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Everyone one the list seems to have a love/hate relationship with URAC and Epon. I wish more people tried Nyatex. It is SO easy to work with. I do not think it even has a shelf life. You have a couple of hours to get things bound and straight before there is even a hint of hardening. Let it cure for 24 hours, then remove the binding string, and heat set it. Saves hours of time sanding off the string, and your blanks are perfectly dry. And it does not smell as bad as some of the other glues I have messed with. If you decide to order some, do it by phone and tell them you are making bamboo fly rods. They have 1 qt. cans ready to go. (Jeff Schaeffer) I've never heard of anyone having any love hate relationship with Epon. Everyone I've ever talked to who's used Epon thinks it's hard to beat. I'm sure there's several adhesive's that will work fine although some may take some special technique's such as URAC or Nyatex. The first time I seen anyone using Nyatex I thought the stuff was a step out of the stone age. I couldn't believe that anyone would spend all that time filing the strings off a blank after the adhesive hardened, which is what was being done 7 years ago. I figured that URAC was about 10 times easier to use so I stuck with the URAC until I had a failure. Well, as time went by someone has figured out that if you rebind and heat set the Nyatex works excellent. So does URAC work well if you were to follow Bob Nunley's method. For me, Epon is the best choice. I don't have to rebind the sections and I also don't need to heat set the blanks. (Jim Bureau) You're using the wrong thread to bind with if you have to sand or file the string off. I use C&C Button, Carpet and Crafts glace cotton covered polyester for everything from heat treating to glue up and heat setting the glue and even after heat setting Epon, all I have to do is work enough loose from one end to get a hold on it and pull it off, I have never had to sand it off. I have never had it burn in the oven when heat treating rough sections either, unless I dummied up and left it in too long, in which case the cane was burned, too. It's also about 10 times stronger than cotton, I can bind a rough butt section with about 4 pounds on the drive belt and the tensioners cranked down to where I can just barely pull it thru. (John Channer) How long was too long in the oven to burn the cotton glace? In early days I used this and had it burn and scorch a rod. The really nice thing about this stuff is it is so accessible. (Steve Trauthwein) I once allowed my attention to wander and left a rod in the oven for about an hour, the cotton covered polyester turned a beautiful chestnut brown, over cane strips that were pretty much turned to pencil lead. The thread did leave an interesting pattern on the surface of the bamboo though. Now when I'm heat treating and the wife comes to the shop, I tell her "I'm busy, go away!!!", it only takes me a day or two to get out of the dog house afterwards, well worth the price. (John Channer) What are the nodeless builders using?? I use URAC cause it doesn't need heat treating to cure. (Don Greife) Regarding heat setting both Nyatex and Epon, neither needs to be heat set. 5-6 years ago I started to heat set both Nyatex and Epon but before that I never heat-set them and the rods I built then are still doing fine. Nyatex takes about 4-5 days to fully cure without heat setting. That being said, the heat setting does make for a stronger glue joint buy increasing the cross linking and also you get a cured blank in a lot less time. With both Epon and Nyatex I remove the string after 16-24 hours, sand off the excess glue, rebind then heat set. re: shelf life on Nyatex.... My original cans of Nyatex worked fine for about 5 years then the glue started taking longer and longer to set up. The last rod I made with that stuff took 2 days to set up so I pitched it and got some new. My Epon is still going strong after 4 years. (Dennis Higham) The Nyatex I use was bought in January 1997 and stored in the bottom of the refrigerator ever since. As far as I can tell, it works as well today as it did when first opened. What I really like about the stuff is that it is so forgiving! By the time I finish straitening I have rubbed off most of the excess glue which results in not having to sand off the binding thread; it just pulls off. (Will Jette)
My Nyatex dried and is very very stiff. I had to use a hair dryer on it to get it to spread at all. Any suggestions if it is possible to thin Nyatex. It is almost impossible to use as it is. A 4 piece rod with three pieces spread with a hair dryer and hot bamboo and two tips glued with Titebond 2 Extend. (David Ray) There is a serious problem- Nyatex should be very thin - the two resin and hardener are like mayo and maple syrup. I would not use it without talking to the manufacturer. Some epoxies can be thinned with alcohol, but I have no experience thinning this stuff. (Jeff Schaeffer)
