I just applied Flex Coat High Build on my first rod. I have a few questions if anybody would be so kind to help out a newbie. First, after I went back and smoothed out the finish I got a little messy by extending the finish passed the wrappings a little more than was neccessary so I took a paper towel with some acetone on it to clean up and get a nice even line but it appears that I took the finish off the rod blank. (Matte Black) I now have a dull line around the blank is this normal and if so what should I have done? Second, when I made my final tie on my wraps and go to pull the thread under it would peel the coating out the thread. Is this cause by my wraps being to tight?

Wraps are probably a little too tight. You only want to wrap them snug. If you can't move them after you wrap them, they're too tight.

Instead of acetone just use a paper towel with some rubbing alcohol. It'll do the same thing but it won't take your blank finish off.

I'm not really sure how you're going to repair that matte black finish though.

You had the right idea with the paper towel. I prefer a folded coffee filter for the same thingAcetone was your mistake. Acetone is a very strong solvent and there is no reason to ever use it near a blank (or your lungs). Denatured alcohol is what you should have used. It is the preferred solvent. Strong enough for any rodbuilding need. Another coat of finish extending beyound the dull area may well take care of it.

Mike

Harvey,
Acetone is too aggressive a solvent to use on rod surfaces. Denatured alcohol will work much better and is a lot safer to accomplish what you were trying to accomplish.
I do not know what the problem is with your wraps. Are you using metalized thread? If your wraps are a little tight then the metalized thread can tend to seperate. I think that it is actually a thin mylar tape over nylon and the mylar can come loose.
At this point I am not sure what to advice you. You might try to carefully go over the rest of the rod with a rag with a little acetone on it so that the whole rod will look the same but frankly I think that I would just leave it and not mess with the acetone anymore. There is the danger that the acetone will start to break down the epoxy that holds the fibers in the rod together if you get a little careless with it.

William and Mike,
you answered while I was typing. You must type faster than I do.

Emory,

My answer was faster, but yours was more thorough! :)

Mike

Thanks for the advice, My father always said "your own experience is your best teacher" chalk this one up for experience. Thanks again

Harvey,
I thought a little more about your problem and I think that I would try the following:
I would remove the guides and rewrap with regular thread. The metalized thread works a lot better as just trim wraps.
While I had the guides off I would go over the whole blank with fine steel wool, 00 or 000. If you go over the matte finish with fine steel wool it will buff it up, make it shine, and may hide the problem that the acetone created. Don't go over it enough that you remove all of the finish, just enough to shine it up. If you really want to play it safe try the steel wool on a small section of the rod just in front of the fore cork or possibly where the ferrule wrap will be. If you do not like the affect that you get you can always put a decorative wrap over the area in front of the fore grip.
Then I would rewrap the guides with a little wider wraps so that the combination of a little wider wraps and extending the Flex Coat about 1/8" past the wraps may hide the whole problem. No one will ever know and I will not tell.