Diamond II epox finish

[Reel 224]

This question is for anyone using Bollards Diamond II epoxy finish. I recently had a mix of Diamond II that was loaded with bubbles no mater how long I mixed it and It went on very poor as a matter of fact I had to sand it down. Ive mixed as I always do but some how it wasn't working. By the way it isn't that old.

Joe   

[Tackleberry]

this probably wont help but what i used to if i had a bubble prob was heat it up a little

with a hair dryer and tap the mix container on the table and all the bubbles would pop

out

[STRIPER LOU]

I do the same thing here Joe with a heat gun on low. I do a LOT of 2 part epoxy finishes on the plugs and attribute the bubbling condition to temps and humidity. Not an expert by any means but I did use almost 2 gallons of 2 part epoxy last year alone. The other thing that seems to help if you have enough working time is to just let it sit for several minutes.
Id be willing to bet though its more temp and humidity related.
Have a great evening,  ..  Lou

[Bryan Young]

Hi Joe,

One of the tricks is to mix it slowly.  You don't need to mix it very fast to blend it properly.  Then I pour it out on a sheet of foil.  This will increase the working time because the foil will dissipate the heat and spread out the surface area so that the bubbles can escape easier.  Then, after the finish is applied, use alcohol flame (low heat) to help the bubbles move towards the surface to pop.

Hope this helps.

Bryan

[Jon Vadney]

When I'm applying the finish, I couldn't care less about bubbles. Once the finish is on the threads and it has had a few minutes to penetrate, hit it with a flame and it'll clear right up. Bubbles in the epoxy while applying it to the rod are irrelevant  

[Jon Vadney]

One other issue with heat guns/hair dryers is that you're blowing air over finish which will also blow dust into your finish.  Use an alcohol lamp.

[Reel 224]

All good advice and I do all these things except use a heat gun or dryer. In this instance I had mixed the 6cc slowly I noticed the mixture had an exceptional amount of bubbles so I have a candle warmer that I use for epoxy when it's cold and i did that~I flamed the finish with my alcohol torch,all the things Ive done in the past with good results. Not this time! I think Lou hit the nail on the head with this one "Heat and Humidity" mite have been the cause. That is why I did not attempt to put epoxy on today. It's a rainy and damp day.

Lou: I don't use close to the amount of epoxy the you and Jon V use but Ive done a fare amount of rod finish and never had that problem before. That's why I posted this situation.

Joe   

[jigmaster501]

Put the hardener in the cup first and then the resin. When mixing, that will result in way less bubbles. Mixing slow and making sure you can read through the epoxy is important.

[Lowprofile]

You can thin it with aceton. Mix would be 2 parts resin, 1.8 parts hardener and 1 part aceton. Mix till it looks like glass then pour onto foil. Takes about 12 hours to cure but makes a great first coat and sets in deep and bubbles come out of the thread really well and quick.

[MikeS51]

I do what most describe here but I'll add that when I pour it onto some aluminum foil I'll take a straw and gently blow on the epoxy to make some of the large bubbles dissipate. Then hit it with heat after it's penetrated the wraps and you are good to go.

DII is my favorite expoxy and I love the vendors (Voodoo Rods) who took over. Some of the best customer service I've ever experienced.