Has anyone tried...(2)

[C. Scott]

...Flexcoat on their pens? What's Flexcoat? If you fish then you have seen it on your fishing rod, but probably didn't know what it was called. Flexcoat is a two-part epoxy that coats and seals the threads or "wraps" on feet of the eyes or "guides" on the rod. I have re-wrapped a few rods (in the past few years) out of necessity and I have wondered if anyone has finished a pen with it.

It can take several hours to cure (not for the impatient ), it is clear, flexible and VERY durable. It has a high build properties, but there is "lite" formula available too.

Just wondering if anyone has tried it. I plan to give it a go and see what happens just don't know when.

 

[Gregory Huey]

Please keep us filled in on your flex coat finish. It sounds like it could be a very tuff finish.

 

[Guest]

I think I know where you are going with this.
How is it different than any 2 part epoxy?Franky I don't think the thick CA finish on my string pens is expensive to use and it's quick,but I am always looking for alternatives.

 

[Fred in NC]

Talking about other finishes, I have experimented with "Krylon Gloss Coat" which is a thick acrylic finish in a spray can. 3 coats of this will encapsulate the wood completely. I bought the Krylon at Walmart.

The people that have seen a rosewood pen made with this material made very positive comments. The pen sold at the last show.

The downside is that the coating has to be done off-lathe. I put the barrels on chopsticks. It takes a couple hours for a coat to dry. After the 3 coats the barrels were put back in the mandrel, and I sanded the finish flat. I think I started at 1200 or so. This was done to level the acrylic. It polished to an extremely high gloss, just like CA or any of the plastic materials.

Again, I am mentioning this ONLY as an experiment that I did. It is for your information only. I am not endorsing the product or the result of my experiment.

 

[jwoodwright]

Growing up in New Jersey, Salt Water Fishing was the Norm. When Dad refinished the rods and guides, He used a special Varnish. I've rewrapped too many guides. Haven't found that varnish. Probally gone for good like Dad.[]

 

[DCBluesman]

I'd bet he used a spar urethane. A quick Google search will yield a lot of results, John.

Originally posted by jwoodwright
<br />Growing up in New Jersey, Salt Water Fishing was the Norm. When Dad refinished the rods and guides, He used a special Varnish. I've rewrapped too many guides. Haven't found that varnish. Probally gone for good like Dad.[]

 

[C. Scott]

Thanks for the responses. I honestly was wondering if anyone had tried flexcoat (there are other brands, some already pre-catalyzed). I hate to go down a dead end when I can learn from those who are older, more experienced and wiser. I figured if the stuff holds up on my surf rods, it ought to hold up on a pen. My concern is the drying/curing process. When you wrap and finish a rod it has to be rotated (slowly) until the finish cures. Depending on the temp. this can be a couple of hours.

I am going to look in my rod building supplies and see if I have any left. Hopefully enough to finish one pen. If so I'll let ya'll know how it turns out.

Thanks again for the responses.[]

 

[wayneis]

Chris the down side with most epoxy's is the yellowing but there are a few epoxy's that are formulated as a finish and these are clear. A lot of the pool cue's are finished with epoxy. I bought some from one of the pool cue companies but have not got around to trying it yet. Actually I spent so much time developing my method for Enduro that I really done't want to start over.

As far as what you are talking about I would think that we are talking about products that are at least very similar. I would think that if you put your coats on thin enough it would dry fast enough that you would not have rotate it for long.

Wayne

 

[Tom McMillan]

Chris---Sounds like a good idea to me!! I worked a short time for a high end flyrod manufacturer---I watched the owner put on the epoxy over the windings. The only drawback was he had little bubbles that had to be taken out, and he did that with a little burner (I think it was an alcohol burner---which I think are sold by those selling rod building supplies). He did keep the rod rotating until it was dry---and seems he used pretty slow drying epoxy. Let us know how it works out if you try it.

 

[Fred in NC]

Hehe, Tom... I hope he had a rotator. I would hate to sit and turn a pen by had for 2 hrs. !

 

[Tom McMillan]

Yes, Fred that's why it was a high end business---could only make one a day so he had to charge more--- !! Actually,yup, he did have a rotator---I think it had capacity for about 12 to rotate---guess we'll need a small version of one if we try this, huh??

 

[Fred in NC]

A rotator should be easy and cheap to set up.

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