Hi Guys,

How long will/can you let your first coat of rod finish dry before adding the second coat?

Got a new 1205 conventional turning right now, finish has been on since 10 AM. I've been waiting a whole day for coat 2, but I'd like to get a jump on it so I have a shot to use it on Monday night. (I like two days drying for the final coat with the AFTCO finish)

Aftcote sucks if you are in a hurry. You should be ok to recoat after about 12 hours but I doubt it will be fully cyred after this coat until tuesday or wed. Try driving it around in your car with the heat on. That might speed it up (the tackiness takes forever to go away and everything will stick to it if you try using it before the tackiness is gone) after it stops spinning.

Thanks for the reply. I've experienced the same thing when I fished a rod a day early, so I've tried not to rush since then. I wasn't sure if the first coat had to be dry for the second one to work well. I'm gotta be patient with this one so it comes out nice!

I think each 15 degrees of temp cuts the drying time of epoxy in 1/2. Put it in a warm room and turn on the heat. Also, as I understand it epoxy is not supposed to be fully cured (which takes longer than drying to the touch) before you recoat it....if it is you need to sand for adhesion (or so says the system three people). Provided the original mix is right, it will continue to dry after recoating. I'd guess waiting 18-24 hours at 70 degrees would be safe for most slow drying epoxies.