What kind of epoxy can I pick up

[Jim Uran]

I've got a rod that I started last year, a 7 foot UL, and I have the handle assembled and started on the guides.

Can I pick something up from the hardware store to use as an epoxy for finishing the line guides after they have been thread wrapped? I just don't have any and I am in ultra rural Minnesota, and don't really care to order and online if I can help it.

Any tips, tricks, news, etc.... Thanks!

[Smoker]

Blue Water Bait in Bemidji has differant sizes of Flex Coat finish.

[harvey lee]

Jim, you could call Bill at Midwest Rod & Reel and I am sure he would be willing to ship it to you.

You can purchase the smaller bottles or you can also get the syringes with the mixing cups and brushes and stir stick pretty reasonable. The syringe pack will do about 4 rods depending on how many guides and if they are double foot where you have more thread wraps or many decals.

If you do not use much for epoxy, the next time you need to use it, if it has been awhile, just heat up some water and set the bottles in there for a few seconds and tip the bottles back and forth to remix the epoxy in each bottle. The stuff can get older and the reheating will bring it totally back to life for a nice hard finish. This would be for the seperate bottles of the hardner and epoxy.

I also use the Flex Coat.

[Jmeyers]

If you don't want anyhting shipped I'd say your better off going into your local hardwear store and seeing what they have...Every store is different so if they don't have a two part epoxy you could use you might re-think getting it shipped

[upnorth]

Thread epoxy is specially formulated to work as thread epoxy. Most 2 part epoxy you see in hardware stores are going to be for bonding things together not to cover thread and stay somewhat flexible. Issues are going to be brittle, yellowing etc.

Way back and even today with bamboo fly rods they use varnish. Not sure how fussy you are or what to expect if you try it, but.....

Not much up in my neck of the woods either. I wind up ordering everything from a catalog or online. Peace and quiet comes with a price

[Jim Uran]

Great ideas guys... I'm not too fussy about what it will look like I guess, and Harvey Lee I do have some stuff from last year maybe I'll give that hot water treatment a try!

[upnorth]

The stuff from last year should be fine. If it is crystalized, the hot water trick works pretty well.