I recently ordered more Nyatex and for the $40 you only get 1 qt: 1 pint of curing part B, and 1 pint of adhesive. That's half of what the previous amount [2 quarts] was for the same cost. The application says "pre-use induction time of blend must be aged 15-20 minutes prior to use to avoid wetting problems" "Recommended Inventory: less than 90 days" I've had my first amount for coming on 2 years, still effective. (Chad Wigham) I haven't used Nyatex either, and while there exists a huge variation amongst epoxies, in general, heat curing elevates the softening point of any epoxy. I have used Epon and a boat building epoxy for my rods. The boat epoxy is very similar to Epon and when I heat cured that rod it was SET. NO attempt at straightening worked. I subsequently used Epon but straightened before heat curing so I had no difficulties. I'm interested to hear that Epon is straightenable after curing. That could be a big benefit. (Al Baldauski) I have had no problems straightening after heat setting Epon. I have not had to straighten any of the thicker butt sections. I have straightened and removed some minor twists on some tip sections with no problem at all. (Tony Spezio)
I use Nyatex epoxy. After gluing and wrapping, I allow the rod to dry overnight before I remove the thread. I've been curing the rods at 240 degrees for 3 hours with pretty consistent success, but every so often the heat seems to cause the bamboo to expand and create glue lines before the epoxy fully hardens. This seems to happen most often on rods that I heat cure immediately after I remove the thread. On a few rods, I've left them to "cure" at room temperature for about a week before putting them in the oven. They all came out fine with no glue lines. Has anyone else had this problem, and is "curing" at room temp for a week before using the oven the best approach? (Greg Peters) After you remove the initial, glue-soaked binding cord, do you bind the sections again? If not, you might give that a try. I don't think heat-setting does much after the glue has cured for a week at room temperatures, but I'm no glue chemist. (Harry Boyd) Rebind each section before heat setting. I bind all the sections individually then all together, A hint, When you remove the first thread and clean the blank, check for any place there might be a glue line or gap. If you find a spot, bind this area real tight with a separate length of binding string before you rebind the whole stick. When the glue softens during heat setting, the tight string, will in most cases close the gap. (Tony Spezio) After gluing with Nyatex and binding, I lay the section in my wooden form overnight. I cover the v-groove with masking tape to keep the section from being glued to the form. In the morning I unwrap the section and hang it in my drying cabinet at 90 degrees for a week. I've done four rods like this & haven't had a problem with straightness or open seams so far. By the way, the Nyatex is over five years old. What's the actual shelf life of the stuff. (Ron Larsen) I think that all my Nyatex problems is heat setting too high i.e. over 200 degrees. Less than that I have not had problems. But yes I let it sit over night, scrape, look for glue lines, rebind, tighter at the problem areas and either let it sit a day or two longer or heat set under 200 degrees. Anyway that is what works best for me. Over 200 and I have problems. I also use plenty of white vinegar at glue up to wipe the blank down and then use a dry rag to get all the Nyatex off that I can. The Nyatex people suggested using a solvent like paint thinner but white vinegar works best for me. You can tell when Nyatex goes bad, it is too thick to spread. I did not put my tops on very well and finally the glue lost enough of its solvents that I could not spread it. (David Ray) I had posted this while back, I find that denatured alcohol works better than vinegar for me. It is cleaner and does not get the white residue like the vinegar did with the Epon. I don't know if vinegar reacts the same with Nyatex. Again, just passing on info. (Tony Spezio) I have used Nyatex almost exclusively. I think that my cans are now four years old, and they are still working. I keep meaning to buy new stuff, but then I think, just one more. It seems fine, and is stored on a basement shelf with no refrigeration. Still looks and smells the same. I use 50:50, stir like mad, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then stir like mad again. Glop it on the sections, and let it soak in for 5 minutes before binding. I bind by hand. I let it sit for 24 hours, and try to be exact about the time. I nick off the binding string, and do not bother to rebind. The blank is laid in a long plank with three 60 degree grooves and I put weights on the sections to make them lay flat. The plank is then slid into a monstrosity of an oven, which is just a section of insulated round stove flue tubing. I use a a heat gun and do about two to three hours at 225 F. I get glue lines all the time, but never from Nyatex. My oven is so bad that the lower end is probably 150 degrees at best, so I flip the strips about every half hour. So I am curing at a cooler temp than recommended, and by most others. I did one rod by letting it sit without heat treating. After