Have you had any problems with Cabela's two part rod finish staying tacky on the wraps? I mixed it well, let the bubbles escape, 70 degree room and used it before it even began to set. If I put the rod out in the sun it seems to "dry" but after awhile back in the house it gets tacky again. Not enough to leave finger prints, just enough to piss me off!! Other than re-coating, any ideas?--Steve
Steve, I had this happen once (different finish). The advice of the guys at rodbuildingforum.com was "scrape off the old stuff and start over". I specifically asked about re-coating or adding hardener and they all said it was a no go.
I had that exact problem a couple of weeks ago. I went over it with a very fine sandpaper and put on another coat. Worked just fine.
Sometimes it will cure, just takes a LONG time. I have had this with FlexCoat a few times. Sometimes you can use a solvent to remove a lot of the build and re coat. Just be VERY careful with the blank, as some cleaners will effect the finish. The T&T I did took about four days to lose the tack, but it did.......weird!
You don't have to strip it down if it is just tacky. Mix up another batch and put a light coat over the top. Cabela's rod finish that comes in the packets is Flex coat. With those packets you have to make sure you squeeze all of it out of both sides of the packet. If you don't then you won't have a proper mix and what you are experiencing can happen. If you are going to build more rods buy your finish in the bottles, get some syringes( I also like the bottle stoppers with the holes in them to stick the syringe through), and mix at least 2 cc's of both hardenber and epoxy. This will keep that from happening in the future.
Hey thanks guys! Must happen to a lot of us now and then. I've been building rods for over 20 years, built 40 some (graphite, glass and now re-doing bamboo) repaired several and never had this tacky crap before. I've only used Cabela's flex coat.
Boy, I don't know if I would trust a guy that drives an upsidedown table for a boat..... Careful Steve!!
Seems to happen with that finish more than any other.....at least from the stories. I switched to LS Supreme and have not had a problem since. OOOOPS, Sorry, lets not start a whinch finish is better thread. I your build is not very thick yet, I would clean them up very well and recoat with a new batch.
Yeah the finnish I used was Flex Coat. People really like, it, and it mixed up nice. But who cares if the rod is for your own personal use, just fish the hell out of it
