Thunderbird Epoxy

[matt_w]

So I started spraying thunderbird recently and am having great luck with it using the little preval spray units I heard about from some of you guys here on Tradgang. I wanted to say thanks for the great info because living in an apartment I don't really have the resources to have a normal spray setup...anyways, my question is, I realized that I have enough thunderbird to spray about 50 bows and although I wish I had the time to make 50 bows before the epoxy starts to go bad, I know I will likely only be able to make a dozen or so. So, I have two questions...does the epoxy really go bad within 2 years of opening it or can a guy make it last a little longer than that? Also, looking at other uses for it so it doesn't go to waste, how does it work on wood arrows? I would imagine it would be a good sealant and would be a tough finish but I guess I don't know if it is just more work than it is worth.
Thanks

[bjansen]

It is a great finish for many things.  I have thunderbird epoxy on my wooden kitchen counter tops, furniture I made, knife scales, etc.  I think it would work fine on arrows too but I never tried.  

I bought by gloss kit almost 4 years ago and it is still as good as new.  Although, I bought a flat kit and after 2 years it did start to gel up and I tossed it.

[matt_w]

Thanks for the reply. I guess if it lasts that long maybe I will use it all. The gloss I have really didn't even need to be mixed, I mixed it, but it wasn't gelled up at all. The flat on the other hand seemed like it had separated someone and I had to mix the thick bottom gel in. Is that typical with a new can of flat? Both part A and B were the same with the flat...just gel on the bottom.

[carpin'mark]

That is normal for the flat, the gel on the bottom is the 'flat', they're the same resin but with an additive to reduce gloss and this settles over time.
I have good success taking plastic wrap and folding it once or twice, laying it over the securely closed lid and using the plastic ring it came with gently snapping it over.
Air is its enemy, if you can seal it well it will last longer, the gel will tend to hard settle and needs thorough mixing or you will get inconsistent patches of flat/sheen.

[matt_w]

Alright, the flat being the gel portion of the mix makes sense. I just put the final spray on a bow last night with a mixture of flat and gloss...think it is going to turn out well. I will probably make up some wood shafts now and use some of the spray up on them. Thanks for the help guys.

[M.Kerry Bird]

I'm not familiar with this spray method? I tried thunderbird in a conventional spray gun and hated it.

[matt_w]

Its just a small self contained spray unit called Preval and you can pick them up at Menards for $5. I have heard you can spray 2 bows with one unit and in my opinion it works really slick. Easy cleanup and I don't need all of the equipment. I bought 2 of them and the one glass bottle I have thinner in and the other I used to mix my epoxy. After each coat, I would just unscrew the spray unit from the bottle containing the epoxy and put it on the thinner and spray a few seconds of thinner through it and I haven't had any trouble with the unit plugging up. Quick and easy and I am really happy with the results. Got a lot of comments from other people about how nice the finish was on the 1st bow I sprayed with it. Going to spray another bow in the next week with it so hopefully it wasn't just beginners luck. I have never tried a conventional spray gun so I can't be any help comparing the two, but this method worked well for me.