epoxy and rod wrap finishes
I have, Jack has, probably everyone has had troubles with epoxy finishes. Anyone using Trondak u40 perma gloss? I hear it is not finicky like flexcoat. I'm interested in trying spar varnish sometime, too. What varnishes are recommended? Also, I will be building a rod on a matt grey blank and I would like to use a satin finish on the wraps. Can I just use satin varnish?
Greg
The u-40 product you dscribe works fine but it STINKS something fierce, at least to my nose. Satin varnishes will work fine, you will need 2 -3 coats over a color preserved wrap, use interior not the exterior that is often reccomended. Don't forget to stir thoroughly before use or it won't be satin, they use fine mica(I think) dust in it to make the finish unglossy(is that a word?). The interior dries much faster and harder and has more than enough flexibility for guide wraps on a graphite blank.
splinter
I knew there had to be a better way!!
Never would have thought to use "Interior"?!
But why not? "Less Glossy" would have been better but "Unglossy" works too!
Stir it gently to keep the bubbles out.
Hmmmmm....How may rods could be built with a pint of varnish?
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I feel more like I do now than I did when I got here!
Cactus AKA "Lucky Dog (Pirate Name)"
After my latest "torture" treatment. I am just about willing to try ANYTHING!!!! Although, just to finish my current rod, I am going to try the epoxy again.
Wish me luck!!!
Reg
Greg, Are you talking about the two part epoxy that Trondak makes or the one part urethane?
If you use the urethane, don't get any on you. It will have to wear off. It combines with the moisture in your skin.
Using two part epoxies is really not problematic if you carefully measure the equal parts and mix thoroughly. If you mix a larger amount, you will reduce the margin for error.
Warm the individual componants by placing the bottles in warm water before combining. This will make mixing easier and bubbles won't be as much of a problem. Ideally you should apply the epoxy coating at around 68? to 72? F
splinter, I'm curious why you would use interior rather than exterior varnish. One of the advantages of exterior formulations is the UV resistance, Another is they are often more flexible and handle temperature fluctations better. These are qualities I would want on a rod.
Jack, the satin type varnish is available in both interior and exterior types.
Varnishes are lower in viscosity and if you wanted to build a thick coating it would require several coats with ample time for drying in between. Most varnish formulations are not intented for thick coats like the ones many use on wrappings today.
If you want thinner coats then I suppose you would get a lot of rods out of a pint.
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Joe
[This message has been edited by flyfisherjoe (edited 19 September 2005).]
FFjoe,
simple, the int is MUCH harder and still has enough flexibility for the job. UV is not an issue unless you leave the rod in your PU's gunrack for several years and temp fluctuations have less to do with the actual temp of the finish, as long as it is less than 300 degrees or so, it has to do with the movement of the substrate material which once again is not an issue with either glass,graphite or cane
splinter
the 2 wt mentioned in two recent previous posts was done with minwax interior urethane.
It works well and my thread was black so no experience with colored wrating and any color loss. I did about 5 coats with no problems.
the low tech look suits my style:Mossberg not Browning
splinter, the hardness of varnish can vary quite a bit in either interior or exterior formulation. It is dependant on what it is formulated for. Good gym floor finishes are usually polyurethane and alkyd resins that produce a hard product and made to walk on. One of the advantages of hard finishes is that they sand better. I dont walk on or sand rod wrap coatings and see no advantage of using a harder finish.
A good spar varnish is made with tung oil and phenolic resin. Modern spar varnish can also contain alkyd resins. Good spar varnish is formulated for outdoor use, resists cracking and crazing has high water resistance and other qualities that made it the traditional varnish for rods. I would much rather use spar varnish than a hard gym finish on a rod.
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Joe
If you are happy with whatever you want to use then i am happy. i was simply trying to help out with someones question and i have a fair amount of experience with the whole varnish-fly rod thing. I have listened to the whole resin/hardness/flexibility/UV resistance thing for a couple of decades and as you will note from a reread of my first post I did NOT say that ext would not work but that int was faster and easier to use, i liked the *generally* harder finish and it would yield an acceptable result.
Geez.....
splinter
Of you want a finish that has the appearance of varnish and the durability of epoxy, I would recommend a product called Hobby Poxy. Some people may remember this as Clemens Crystal Coat. I have most recently purchased it from Summmer Moon Rod Works ( [url=http://www.summermoonrodworks.com/:f2784]http://www.summermoonrodworks.com/[/url:f2784] ). I don't think it is listed in their catalog or web site. You have to contact them and ask for it.
[This message has been edited by gadabout (edited 22 September 2005).]
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