I didn't do it thoroughly enough and the first mix applied to the top guides was largely epoxy or hardener? The more thoroughly mixed stuff being put on the lower guides and 4'' bind.
If this is a likely scenario what can I do? I'm going to keep rolling for the meantime but will a very thin application of pure epoxy or pure hardener work over the material on the end rings?
Thoughts?
Rob.
Nothing wrong with your mixing Rob.
Just the humidity slowing things down.
No need to continue rolling the blank at this stage.
The sun is out here this am.
Get the blank out into it for as long as you can.
Then you will have 2 options, IMO.
1 - apply another coat straight away, only do this if we are going to get some sunny weather for a couple days.
2 - allow the present coat to fully harden, (say a week), gently 'key' the surface with 1200 wet and dry, then apply your second coat in sunny weather.
Do not apply straight epoxy or hardener under any circumstances!
Cheers mate, she'll be right, it will just take a bit longer than anticipated.
Hi Pommy
I will second Mark and Nigel's post's. Apply another thin coat of epoxy and that should set off the first coat. Mixing the epoxy very well is important not only to make it set but I was told by the guru of rod building epoxy and glue Roger Seiders the owner of the Flex Coat Company that not mixing finish that bit extra makes it yellow a lot faster over time. So even though it has been mixed well enough to set up it should be mixed a lot more. I didn't believe him at first but I tried it and it is true the more it is mixed the less it yellows. The new Flex Coat with ultra V (UV inhibiter) would have to be one of the best finishes on the market not only that it would have to be one of the most user friendly. I suppose that is why it is the most used finish in the world I think just about every rod company in the USA use it. He even said he sells a truck load to Japan
Last edited by OzRods; 06-02-2008 at 12:30 PM.
G'day guys!
It's now 79 hours since the epoxy was first applied. I'm still rolling.
The binding above the grip is set and is set in places on the two larger rings.
Are people saying that I should apply a thin layer of epoxy over the still tacky/not set epoxy to harden it OR to wait until all the epoxy is set and then apply another, thin layer when the weather improves.
We had sunshine today but it was humid and I was at work. Couldn't leave the rod outside as if it rained then Finga's motor would have karked it and the unset epoxy would have got wet. With the number of mossies and flies around I would also have had a very expensive piece of fly paper.
Rob.
Rob, no point continuing to roll at this stage unless you mount a bank of lights along the length of the roller, the heat from which cures the resin at a faster rate.
Pro and advanced home builders use a set-up like this, often enclosed in a drying box, complete with lid.
Most epoxy jobs will be stiff enough not to sag within 2 or 3 hours, 6 at the most.
You can get your rod out in the sun by putting it in a rod holder placed firmly into the ground at an angle suitable to maximise sun exposure, the suns' heat has the same effect as the lights.
I cure my rods before use (once fully touch dry) by exposing them to between 5 and 7 days of full sunlight.
The choice is yours alone as to which of the 2 courses of action outlined in the above posts you decide to take.
If you are confident of fine sunny hot weather tomorrow, go the next coat.
If you think it will continue wet and humid, IMO wait until you are confident in some sunny weather before applying the next coat. That way you will be sure it will set properly.
By the look of the predicted temps for Byron for the next couple days, should be some sun about at least, if you trust the weather people!
Welcome to the world of rod building!![]()
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Cheers.
Last edited by nigelr; 06-02-2008 at 07:23 PM.