How many times on the dryer ?

ACDIII · February 28, 2015, 03:27:20 PM

what is the temperature range that you like to apply and dry flexcoat/finish?

Thanks
Andy

Newell Nut · February 28, 2015, 08:54:49 PM

I don't have a preference. Whatever temperature my shop is at the time works. Never had a problem and finish is usually set hard in about 8 hrs.

thorhammer · February 28, 2015, 11:33:31 PM

i try to be at least above sixty, pref. 70.

foakes · March 01, 2015, 01:35:03 AM

Bryan is a smart guy --

Without getting into more theory than you would probably want to know, suffice it to say that solid state or regular motors are real sensitive to line voltage and differences in load variations. If the voltage jumps around because of the air conditioner kicking on, etc. or flipping on or off a lamp on the same branch circuit. It may cause the dimmer to kick off, or worse, half cycle which sends half wave rectified DC to your AC motor....Not Good...Toast. (Ever notice how they say on the package "for incandescent use only"?) (Light bulbs don't care what you feed them they just average the power).

When you start a dimmer on high, then reduce the speed, you can go to a lower setting, than if you started the dimmer at the lowest setting and increased it slowly, it would start running abruptly at a higher speed. It's kind of like the flywheel effect in that the motor windings kick some voltage back to the dimmer that helps to keep "triggering" it. (If that makes any sense.) If the motor is not running initially, it takes more to trigger it.

Much of this has to do with resistance, amperage (current), voltage, and the fact that the light controller will get hot when trying to operate a wire wound motor compared to a light.

Bottom line is DON'T use a light dimmer to control a motor.

I have been to incidents where houses have burned completely to a shell -- all we could do was cut the power, disconnect the LP, and pour water on everything to keep the fire contained. All because someone saved a few bucks by not using the proper gauge wiring, the right controllers, improper breakers, or bypassing basic electrical codes.

It will seem to work for awhile -- then it won't -- and by that time, it may spoil your day.

Controllers have come down in price -- to a point where they are very affordable -- and safe.

Best,

Fred

thorhammer · March 01, 2015, 01:55:46 AM

noted...i bought a CRB dryer and thats what I use now

Marcq · March 01, 2015, 03:18:33 AM

Quote from: ACDIII on February 28, 2015, 03:27:20 PM
what is the temperature range that you like to apply and dry flexcoat/finish?

Thanks
Andy

One thing for sure, no epoxy on humid days

Marc..

Bryan Young · March 01, 2015, 05:49:46 AM

Quote from: Marcq on March 01, 2015, 03:18:33 AM
Quote from: ACDIII on February 28, 2015, 03:27:20 PM
what is the temperature range that you like to apply and dry flexcoat/finish?

Thanks
Andy
One thing for sure, no epoxy on humid days

Marc..

The funny thing about this. I used to make trolling lures with my late Uncle Charlie Tanabe. He would not pour resin when the days were dry because he said the resins would yellow. I didn't know if this was true, but we only poured on humid days, which was about 350 days per year in Hawaii.

Marcq · March 01, 2015, 06:32:51 AM

Quote from: Bryan Young on March 01, 2015, 05:49:46 AM
Quote from: Marcq on March 01, 2015, 03:18:33 AM
Quote from: ACDIII on February 28, 2015, 03:27:20 PM
what is the temperature range that you like to apply and dry flexcoat/finish?

Thanks
Andy
One thing for sure, no epoxy on humid days

Marc..

The funny thing about this. I used to make trolling lures with my late Uncle Charlie Tanabe. He would not pour resin when the days were dry because he said the resins would yellow. I didn't know if this was true, but we only poured on humid days, which was about 350 days per year in Hawaii.

Hmmm! Interesting ! I know humidity affects drying time

Marc..

Newell Nut · March 01, 2015, 12:46:09 PM

I epoxy all of my rods in humid Fl with no issues and did 3 yesterday perfectly and wet and rainy all day. I think that when someone has a poor finish they should do root cause analysis to find the real problem instead of blaming it on the weather.

thorhammer · March 01, 2015, 01:42:26 PM

i have two on now; in NC its been cold as crap and either raining or snowing for a month. Makes it very difficult to maintain constant temp in shop with propane heater but i'm getting a decent finish using two coats of flex coat even with humidity. Not near the quality of Jon's turk's head jigger but these are bank fishing rebuilds for buddies (freebies at that) that I'm sure will get tossed into back of truck.

Jeri · March 01, 2015, 04:23:41 PM

Hi guys,

We finish rods in most conditions, as we can't really change them, but usually above 15 degrees C (60 degrees in old money). Humidity here is pretty constant at about 60%, but no problems with that.

The only thing that we find problematic, is when the temperature goes right up above 25 degrees, then the pot life shortens and the initial mix is seriously like water. But then like all chemical reactions, temperature is a big factor, and will generally accelerate the chemical setting.

Our cure to all the issues, which has been discussed here, is to measure the two parts of whatever finish resin – seriously accurately, with bigger batches being better at ironing out any anomalies in the measurement. We don't use syringes, as we are mostly doing long surf rods and need about 20ccs of resin to at least do most of a surf rod. We use a pair of plunger type bottles used for dispensing liquid soap – these for a single push are remarkably accurate in how much they dispense for each push. This cured all our resin issues in a stroke, after we solve the issues of hand/finger oils on finished work.

Get any amount of contamination, including natural oils from your skin on thread work, and it is a disaster waiting for you to apply resin. We now have a regime of frequent hand washing when building rods, and that cured any problems. Avoid touching the thread in any way, and you will get remarkable results.

Hope that helps.

Cheers from sunny Africa

Jeri

Jon Vadney · March 25, 2015, 02:39:34 AM

between 4-6 coats of finish for me. 3 coats if I'm using color preserver. I put ultra thin coats on though.

Reel 224 · March 25, 2015, 01:43:40 PM

My two cents; I use a 9-rpm and a 18-rpm dryer, personally I see no difference if you are careful not to apply your epoxy to heavily and brush it out. I have to apply at least three coats to obtain the finish I'm looking for. Using an alcohol torch is a must for two reasons, it controls bubbling and helps the flow of the finish. Disclaimer....I'm not an expert, therefore my opinion is just that. An opinion.

steelfish · January 17, 2019, 05:46:37 PM

Quote from: Jon Vadney on March 25, 2015, 02:39:34 AM
between 4-6 coats of finish for me. 3 coats if I'm using color preserver. I put ultra thin coats on though.

yay!!

this make me feel less worried, I though my rods were spending too much time on the drier normally 3 if its a small repair two times.

ultra thin coats really give you a better at the end of the finish job that worth the extra time on the drier.

thorhammer · January 17, 2019, 05:58:21 PM

yes....you can use high build and maybe get in one coat, which is fine if aesthetics aren't a concern like a party boat repair. I've actually gotten more patient with age; I guess i figured out if i bother with nice wrap job i better bother with a nice finish, and use low build now: two coats on guides and three on a butt wrap or anywhere that elaborate wrapping has caused topography in the thread lay.