I just finished my 2nd rod and am still disappointed in my epoxy finish on my threads wraps that are wider at the ferruls. The epoxy was thick and thin and I couldn’t even it out. When I’m finished you can see and feel thick and thin rings of epoxy from my brush. I am useing FlexCoat high build epoxy.
Should I use the FlexCoat light finish? I read were beginers should use the high build.
Would another brand be more forgiveing or do I just need more practice?
The stuff you are using is good epoxy coating. The thing to be careful about is the amount of it you apply to the wraps. Are you using a drying motor?
One of the things I got on here from Betty Hiner I think, was to use a heat gun to lightly heat the epoxy after it is applied to the rod so that it flows more evenly, and helps it also to release any trapped air bubbles.
I use flexcoat high build all the time. Part of the key is to apply it lightly, and put on a couple of coats if you need to.
For years I used a brush to apply finishes. I found that if the material was thin enough I could get a decent job of it , if I used a good brush - sable. I could never get a thicker product like epoxy to work.
Now I apply everything from thinned down lacquer CP to high build epoxies , using a dubbing needle. I can control how much goes on and I can work it into the threads. With good lighting I can see how thick it all is ( and I apply thin coats) and I can push it around if I need to. It is slower than a brush but I figure I already have how much time into this rod?
Besides I enjoy this stuff.
AgMD
If you want a nice level finish, you need to think less is more. I use flex coat lite and regular and get the same results with both.
Here’s what I do:
I mix the finish and pour out onto a piece of foil. This extends the working time and allows bubbles from mixing to pop. I then apply a good soaking coat to the wraps and with a clean dry brush, remove as much as possible. YEs, that is right…take off as much as you can by holding the dry brush against the wrap and spinning the blank by hand (the threads will just appear to have been darkened but will not have any buildup). Wipe the brush off on your foil and continue doing this with each guide. BTW, I buy cheap kids artist brushes at the craft store that come 12 for $.99 and just throw them out after each coat.
When you are finished with all the guides, take an alcohol lamp, or butane lighter and hold it about 10 inches under each wrap, for 4-5 seconds while you spin the blank above. this will pop any bubbles that were introduced while applying it. After this coat dries, cut off any bumps thread burrs etc. and recoat.
Do the second coat the same way, and you will get results like this:
And this:
And this:
[/img]http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/uploads/gallery4564b999d756c.jpg[img]
All done with 2 light coats of flex coat lite as described above.
HTH,
Lou 
[/img]
Here’s that last picture, but you get the point.
Again, I hope this helps. The key to getting a good finish is to develop a routine and stick with it. The more you do the same routine the better it gets with each rod. I’ve used Flex Coat products now with this routine for 6 years and it works every time.
Lou
Thanks for all the input. I should finsish the next rod next week and will let you know how it works.
![http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/uploads/gallery4564b999d756c.jpg[img]](http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/uploads/gallery4564b999d756c.jpg%5Bimg%5D){kind=link}