I have removed the snake guides from my rod in order to put on new single foots, but in the process of getting the old guides off, I have scuffed the blank finish. I can cover up half of the scuffs with the new single foot guides, but the other half needs some kind of shine - new epoxy, or is rod finish something different? And should I put something on before I do the new wraps, or just use the epoxy that I put over the new wraps?

The finish on the rod is actually a type or urethane but I think I would just go ahead and extend my thread epoxy over onto that area where the other guide foot used to be.

You might want to use an extra long wrap before going up onto the guide foot, say half the length of the foot. Then put 5 turns of blocking wrap ahead of the guide. You might have very little scuff left to cover with epoxy this way.

Just a thought , if the scratches aren't too deep , I think a coat of PermaGloss will get you where you want to be . Give it a try before you wrap , it's super thin , use a coffee filter , and wear a resperator and vent the room well. I think you will like the results . JD

Thanks, I will try using acetone to get off the last of the epoxy, then permagloss to cover up the scratches, then decide if I am going to put on the old snakes or get new sf's.

I'd shy away from using acetone on a rod blank; I've done it after the acetone is nearly evaporated off the towel. But if you flood the rod blank with it, it can damage the adhesives bonding the fibers of the blank together (graphite).
Putter

Thanks a lot - I thought denatured alcohol and acetone were relatively harmless - good to know the acetone is too strong for the finish.