EPOXY: How till you can fish.

[maddog2020]

What are you folks using for heat source? I use to use alcohol lamp and found it too slow so I use one of those torches for sweating pipes and hold it back a ways.

I've seen guys use Flexcoat and heat it up so bad it dripped like crazy.

I have this other small torch that uses butane, but it never self-ignites consistantly. I tried a small butane lighter as well and it burned a spot on another rod.

Finish looks fine usually. Never gotten it to the point it was "flat".

I've heard of guys fishing a rod with Flexcoat on it the same day. Not sure if that was the smartest thing to do. Then again I've heard stories of guys fishing their rods with just tape holding down the guides!

[Swimmer]

You guys ever see a rod blow up and splinter from using heat on it? Sounds like many people here use heat to get things flowing. By a dehumidifier for the cellar so you dont get the haze, or wait until the humidity is much less. Emergency repairs though can't wait I'm sure. Using to much heat will weaken the blank quite a lot. I'd rather live with something that isn't that estetically pleasing but 100% in strgng as opposed to having a rod shatter at 3 a.m. in the same area that you were trying to get the expoxy to flow.

[SeaWolf]

aftcoat is not the best choice if you want to put one heavy, thick coat one, like in a quick repair. it's too thin and tends to football w/ too much finish.

maddog - if you are not having any luck with flat rod finish, apply less finish at one time and do 2-4 thinner applications. you football finish from applying too much at once.

heating the finish to the point where it actually drips off while heating will cook the finish and is not the best in the long run. it could end up being a more brittle finish, crack easier, not to mention be full of tiny air bubbles.