I have just put the second coat of finish on a rod, this is my second rod. On a couple of the guides, I got too much finish on them and it is rounded rather than flat. After talking to some people and reading in the archives I have found 2 ways to fix it. One is to shave it off with a razor blade, the other is to sand it with a block.

My questions are: is one method better than the other, or is it a matter of personal preference? If using sandpaper, which grade of sandpaper should be used?

It has been about two weeks since I applied this coat. I have also read that it should be roughed up some with a scouring pad so that it will adhere better. Any type of pad better than others?

Thanks,

Keith

If the bulges are very large, you may wish to shave them down with a single edge blade and then follow by block sanding to get them smooth and consistent. 220 grip is probably enough and I would follow that with some 320 to minimize the sanding scratches. A quick going over with 400 and you should then be ready to recoat.

We see this problem a lot on this forum. One answer that can save you future frustration is to watch your rod wraps as the finish is setting. If you see the finish getting heavy, or lumpy or developing sags, chances are you've got too much finish on there and you should take your brush or spatula (or whatever tool you use to apply finish) and remove the offending sag or lump before it sets.

Even if you use a motorized rotator or dryer of some sort, don't just walk away and leave matters to chance. Check back on your rod 20, 30 or 40 mintues after you've applied finish and remove any heavy lumps or sags before the finish has set.
...............

Thanks Tom, I will get the sandpaper out tonight and give it a shot. None of them are very bad, but why not get it just like I want it. That is the beauty of this, your finished product will reflect the time and effort that one puts into it.

I knew that was a "common question" and really did try to find the answer before posting. You guys are great on here. Almost always I can find my questions without posting and just looking in the archives.

What a great resource.

Keith

Shave and sand as noted above.

One thing that MAY contrubute to the football syndrome may be the applying of "green finish". Roger Seider, Flexcoat, talks about waiting for five minutes or so before you apply finish to decorative butt wraps. His statement is "apply the finish to the guides first and wait at least five minutes before you apply to the butt section - the finish tends to do funny things if applied before polymerization starts to take place". I asked him about this and he seems to think that there are internal forces withing the film that can cause pulling, lumping and dimples, during the initial early stages of the resin drying process. I use Flexcoat Lite on guides and wait for at least 5 minutes before applying after mixing and aluminum pan bubble out. I initially had a lot of trouble with "footballs" but since I started waiting and doing the guides off the turner manually I get nice flat finish on guide wraps.

Gon Fishn

I used to sand and I used to reccomend it. But after having several cases where I hit the threads (near the ends of the wrap where the finish may be very thin) I have pretty much given that up. It takes about 4 coats of light finish to even start to fix a case of the "fuzzies". I cut and scrape with a sharp edge now if I have a lump.

I used Flex-Coat for years and sometimes still do. I prefer LS Supreme regular, but this works for both: Get a first coat on fast. Then go back to the first guide you wrapped. Fine-tune the finish by making everything you want to cover is covered and removing excess finish (bulges). I apply finish on a 16 or 18 rpm dryer. Ralph