I will be replacing the guides on my old fly rod.

I don't own an electric rod turner so my question is. Is it possible to use an epoxy on the guide wraps and turn by hand? If so, how often?

I read on another site that I should use varnish if I don't have a rod turner.

Any advise?

Thanks

I have never used a rod turner on any of my epoxy finishes. Someone gave you some bad information.

However, they were probably wondering how to keep an epoxy from sagging and dripping without a turner. Well, you do it the same way you do with a mechanical turning device, you spin the rod by hand.

Do this - apply your finish as normal. As you apply it you'll be turning the rod so everything will be fine. Once you've got all the wraps coated, put the guides down and let the rod sit for a minute or two. As you notice the finish start to get a little heavy on the bottom side, flip the rod a full 180 degrees so that the guides are sitting straight up. Now let it sit there until the finish begins to get a little heavy on the bottom. Don't wait for sags to form, just flip the rod when you notice the finish on the bottom starting to get a little heavier than it is on top.

At first, you'll have to flip the rod about every 3 to 5 minutes (or less) but within 30 or 45 minutes, that will change to about 5 to 10 minutes. After an hour, you may only have to flip the rod every 10 to 12 minutes. After 2 hours, you should be set. But never walk away until you're sure the finish has set to the point where it will no longer move.

Yes, this requires that you baby sit the rod for a couple hours. But it will give you exceptional results.

...........

I do the same thing Tom does. However, if you use very light coats of finish, you can get by with less frequent turning. I apply my finish to all the wraps with a nice flood coat. I then use a dry brush to remove any excess finish. By doing two coats like this, I can get by with turning every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour and every 20 minutes the second hour. You can see my results in my gallery, loudog99. The forecast w/ stained insert was finished this way just last week.

Good Luck,

Lou

Same for varnish, but you can often leave after 1/2 hour and turn less often. Of late, I will use 2 coats of varnish and 1 of Klass Kote epoxy paint. Klass Kote will finish in 2 coats by itself, but it is smoother using varnish first. Varnish by itself takes 6 or so to build up enough depth.

I hand turned my rods for years. To minimize your actual babysitting time, use a digital kitchen timer. Set to two minutes and rotate the rod 180 degrees every two minutes for around 16 minutes. Then set for three minutes and rotate the rod 180 degrees every three minutes for around 15 minutes. Then set for four minutes and rotate the rod every four minutes for around 16 minutes. Continue to add a minute or two from this point on until you feel the finish has stopped sagging

The benefit of a loud digital timer is that you can do other things between turns. Just don't forget to reset the timer between cycles.

Good luck,
Jeff Shafer