a week it still felt sticky, so I heat treated anyway. I love the stuff, and plan to keep on using it despite the price increase. The working time is unsurpassed, and being able to remove the binding string saves hours of tedious sanding or filing. It has never failed me. At some point I will try to wipe down the blanks with alcohol or something, That would probably leave even less glue to sand, but I worry about dissolving glue along the edges and leaving a seam. I wonder if that could be the cause of the glue lines you report. (Jeff Schaeffer) This is a common problem that I have had with Nyatex. On mine it looked like the Nyatex bubbled and I could see a gap with where it had expanded and bubbled. I agree with Tony, look and rebind but I still had the problem. I talked to Nyatex and according to them the glue will set just as well letting it sit or at a lower temp. All the temp does is make it dry faster not stiffer. Since I started heat setting at a lower temp I stopped having the glue line problems. I glue, let it sit overnight, unbind and scrape, rebind and use a hair dryer instead of a heat gun in my oven but on a lower setting. It stopped the boiling and bubbling gap problems. I think that if you lower your temp to under 200 and heat set for an hour or so you will stop having the problems, but in my opinion always rebind. (David Ray) I use EPON. Hang the sections for 18 to 24 hours. Heat set four hours @ 180F. The first binding before heat set is not as tight as the second binding. The second binding for heat set is bound a bit tighter. Sometimes I can see a bit of a gap but binding that area separate and then heat setting has almost always eliminated it. I would guess if the gap is due to the strips not having the right fit, then it will still be there after heat setting. I wonder in your case if the glue set up too soon to close any gaps due to the higher heat.. I have had a section at times that will still show a bit of a line but not like it did before glue setting. I still get a bad stick once in a while. Just passing on what works for me. (Tony Spezio) I have not used Nyatex, but in my experience with Epon, I've found that 180-200 degrees is plenty to kick the cure over a 4 hour period. I, too, allow the sections to harden for 24 hours before removing the string. But at that point, I also scrape excess glue from the surface and then rewrap prior to heat curing to guard against the expansion you mention. I never knew if the rewrap was necessary, since at those modest temps, I never actually had a problem. But it always seemed like a good precaution. Nyatex may not be the same, but with most epoxies, heat only speeds up the cure. That is, the amount of heat doesn't determine whether or not the epoxy will kick, but determines only the time it will take. (Bill Harms) I have not shared this in a bit so I guess perhaps it is time. I have seen that sometimes there isn't the insight of how things came to be - the why do they do that. So . . . . For years I would leave the glue saturated binding thread on the rod sections through out the drying and heat setting of the glue. This added an element of real anxiety in having to file the thread from the rod section - especially the tips. Then Al Medved mentioned that he simply removed the thread for the heat setting step. The window of drying for Al was overnight. This works fine in the relaxed mode of day to day rodmaking. But . . . . .In the limited time period of conducting classes time becomes critical. Through some tests - sacrificing of a couple sections - it became a reassuring factor to remove the saturated binding thread and rewrapping them with fresh thread. The time window is this during a class session. The night the sections are glued most gluing is complete by about 11 and then early the next morning I have the rod sections stripped and rewrapped by 5 so that the sections are ready to work on when the students arrive at 8. (Wayne Cattanach) Thanks to everyone for their comments on Nyatex. FYI. I bound another butt section after gluing with Nyatex, left it for 24 hours, and removed the binding thread. Perfect, with no glue lines. I came back the next night and found glue lines. I'm convinced that I need to remove the initial wraps and rewrap to prevent the pressure of the bamboo strips from pulling/pushing the strips apart until the Nyatex has set completely. I think I'll glue, bind for 24 hours, unbind, rewrap and either let it sit or a week or put it in the oven at a temp below 200 degrees. We'll see. (Greg Peters) Just remember, if you heat cure epoxy, it will be difficult if not impossible to straighten your sections. (Al Baldauski) Well, I haven't used Nyatex, so I wouldn't know about that product. But your general claim about the difficulties of straightening heat-cured epoxies certainly doesn't pertain to Epon. I find that straightening a section after the heat-curing process goes very nicely. No difficulties of any sort. (Bill Harms) I had trouble straightening with Nyatex until Ron Barch showed me the iron trick. (Jeff Schaeffer) I used Nyatex on over 20 rods, and have made about 70 rods using several different formulations of Epon. Every single one has been heat-set, and I have no trouble heat-straightening rod sections. Of course, once in a while I get lucky, and there isn't much straightening to be done. But most of the time there are a few kinks, bends, and twists. (Harry Boyd)
