I am in the final process of finishing a 10' surf rod. I have 3 double foot guides and 7 single foot guides on the rod. After several coats of Flex Coat Lite on my wraps, I have noticed voids or open spots under the guide where they turn upward and the wrap ends. I am thinking I should fill this area with Flex Coat due to environment where this rod will be used (salt & sand). Is this a good idea? Is this necessary? I have no under wraps on the rod. I thought I could drip Flex Coat from a toothpick into the area to seal and fill the void. What do you think about this?

Yes, you should do that and you should have done it while you were originally finishing the guides so it would all meld together as one piece. But doing it now will still work, I think. You just don't want water to be able to get in there plus you need that epoxy up along the sides of the guide foot in order to stabilize it.

Joe,
Yes, it is important to fill the tunnels formed by the guide feet and thread. This is one of the main things that keep the guides from twisting and coming out the front of the wraps (single-foot.) A toothpick makes a good tool to put a drop of finish right where it needs to be. Also, the wrap finish should extend slightly beyond the wrap and onto the rod to insure that the edges of the wraps are completely sealed.

Lynn

I actually have been using a large sewing needle embedded in a left over rubberized cork plug from a St. Croix handle kit to drop Flex Coat into the tunnels. It is especially effective on the smaller guides. A lot less messy than I saw when I tried the toothpick. And no finish is absorbed into the needle, like a wooden toothpick. I usually do this step right before I apply coat #2 or #3.

No tools needed if done immediately after the 1st THIN coat of finish is applied - turn the rod "guides down" and allow gravity and wicking action to fill that little void. Also, do not to trap any air in the tunnel by dabbing finish over the opening - go right up to the thread edge and stop. Let the finish wick in to fill the void. Once the void has filled, turn rod guides up and let set. Check again 10-15 min later and remove any excess finish that may be collecting on the bottom (wanting to drip).

24 hrs later apply the final coat and put on drying machine.

Lou

Same here...best to do when initially applying the first coat of epoxy. I like to attack the open spaces under the feet before I even worry about the rest of the guide wrap. I start by placing a drop on the wrap right at the beginning of the guide foot. I do this to each foot as I work my way down the blank. Returning to the first foot I then apply a good amount on either side of each foot again working my way down the blank. Again returning to the first guide, normally, epoxy has now worked it's way from the start of the foot over and out of the tunnel. Then I apply epoxy to the entire wrap over each foot. This gives me peace-of-mind. Jay