jmkratt 0 Report post Posted March 13, 2007 I had a general question about epoxy. I have been working on Copper Johns and have quite a few ready for epoxy. However, I tried mixing it by stirring it together for a minute. I then applied it to the flies yet the epoxy seems rather "soft" and still malleable. Did I do something wrong? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted March 13, 2007 Most likely you missed the amounts of hardener to resin, which will result in the epoxy not curing completely or being soft. Another thin coat of correctly mixed epoxy should take care of the problem. Another trick some people use, is to put a coat of Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails over soft epoxy. (I prefer the first solution, but have used both). Mark Delaney Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmkratt 0 Report post Posted March 13, 2007 Most likely you missed the amounts of hardener to resin, which will result in the epoxy not curing completely or being soft. Another thin coat of correctly mixed epoxy should take care of the problem. Another trick some people use, is to put a coat of Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails over soft epoxy. (I prefer the first solution, but have used both). Mark Delaney Mark, What is the best way to mix the epoxy? Do you have any recommendations to assure a proper mix of hardener and resin? Also, I used an epoxy similar to this: Because the fly shops around me were out of a product such as this: Could that be a cause of the problem? Thanks for your help! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteelieD 0 Report post Posted March 13, 2007 Try Devcon 5 Minute Epoxy in the same type of dispenser you show (I got mine a True Value for about 3 bucks). Like Mark said, just be sure to mix even amounts. You may have to press a little harder on one side or the other of the dispenser (I did) to be sure you have equal amounts before you start mixing. I do about 6 flies at a time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmkratt 0 Report post Posted March 13, 2007 Try Devcon 5 Minute Epoxy in the same type of dispenser you show (I got mine a True Value for about 3 bucks). Like Mark said, just be sure to mix even amounts. You may have to press a little harder on one side or the other of the dispenser (I did) to be sure you have equal amounts before you start mixing. I do about 6 flies at a time. Do you guys have a designated mixing dish? Or how do you mix your epoxy? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteelieD 0 Report post Posted March 13, 2007 On "Post-Its" with a bodkin. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmkratt 0 Report post Posted March 14, 2007 On "Post-Its" with a bodkin. Right on, thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteelieD 0 Report post Posted March 14, 2007 No sweat. My bro in law lives in Castle Rock. I'm trying to get out there we can hit the dream stream! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmkratt 0 Report post Posted March 14, 2007 No sweat. My bro in law lives in Castle Rock. I'm trying to get out there we can hit the dream stream! If you hit it at the right time, the Dream Stream can be unreal. I however have never hit it just right - but have seen some pretty ridiculous pictures of fish pulled from that part of the river from my friends. If you go, good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted March 14, 2007 I use either a piece of plastic (I usually cut up old expired credit cards to do this, I've got a ton of those) and mix them on paper or card. Some people like to use Post-it notes, which works fine, I've tried that as well. I'm sorry, I can't see your images at the moment, I'm at work and the extremely aggressive firewall for the whole university doesn't allow me to see IPB or Photo Buckets images (or YouTube videos for that matter), so that will have to wait until I get home (after 7 pm CDT tonight). When I mix, I try to get the amount as close to the same with hardener and resin as possible, and then mix thoroughly, by folding the materials together. Stirring or mixing like mad, just puts extra air bubbles in the epoxy, that'll you'll want to get rid of later. Tips on buying epoxy: If the stuff is in the clear syringe type containers, buy the tube that has the hardener with the LEAST yellow color in it. The yellow color comes from the oxidation of the amine groups in the hardener, and the oxidized amine groups will not initiate the cross-linking reaction necessary for the curing of the epoxy. Essentially you want to buy the newest stuff on the rack. As for brands, I always buy Devcon. It is usually available fairly cheaply at most WalMarts and other discount stores. I use the 5-minute cure stuff when I'm tying at demos (or in a real hurry). When tying at home and unrushed, I'll use the 2-ton Devcon, which is a "30-minute" cure time. I'll use an epoxy wheel in both cases, because I'd rather not sit there rotate things by hand. also using an epoxy wheel, lets me do batches, I can usually mix up a bunch of 5-minute and coat four or five bass/saltwater balsa popper heads before it sets up. the 2-ton, you can obviously do even more. You should be aware, however, that all epoxies will eventually yellow to some extent. The five minute cures will yellow sooner than slower curing epoxies. Yellowing can be delayed by keeping the flies out of the sun and heat. You can buy more expensive epoxies with slower cure rates such as rod building epoxies, but I don't find that necessary. Cure rates for all epoxies are accelerated by heating, but if you've thinned your epoxy with acetone or MEK, application of heat will probably result in bubbling of the finish due to the evaporation of the thinning solvent used. I never thin the epoxy I use, and I apply it with cheap brushes (a buck for ten, bought at Kroger) which I then toss after one use. Using the brush, I'm able to apply as thin a coat as I want. You can buy an epoxy wheel, or make your own. Slow turning motors are available relatively cheaply (search over on the rod building forum), or you can buy a rotisserie motor for a barbecue (about the right speed, and ~$20 but noisy), or you can search for a motor that's appropriate from something that's been junked. My epoxy wheel uses a motor from a deceased microwave that turned the turntable. It rotates at about 13 rpm. Somewhere between about 8 and 30 rpm would probably be appropriate. More information than was asked for, but that's the basics about epoxy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sulfernut 0 Report post Posted March 14, 2007 jmkratt.....I think it's almost certain that your problem was caused by the type of dispenser you were using,and NOT the quality of the "glue" itself. I am sure there are scads of folks out there who can get one of these double tubed things to dispense and equal amount of resin and hardener,I'm just not one of them!!! Sulphernut\ PS: If you can't find Z-Poxy in SEPARATE containers at you local flyshop, you oftentimes CAN find Dev-Con clear 5minute epoxy in similar packaging at a hardware store! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted March 14, 2007 I'd happily buy my epoxy in something other than double barrel syringes, but that's all anyplace in Lake Charles carries. I really don't have a problem with them (Gee, a new skill set!!?). Back in the 80s when i work for Dow Chemical in Midsland, MI, i called over to the people in charge of epoxies to send me a small sample of a certain slow-curing resin and hardener for a reinforcement experiment...they sent me a gallon of resin and a gallon of hardener...to bad . I needed about a quart of each. I don't have easy access to the stuff now... Mark Delaney Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