I thought I would share some observations on Nyatex shelf life. I had some Nyatex that hit five years. There were a few flecks of stuff that could not be eliminated by stirring, and I finally did a rod where the stuff did not want to set up. After 24 hours it still was quite wet when I removed the string, and the rod was still tacky after the heat treatment. I had to hang it in my hot box for about a week before it was completely set up. It finally did, and everything turned out fine. But at that point I ordered a new batch. The Nyatex was stored on a basement shelf with no refrigeration. Furthermore, there was not a good seal between the lid and cans due to incredible sloppiness on my part when I tried to pour it into a bowl. And one of the cans had to be stored in a mixing bowl because it developed a leak. So conditions were as far from airtight as they could get. And this was the quart size, which is no longer available. The pints won't last as long as this stuff did. (Jeff Schaeffer) I couldn't imagine keeping a quart of each setting under the bench! I used small glass jars to store the adhesive in the refrigerator. I gathered up all the glass jars that I could find, that were in pairs (same size). I learned the hard way to allow the adhesive to come up to room temp. before breaking the tight seal of the lid. I think it will absorb moisture while warming. I have several jars of Nyatex that I bought 6years ago, I guess it's still good. A while back, I thought I had to have some Epon (828/3140). I couldn't find enough small glass jars, so I went to the local Ace Place and bought some glass jelly jars. They're 4 oz each and uses the wide mouth canning rings and lids. When the lid gets gummed up, just toss it and get another! They're easy to dip the adhesive out of and you only have a small amount setting around at a time! Each new jar opened is like brand new! Don't ask about my comparison of the two, they're both good! I have noticed that if I wait as long with the Epon as I do the Nyatex to straighten, remove the string, scrape, and rewrap for heat setting, the Epon seems to have set up more and a lot harder to straighten. Maybe just because it's newer. (David Dziadosz) I keep my working glue in squeeze bottles Walmart sells for ketchup or what-have-you, I just squeeze equal amounts into a Dixie Cup and mix it up with a bamboo stir stick(lots of those laying around). It's one of the perks of Epon 828 and 3140 is that the mix ratio works fine at 50/50, easy to eye as I squeeze the 2 parts equally into the cup. The rest of the quart bottles are in the back room somewhere, I'll dig them out when the ketchup bottles need topping off. (John Channer) I'll second Jeff's thoughts on Nyatex. The label indicates approximately a 6 month shelf life. After using the can for a year or so I became concerned that the glue might have to be tossed. I wrote way back when and asked the list about this. No one replied except one brave soul whose opinion holds weight with me. He indicated that perhaps folks were cautious in replying because if a rod went bad it might look unfavorably on them. Perhaps! I continued to use those cans for at least 5 years. The last rod I glued up with it worked fine but there was some sort of discoloration in it that freaked me out and I bought a new batch. That was at least 3 or 4 years ago. This batch is still going strong and if I have to buy a couple cans every five years or so is just fine with me! (Mike Shay)
I got a couple of inquiries about Nyatex, so here is some general information. Nyatex is an automotive epoxy that was designed to hold the flocked material on car roofs (I think). It available only from Nyatex Inc. in Howell, Michigan (they have a web site). Call them and order the bamboo rodmakers kit. Has a pint each of resin and hardener. They used to sell it by the quart, but had a lot of requests for pints, and the rules on shipping chemicals changed so they switched over. The liquids mix one to one, and it takes days to cure without heat set. I spoke with the Nyatex folks and they say the bond is strong without heat, but heating improves the bond strength. I slather it on, let it soak in for 5 minutes, then brush again. Bind, and let sit for exactly 24 hours. At that point the binding string should barely peel off. I then heat treat at 225 for two hours. the blanks are hardened, but let it cool and sit for another 48 hours before flexing. And I do not rebind for the heat treatment. I started using it because it was mentioned in Wayne's book and also the lovely reed. I stuck with it because it makes binding more relaxed (no rushing), and because it stands up to heat during straightening and in car trunks. It does give a slightly faster action to a rod than one glued with Titebond, and I notice a bit of diameter increase in finished blanks (a