Wingbone finish

[alloutdoors]

I've been using ProKote on my wingbones with pretty good results. On the one I'm currently working on though I've been having a lot of trouble with it. After several attempts I finally noticed that the resin compound had separated and over half of it was sitting at the bottom of the bottle in a congealed cloudy glob. I tried mixing it back up but now the entire bottle sort of looks like the sludge you find at the bottom of a cereal bowl when a kid dumps on a ton of sugar. The ProKote is about a year old so I guess I hit its shelf life.

The call I'm working on is all done except for a finishing coat. It is currently covered in ProKote that has been sanded smooth. Obviously one option is to order more of the epoxy and finish it that way. I was wondering though if anyone has ever tried finishing with something else over a base layer of rod building epoxy, maybe some kind of clear coat?

I'm open to any suggestions. I'm also interested in what other people have had luck with for getting a smooth even finish over thread wrapping because I'm not sure I want to go with the ProKote again.

Thanks

[Gawhitaker]

I've been using a 2 ton 20 minute set time clear epoxy. Coat one end using a craft brush and turning it slowly by hand for around 20 minutes. Then hanging or setting on screw to let it dry.  Might give that a try on a scrap peice. Tried the 10 minute. It sets to fast for me. Hope this helps

[C_W]

I'm not sure if Prokote is like all the rest of the flexible rod finishes but if it is I'd be pretty hesitant of putting a hard clear on it.

I've always used a rod finish for my wingbones. I do have a hot box, and a turner for them to get a nice even glass smooth finish.
 

CW

[alloutdoors]

Thanks guys, I think I managed to come up with a solution. I measured out the resin amount that I needed onto a metal spoon and slowly heated it with a lighter. That seemed to dissolve the little clumps and it went back to being clear instead of cloudy. Then I mixed in the hardener and applied as normal. It's on the turner right now so I'll find out tomorrow if it is going to set up properly, but at this point it seems to be behaving as it should.

C_W, I'm interested in your hot box. I assume you built it yourself, what did you use for a heat source? Lightbulbs or something else?

I may play around with some other finishes like the faster setting epoxies. I would still be interested in any other suggestions people have for a finish, I'd like to have a few options in my bag of tricks.

[C_W]

It's just a light bulb with a thermostat that I have set at about 95. I built a box out of 1/4" plywood attached the light and thermostat on the inside, and ran the wiring to a combo outlet/switch on the outside. The switch controls the light/thermo and I use the outlet for the turner. It's nice to be able to leave all the resin bottles inside the box while building calls. I run my mixes "hot" with extra hardener, and I can cut the cure time in about half. When I was doing a lot of layered wraps this trimmed the time to completion greatly.

CW

[rutandstrut]

I boil them in water and Dawn Dish Soap.
Blow out all the Marrow and scrape off any cartilage or flesh that is still attached.
Boil them a little longer to get all the oil out of the Bones.
Then I soak them in 40% Peroxide for up to 24 Hours
Shaking to agitate container occasionally.
Once this is done I allow them to dry on Paper Towels.
I will then fit the bones together, sanding as necessary to fit them without forcing them together.
I then mix up the epoxy and get the surgical cotton.
I will saturate the cotton in the waterproof marine epoxy and wrap and pack it into the joints.
Once joints are packed I will wipe off any excess epoxy and allow them to dry.
Once dry the sanding process begins. I will sand using various grits to achieve a smooth and consistent finish and blend the joints into the overall call to knock off any sharp edges and improve the overall look of the call.
The only finish I use is a non drying (it won't dry while you are polishing) micro polish until I get the desired shine and smoothness I am looking for.
Then I drill the Bone and attach snap hook for lanyard and epoxy it in.

[Crueeldude13]

I cheated one time and took the wing bone from a thanksgiving turkey lol.
Used epoxy and wrapped black thread on top of that. Finished off with a bit of car cleaning clay.
Came out pretty decent.