[ckalanik]

ive been doing a lot of research about fly rod building because im looking into building some rods. one thing thats still unclear is the different epoxys used. from the videos and articles ive read it sounds like there are several epoxys required and some also require mixing. can anyone explain this to me?

[mojo]

Originally Posted by ckalanik

ive been doing a lot of research about fly rod building because im looking into building some rods. one thing thats still unclear is the different epoxys used. from the videos and articles ive read it sounds like there are several epoxys required and some also require mixing. can anyone explain this to me?

You'll need rod builder epoxy or an equivilent- an epoxy to-glue on your tip top, cork grip, reel seat and hardware for the reel seat.
You'll need a thread epoxy- Threadmaster or Threadmaster Lite (what I like the best) or Flex Coat, Trondak U40, Permagloss and many other brands.
Just for the heck of it, next rod I do will have spar varnish coating on the threads and the rod completely dipped in thinned varnish. A throwback to the olden days when they did it with cane rods.

[shorthaul]

Mojo---i still like to coat windings with U-40 its nice and neat and not much buildup---3 or 4 coats and forget it. the windings hold up remarkably well considering the abuse i give them.

[Jose]

Originally Posted by ckalanik

ive been doing a lot of research about fly rod building because im looking into building some rods. one thing thats still unclear is the different epoxys used. from the videos and articles ive read it sounds like there are several epoxys required and some also require mixing. can anyone explain this to me?

There are only two required and are both called "epoxy" sometimes, but one is more of a glue that sets in 5 minutes or so (for the reel seat, cork, and tip). The other is sometimes called "finish" epoxy that can give you about 20 minutes to work with, so you have time to apply to the thread; it's an adhesive that soaks into the threads. Both are mixed in the same way, but take more time and care with the finish epoxy. Mix both in equal parts and use less of the finish then you think when applying it, but don't try and skimp when mixing and end up mixing too little of the finish, b/c you need equal parts and more is more forgiving than less. There are many tips you can google. Here's a link I found helpful in case you didn't run across it. Also the flex coat link also helped me. Here they are: "Learning Curve - Fly Rods - Al Campbell's Article - Fly Angler's OnLine and FLEX COAT - Rod Wrapping Finish Tips I started out with this one and enjoyed the video links: A guide to building your first fly rod, by Bob Widgren I just built my first rod and it was a great experience. It turned out pretty well using the those tips- no air bubbles, etc.

[mojo]

Originally Posted by shorthaul

Mojo---i still like to coat windings with U-40 its nice and neat and not much buildup---3 or 4 coats and forget it. the windings hold up remarkably well considering the abuse i give them.

Shorthaul, when you run out, give some Threadmaster a shot- either one the regular or Lite. If you don't like it, I'll buy the rest from you. Two coats with the lite is amazing. Very low build.