couple thousandths. I think it expands as it heat cures. But not enough to produce a glue line, and not enough to bother correcting. My original quarts lasted 5 years without refrigeration. At that point, there were some flecks developing in the resin, and I noticed a rod that did not seem to set up as quickly as those done previously. So I tossed it and got new stuff. The stuff is amazing. I guess the best testament is that I had a rat emergency, and needed something to whack it with. The only thing handy was an unfinished 4 weight butt section, and it was none the worse for the wear. Garrison used resorcinol, and one of his rods delaminated after being used to beat a rug. And yes, the rat died. I did not actually beat it to death, but did get in a couple of good hits before it zigged when it should have zagged and ended up in the jaws of "stormy" our heroic mongrel. (Jeff Schaeffer) This is very interesting but begs a couple more questions. How is cleanup with Nyatex compared to Epon? How do you remove it from the blank? Can it be washed off using spirits or vinegar like Epon or must it be scraped/sanded/filed off? Same question with keeping the binder cord clean. (Larry Puckett) My experience is that when blank is dry I use a tri-scraper and though tuff it flakes off pretty easily. It takes paint thinner to clean up, tooth brush, tweezers, etc. I apply on a sheet of aluminum foil so that’s disposable. My FSB has residue on troughs and I ream out axles every 5-6 rods. I like the open time but the odor is strong. Wayne's video shows his binder caked with it, but he keeps the moving parts cleaned up. I think it stiffens the rod a little too. (Chad Wigham) Just to add to that, instructions state to let sit for 10-15 minutes after initial mix and let chemicals work [it bubbles], seemed to make a difference during drying. I dry at 80-90 degrees for 24 hours, then de-string and scrape, and let set for another 24 hours, then feel I can heat for straightening. (Chad Wigham) I overheated a tip while straightening, using Nyatex. Been nervous ever since! Epon seems to take more heat for straightening. I think Nyatex gives you a more comfortable working time than Epon. With Nyatex, I could wait 16-18 hours, then do any straightening, then heat set. The first rod I glued up with Epon, that was too long! Next rod I was able to straighten at about 12-14 hours. But, I hung the sections in a cooler part of the garage. Garage and shop are both heated, but the rod shop is a bit warmer. I seem to have a bit more trouble with the drive belt on the binder with Epon. But recently I made a new drive pulley and haven't got it completely tuned yet. Which is better? Hell if I know! I think it's what you get used to using and learning the tricks! When I got this last batch of Epon, I put it in smaller jars to store in the refrigerator, I made the drive pulley out of what wouldn't fir in the jars that I had. I may go back to my JB Weld pulley. It's not as slick as the Epon pulley. Or, I might try T-88. It's a little softer and I have some that's needs to be used up because it's getting pretty old. (David Dziadosz)
There was a Nyatex thread a while back that discussed curing at low temperatures. I tried it in my drying cabinet, which hits 100 F with three sixty watt light bulbs. It cured overnight, but I left the sticks hanging for 3 days just for safety. Much easier than cooking it at 235 F for several hours. (Jeff Schaeffer)
As the second generation owner of Nyatex, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for including our company name and product description in your article. My father started a great relationship with a gentleman named Wayne Cattanach years ago in regards to rod making. He has always said that it was one of the most rewarding business contacts he ever made. I was hoping you would allow me to update some of the information I viewed in your article. In response to our rod building customers, about 5 years ago, Nyatex began offering our 2-part epoxy kit in pint quantities rather than quarts. We have found this size to be more convenient and since we still utilize steel cans with safety clips, the shelf-life is excellent. The kit is sold as a 2 pint package, in a reclosable carton, with all directions and safety data included. The price is $40.00, which includes shipping anywhere in the continental United States and some places in Canada. We offer technical assistance, at no extra cost, for the life of the product. We have the ability to take orders via the internet here. We can also take credit card orders over the phone. Again, thank you for including our company in your article and an additional thanks to taking the time to view the updates to this product. Regards, Jason Hulbert
