Thread Finish question

[Smirak]

Quick Qurstion (misspelled on accident, but that’s actually how we pronounce it in my household!). 
 

I bought the beginner online class kit which is coming up next week. I know some saw my other thread about a beginner, so I won’t rehash those details, but I have the kit and a second blank with all the necessary components aside from thread finish. Is the high build pro kote what everyone uses, or is there a better alternative at MH?  Reason I said MH is I have a gift certificate.

Also, does anyone know how many rods the 2oz container covers vs the 4oz?

 

Thanks,

Kevin

[spoonplugger1]

Depends on your rod and how much it will need, if you are making the standard mix of 3 cc each component for 6 cc total which I recommend for any mixing to ensure correct and consistent results, you should get at least 17 batches from 4 oz. could get up to 19 if everything was in a perfect world.

[MikeK]

ProKote high build resin is very thick and difficult to dispense with syringes.  I use ProKote regular.  That's what you'll get with the MudHole kit.  Try it before you buy more.

[Smirak]

Thanks both. I’ll wait until after the class to buy more. I just said high build because it’s got to be better, right? It’s like $2 more than the regular build!

[Alex from GA]

I've been using high build Flexcoat for over 40 years with good results.  I cures much faster than Procote.  I buy the 2oz bottles that come with syringes.  I mix 1cc for freshwater rods and is lasts for dozens of rods.

[MickD]

The comment on ProKote cure time is significant.  Often it is still tacky overnight while others I've tried (Flex Coat lite, G2) are  dry to the touch overnight under normal curing conditions (~70 F or higher).  I don't buy large sizes since I don't build a lot of rods per year, and in time the epoxy will darken before you even put it on.  Sometimes it will even crystallize (which can be fixed by a few quick bursts in a microwave).   The syringe comment is also important.  If you don't use syringes and just guess about the mix proportions, sooner or later you will screw it up and have uncured sticky epoxy wraps.  I mark my syringes, too, R for resin, H for hardener.  If you cut the tips off the tops of the containers properly you can leave the syringes sticking out of the containers thus keeping them clean and ready and in the right container.

[Smirak]

I looked again at the kit, and I was provided with the kit PK-24ml. This includes 2 syringes, 12cc of each, and according to the site, that should be enough for about 4 rods…so, for now, I think I’m set. 

[Lead Head]

That is enough for 4 "batches" of 3cc each (a 6cc total batch). To put it in perspective, I (and I believe most other builders) use a minimum of 2 "batches" per rod. It can absolutely be done 1 per rod, but it gives you little flexibility and you will have to be ok with keeping more cosmetic defects. 

[spoonplugger1]

Epoxy in the scheme of things is inexpensive as far as other components go, making a mistake here costs you money, maybe a re-wrap and time, this is not where I would pinch pennies. You can put high build finish on thinly, but not thinner builds heavily. Finish in the bottle isn't magically doing something that it won't do later on the rod, it will go to amber in the sun no matter if it's on the rod or not. It's the thin application vs the thick bottle that makes it look different on the rod. Epoxy finish really has no shelf life.

[MickD]

2 hours ago, spoonplugger1 said:

Epoxy finish really has no shelf life.

I don't know how to interpret this.  Could you elaborate?  

[spoonplugger1]

Epoxy is a pretty stable compound, it doesn't go bad in any sense that is relevant to our use, 20 years from now it would still work just as well when mixed. Effected by very little, the reason it is used on floors in chemical rooms, aviation paint, etc. You really never come to the point where it couldn't be used, we use a potting resin compound, the same type of stuff put on high-end boat cabinetry, bar/restaurant tables that look deeply finished, etc. The heat setting resins used in blank building gives the blank a shelf life of 5000 years according to people in the know. The U-40 products were developed by people, epoxy engineers, who at one time or another developing stuff for Skunk Works from the 50's, programs prior to NASA and NASA, the stuff that held the heat shield tiles on the Space Shuttle.

[Chris Catignani]

8 hours ago, spoonplugger1 said:

Epoxy finish really has no shelf life.

I agree....I have never had epoxy go out of date.

I have come to just ignore any yellowing in the hardner and just use it.
Its inevitable and the yellowing causes are numerous: sun, UV, air, heat...etc..etc

[Smirak]

Thanks all for the help…

 

As for the epoxy question, I have to agree that it really doesn’t have a shelf life. That is unless you’re building product for NASA (previous career) and everything has a shelf life. A lot of why our products were shelf life was due to the fact that it had been developed for a specific purpose under specific conditions. We were in large scale carbon fiber composite components for the space industry. What is generally not shown, nor understood is the out of freezer limits for the carbon fiber pre preg. Ours had to be laid up and under vacuum within 48 hrs or the resin in the pre preg wouldn’t cure correctly.

 

Kevin

[Chris Catignani]

12 hours ago, Smirak said:

Thanks all for the help…

 

As for the epoxy question, I have to agree that it really doesn’t have a shelf life. That is unless you’re building product for NASA (previous career) and everything has a shelf life. A lot of why our products were shelf life was due to the fact that it had been developed for a specific purpose under specific conditions. We were in large scale carbon fiber composite components for the space industry. What is generally not shown, nor understood is the out of freezer limits for the carbon fiber pre preg. Ours had to be laid up and under vacuum within 48 hrs or the resin in the pre preg wouldn’t cure correctly.

 

Kevin

Kevin....you have a peculiar situation.
You will inevitably come across someone who will tell you that "its not rocket science".
Just assure them that it is.