# flex coat ques.



## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

Which part is the resin and which part is the hardener (A or B) and does it work like regular fiberglass resin where if you add more hardener it will kick off faster? Just wondering as I need to do some minor repair work and dont have an auto drying lathe and the last time I had to hand turn the damn thing for like 2 hours


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

Adding more catalyst will not only shorten pot life/curing time but will also make the final product harder. You would be changing Flexcoat into Brittlecoat, making it susceptible to cracking. I would stick with recommended mixing ratios.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

point taken, so which is which


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

barty b said:


> point taken, so which is which


I have not used Flexcoat in many years and I am sure it has been reformulated. You used to be able to tell the difference by the color and viscosity. The resin was always clear and thick and the catalyst was light amber in color and thinner.


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

I found some in the back of the cabinet

A=resin
B=hardener


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

they are now both clear and of the same consistancy,just labled part A and part B


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## Clyde (Oct 18, 2003)

Sorry, but you're wrong.

Part A is the resin, Part B is the hardener. If you add more hardener, not only will it NOT cure faster, it most likely will not set up at all, but instead stay tacky.

With Flex Coat and any other two part 100% solids epoxies, you need to mix equal parts of each, as accurate as you can. The smaller portions you use, the more dramatic your measuring mistakes will be, so don't be a tight wad and try to mix 1cc of each. Go ahead and mix 5cc of each (epoxy is cheap). Mix for atleast 3 minutes and you shouldn't have any problems.

Back to the hardener/resin questions. Rod building epoxies are formulated so that you have to use equal parts of each. If you're used to useing something like bondo, then you're used to adding more hardener to make it "hotter". This doesn't work in our case. The bottle of hardener we use actually only has a small amount of the amines which start off the catalitic reaction in the hardening process. The rest of the bottle is just filler. 

There was a great article in the last Rodmaker Magazine about this, authored by Ralph O'Quinn, the formulator for U40 products. That was a good read, that article alone was worth the yearly subscription price.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

Thanks guys, that is what I needed to know, Guess you just cant rush it I suppose I'll have to rig up some kind of turning rig. I just need to re wrap the bottom guide on the butt section of my century tournament rod.


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

The rotisserie motor from an old discarded BBQ grill works great.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

Oyster said:


> The rotisserie motor from an old discarded BBQ grill works great.


i remembered,I bought one last year for this pourpose and put it in the closet and forgot aboute it:beer:


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## JAM (Jul 22, 2002)

*Clyde is da man !!!!*

One of the things I have learned being a newer rod builder is that environment effects how the chems kick.. What I do and it is near IDIOT proof , trust me on that one.. Is let them both sit seprate in what ever area you are gonna apply for 10 mins, then mix then wait 10 mins and apply to rod.. Once I put actual times to what I was doing it worked out better.. Less then 10 min in summer maybe 8.. A clear B yellow tint...Hope this helps... JAM


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## huckfinn38 (Jun 13, 2006)

*Clyde...*

Clyde helped me out with a bubble problem I was having. He told me to use Aftcote. I was having bubble issues with the flex coat high build and the classic coat was hardening to much. No MORE BUBBLES! This Aftcote is the best. Thanks for the idea Clyde!!!!


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## Donald (Oct 25, 2006)

*flex coat issues*

Hi, I read the issues that were mentioned about flex coat. I have switched to the flex coat light build. This is a great product that seems to be user freindly. The classic and the high build are products I may never use again but the light is perfect in my opinion. I personally prefer to use thin multiple coats rather then using a one time thick coat. The thin coats penatrate under wrappings better and will not crack as easy. the over all finished apearence of a multible coats seems to be nicer, I feel you have more control of the finish this way, However, if you do not have a electric rod drying set up a one time coat may be your most conveniant way to get the job done.....


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