Mike Shay introduced me to Nyatex, I love the stuff. I just bought some a few weeks ago and the process was quite easy and efficient. Has to be sent ground and includes a MSDS. The gentlemen seemed pleased that I was using it for making bamboo fly rods. I enjoy the pot life, the way that it handles through the binder and the mixing couldn't be easier. I also know that it works very well for light line bamboo rods on big feeshes, no set. I wear a mask (bandana) using lower grits, it is rough on the lungs. In the future, I will use a fitted mask when initially sanding blanks. ...and I think I'm going to get a set of Harry's fixtures to love Nyatex even more. (Adam Trahan) You can heat set with Nyatex by hanging bound sections overnight at 100 degrees F. Then turn off the light and let them hang for another day. No difference in bond strength between long, low heat sets and fast high heat sets. Nyatex said so. (Jeff Schaeffer) Nyatex also says (or said...maybe they don't say this any longer) that the same bond can be achieved with no heat set in a week or two. I don't think I buy that and who wants to wait that long? I don't want to wait a day after gluing! I use Wayne's advice on heat setting Nyatex at 235 degrees for 3 hours. It's just too easy. While Wayne also recommends waiting 24 hours at room temperature before setting, I wait 12, rebind and toss the sticks in the oven. I believe you though, that 100 degrees for longer will also work but why wait if you have an oven? Anyone using Nyatex skipping the air dry time and going straight to the oven? I'd love to glue and sand the same day! Much as I like to cook and eat the same day! And yes, I too love Nyatex, the smell, the tack, the latex gloves, the erotic slipperiness of... oh... never mind... more beer please? (Mike Shay) I got away from the oven treatment because I did not have a vertical oven, and was laying bound sections on a grooved board. I thought this was contributing to bends and kinks. I forgot to mention that I do let them hang overnight in my hot box, but with no heat. I then take off the binding string, hang them back up, and turn on the three light bulbs. I can get 105 to 110 F and by morning they are set. And I do not rebind before the heat goes on. Never had a delamination or failure in 30 or so rods so it must be good stuff. I do think that is important to let heated sections cool for 24 hours before flexing them. I once did a scarf with nyatex, and flexed the strip right after the 2 hours at 235 F treatment. It popped apart without effort. Another strip that I let cool overnight was strong and fine. I love the stuff. For several years, threads about glue problems would arise, and my post would always be the same: "if everyone used Nyatex, this thread would have never started". I do think that it adds a bit of stiffness to a blank - a rod made with an older taper from the hide glue era might feel a bit different that the original. Other than that I think it is the perfect adhesive for cane rods. (Jeff Schaeffer)
I used Nyatex to glue up a butt section for an eight foot rod, and removed the winding nearly 48 hours later. The glue was still very tacky. The room where I was hanging the rod section was approximately 60 degrees F and low humidity. This is when I went against my better judgment and applied some pressure to the section with a rolling pin to straighten a small bend near the tip of the section. I noticed the pressure that I applied caused the strips to separate. I immediately stopped and rebound the strips. The section appears to be O.K., but am I just hoping for the best. Will the glue still set properly after the strips were pulled slightly apart? Will the section just appear to be OK, when actually it isn’t? Any test I might use to determine whether the section is o.k.? I think the cool temperature in the room delayed the glue form setting as firm as I would have expected after a couple days. Thanks in advance for any thoughts regarding my predicament. (Steve Millsaps I use Nyatex for all my bamboo work. I would pull the strips apart, clean with a small scraper and re-glue them. 60 degrees is not as warm as I would be comfortable with. You can straighten after 12 to 16 hours if you only have minor little bends. Try to straighten as soon as they are glued. Also, I find Nyates sets very nice after a heat soak of 235 degrees for 3 hours. It will probably set even quicker than that but I have never given it a try. For what it is worth, I am getting ready to glue up a butt section of a two handed rod that I delaminated after it had been heat set. Talk about a job to get apart! It can be done. (Jerry Drake) My experience with Nyatex is it needs to be in the seventies to glue up properly. Mix A and B for 2 minutes. Let it settle for 1 minute, then re-stir for another two minutes, apply. 16 hours later remove the binding string, lightly scrape and sand to finish. To date I have had no problems with it and it’s been the only thing I’ve ever used. Will be ordering another batch within the next couple of weeks. (Ren Monllor) Forgot to mention, yes, I do heat treat after rebinding at 275 for 3 hours. (Ren Monllor) I happened to stop by Nyatex last fall to pick op some new epoxy from them & we got to talking about the stuff. They told me to mix it & let it sit for 15 minutes then mix it again before using. This is their recommendation. They said you may have some delaminations if you do not follow what they advise. Oh yeah & because of the bamboo rod builders you can now buy it in pints instead of quarts. They also told me there is no shelf life on it & as long as it is not hardened you can use it though they didn't recommend it. That was the reason the went to pints because they said guys were throwing out unused Nyatex because it started to thicken on them. (Bret Reiter) I haven't heat treated the bound strips. I've been letting them cure for seven days and then sanding. I bound the four days ago. Have I waited too long to heat? (Steve Millsaps) PS: The rod turned out just fine. We haven't noticed any problems with the section. 