The graphite rod I'm currently disassembling has a finish that is pretty beat up - some small "chunks" (nothing major) and lots of wear streaks. The color of the blank was originally dark gray but the small chunks and wear streaks have apparently gotten down to the black color of the blank itself. Since I'm a doofus at this, what is the best way to refinish the entire blank back to its dark gray color - paint or urethane? Any specific brand(s) of paint or urethane to use? And I rather stay away from any spraying if possible and go with a hand-applied finish if possible. Sorry if this takes up space on a topic I'm sure that has been discussed before, but I haven't found any "specific" information that makes sense to me in the archives - as I said, I'm a doofus at this - BUT WANTING TO LEARN!!! Thanks for any help!!!

Clear urethane over the natural charcoal finish will give you a gloss charcoal finish like many of the original graphite rods had. Very nice look I think.

Do a search here on this site for blank refinishing or painting. There has been a TON of info on how to best do this in the past.