epoxy trouble

[muldoon211]

I am new to rod building and with the help of my son have started with ice rods. On the last one I made, the epoxy is still tacky after three weeks. I'm guessing I didn't have enough hardener in the mix. Is there a fix for this short of me starting over?

[randy t]

Mix a new batch and give it a thin coat. That should take care of it. Sometimes things like that just happen.

[randy t]

How are you measuring? Are you using syringes?

[A.W.Wolfram]

Great question and an even better response. Welcome to HSO guys. Good wraps!

[harvey lee]

One other thing could be causing your issues, I had 2 bottles I had forgot about and they sat for quite sometime. Had the same issues, would not dry 100%. I put a pan of water on the stove and got the water warm, then held one bottle of the epoxy in the hot water for say 45 seconds, , took it out, shook it up and then put it back in and redid it. Then did the other bottle and now both parts are good to go.

Could have been you did not get a good equal mix or the epoxy could be older or have settlerd out a bit. The hot water trick should cure your issue if it was not the mixing part.

I would heat both parts of the epoxy so you know it is good and then mix a equal batch, mix very well and then reapply a very thin coat over the wraps and you should be golden. Don't use to much or you could get a football shaped epoxy on the wrap.

[upnorth]

Yeah epoxy is fussy. Just a little off with either component and it won't harden. I have had the same thing happen and like posted earlier a correct mix and a thin coat should harden up fine with no need to re wrap.

[muldoon211]

Thanks for the tips.

[LunkerCity]

Harvey, I did a rod this winter that had tacky epoxy. When I read forums I heard about this problem and sure enough, one part was crystalized. Hot water did the trick. The next rod, I mixed a test batch and it cured well, the rod turned out fine. On my third rod, I got tacky epoxy again. I have used syringes and a mixing cup to measure but somehow am getting uneven portions with both? Could there be something?

[harvey lee]

Lunker, I know this sounds lame but are you getting the 2 parts of epoxy mixed up well enough. There are times when I think I have it mixed up well enough and I still mix it even more, cannot hurt and you then know the mixing of the 2 parts was not the issue.

The epoxy I had issues with, I purchased on the big online auction site as I thought I was saving some money, not, it was old and I had to reheat it numerous times before I could use it as it would not dry nice, always a tad of tack.

Stopped the online buying and going through a dealer who sells enough that I do not have to worry about my epoxy getting old and crystalizing on me.

Did you reheat the epoxy again of the crystalized stuff? could be an issue still. I finally threw the 2 bottles I had away and got new epoxy. When the older bottles went in the trash, my issues also went away.

[LunkerCity]

Harvey, thanks for the tips. I had heated it up, but just with hot tap water. I'm going to put another coat on right now and i will use a pan of hot water. Also what you said about shaking them, maybe they settled? I hadn't built a rod since mid summer. This epoxy is a high build from a major company only a year old.

[Smoker]

Do not shake it. You will end up with alot of bubbles. All you will need to do is warm it up. I just had some where the bottom of the bottle was crystalised and just put it in warm water for a few minutes and it worked fine. I buy epoxy in the 32 oz size. I put some in a smaller bottle and freeze the rest. If I'm not using any for a while it goes in the freezer. I just need to remember to take it out a day before I use it. I have had no problems with it.

[A.W.Wolfram]

Do not shake it. .

I couldn't agree more.

I am not so sure about freezing it. Keep it out of sun light. This IMHO is the best advice I can give. If it is crystallizing I would chuck it and get new stuff. Maybe look at using a different kind. I have never sen TM or PC do this.

[harvey lee]

I guess I should have stated this better, I do not shake it up, I heat it up and then tip the bottle upside down and back slowly and I have not had any issues with bubbles, If I have 1 or 2, I simply use a tad bit of heat after I apply the epoxy on the thread wrap.

[LunkerCity]

I did another layer over my last tacky layer and it turned out fine. I warmed the epoxy in a pan then made sure they were not separated. I also remembered a tip in the video I got when I started building. He recommended mixing at a higher volume (more than 2.5cc) to ensure equal parts. I know I only used part of what I mixed, but worth it if the epoxy comes out the way it should. What are your guys' favorite high builds? Also should I look at low build? What are the benefits?

[upnorth]

The higher volume allows for a slight inaccuracy in the volumes of the parts.

[clKiekhafer]

I did another layer over my last tacky layer and it turned out fine. I warmed the epoxy in a pan then made sure they were not separated. I also remembered a tip in the video I got when I started building. He recommended mixing at a higher volume (more than 2.5cc) to ensure equal parts. I know I only used part of what I mixed, but worth it if the epoxy comes out the way it should. What are your guys' favorite high builds? Also should I look at low build? What are the benefits?

I used high build exclusively when I started, but tried a different brand and found I had much better finish with the second brand which is not a high build epoxy. I found that the high build had a shorter pot life and wanted to set-up quicker than what I switched over to. You need to try others and see what works best for you given your technique and environment (surroundings).