60 degrees is lower than usually recommended for epoxies because it slows down the cure. But it should only double the time. So if you let it set for 48 hours and it was still tacky, you may have measured your mix improperly. I would opt for splitting your strips apart, scraping and regluing. Otherwise, you’ll put in all that work and have your rod delaminate the first time you cast it after completion. However, if you’ve got four days on your glued section now and the epoxy is hard, heat set it (it’s never too late), and then flex the section about by whipping it back and forth hard a bunch of times. If it stays together, it may have a chance. The moral of the story is: DON’T stress your rod until the epoxy is WELL set. (Al Baldauski)
Just finished my first glue up with Nyatex, this is blank number 2 for me. I put this process together based on things I’ve heard, read or learned along the way-
Regarding step 8, I have a heat gun convection oven an don’t really trust it to heat set the blank. Please let me know what you think and you recommendations on how to improve the process. (Steve Donaldson) ~~~~ Step 2 If you are not going to heat set the blank just hang in a warm place until you can't stand not messing with it any longer then sand the blank. No need to rebind. My thoughts have always been if you are messing around with a blank and the glue has not fully set you run the risk of damage to the glue joint. I always straighten at glue up and then remove the string after I heat set the Nyatex. (Jerry Drake)
I was sitting in the shop tonight pondering. I first used Nyatex glue 31 years ago and the last couple gallons I bought were for the 2001 class I taught at the clubhouse. I am happy to report that I have not had a glue failure in that period of time which, when considering the rods built by students and I encompass many hundred. And because I broke up those last gallons I got into quart cans the glue is as fresh today as it was in 2001. So I think it will be ok to use making fly rods. (Wayne Cattanach) I have some that I forgot was in my unairconditioned shop in Phoenix. It hit 119 last summer out here & I am wondering if this affected it? (Bret Reiter)
I'm hoping some of you can shed some light on this topic. A buddy of mine just bought Nyatex and everything I have heard says that heat setting is a requirement. Is this the case? (Don Peet) I have used Nyatex since I first started making rods. I used to pick it up right from them in Howell Michigan when I lived in Michigan. I always heat set mine but in talking to them @ Nyatex they said this was not required. (Bret Reiter) Here is the contact number for Nyatex, they should be able to give you more information. I don't know if this gentleman still works there as this is information I have had for a long time but... Being the one that brought Nyatex to rodmaking, here is the information. Nyatex will cure to full strength without post cure heat treating. But, it is in the family of compounds that achieve molecule crosslinking when heat is added at the end of the curing process. Crosslinking can best be illustrated as shacking iron filings on a piece of paper and then holding a magnet under the mix...the iron particles go from a random order to being polarized with many of them bonding across each other. I chose to use the post cure heat treating but I know that Nyatex has been used without post curing very successfully. As a last insight, in the classes I used to teach it was a critical part of getting all the rod sections cured so that the completion in one week was achieved... (Wayne Cattanach) I have used nyatex for about a year and so far so good. After glue up I leave the stick set for 24 hrs. then heat cure it for approx. 6 hrs at 200 degrees F. I guess I am asking as much as telling. Am I doing the right thing in terms of time and temp??? Perhaps those of you who have more experience with it, especially Wayne, can some input on this. (Jim Killy)
I've been using Nyatex Epoxy for three years now and have been very pleased. It has a nice shelf life, dries somewhat clear and can be purchased by the quart. I think the last time I purchased it was $45 for a quart each of the two-part epoxy. (Cliff Nigh (7/17/2016)) Used to use URAC but started having delamination problems. I am now using Titebond Poly glue (purple in color). Long working time, short clamping time. (Marv Loopstra) I loved it when I lived in Michigan & could stop in & pick up my Nyatex. They have cut offs of my rods in their display. (Bret Reiter)
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