I'm working on re-wrapping and re-finishing a 50-80 lb. class rod that was previously expoxied over the whole rod. I use Aftcoat finish most of the time, but i sometimes use flex coat. When a removed the finish from the rod, it really didn't look too great, but putting finish right back over it would make it look almost as good as a new rod. Now.....what type of finish would be best for putting on a thin coat over the whole rod?? I really like the Aftcoat, but haven't had much experiance with the Flex Coat. Any suggestions?
Thanks,

Matt

No, epoxy thread wrapping finish is not made for coating blanks. Please read the rod refinishing article in the online library here. Use either Klass Kote or a urethane. Permagloss is excellent. They're light, thinner, tougher and will bond to the surface better than an epoxy casting resin will.

.........

New follow up question....the article says to use klass Kote...do i coat the entire blank without guides or thread, AND THEN re-wrap the rod over top of the klass coat?
Thanks,
Matt

Matt,

Coat the blank without the guides..then rewrap it.

I once re-coated an old Lamiglass S Glass flyrod. You can imagine the flex in one of those things. I used an ordinary over the counter urethane in flat finish.

First I scraped the excess wrap epoxy off the blank. Next I sanded the entire blank with extremely fine grit sand paper(something above 320 grit, poor memory) followed by 2 or 3 coats of urethane with a light sand between coats and then wrapped as usual.

The rod has been around a long time, exposed to various weather including very cold winter fishing and there are no signs of any failure in the finish.

Matt,

Klass Kote works great, but use with caution. The fumes from that stuff are ruff. I've had some problems with mixing in some plastic containers. This stuff mixes hot and can eat the bottom of some containers. So uses in a well ventileted area.

Hank
On The Rocks Fishing
Wells, ME.

U-40 Permagloss urethane

Hello Matt
The best way to coat a rod is to dip it however most builders do not have that capability.
Another very good way isto use U40 Perma Gloss.

First clean the blank with alcohol. Then using a good quality coffee filter saturate a piece of it with Perma Gloss, wrap it around the blank starting at the butt end and using a slight twisting action wipe on as thin a coat as you can over the entire blank. Hang it for drying. Let is dry for 4 to 6 hours before doing anything else with it.
It is best to let it dry 12 hours.
Perma Gloss is a very tough, durable and bright finish on rod blanks and it is made to do this. It is also an excellent light weight thread coating.
See you in the Trondak booth in Charlotte.
Regards Joe Kassuba



His Rod Shop
Joe Kassuba

Joe,

I am assuming the coats are thin enough that sagging isn't an issue? Are multiple coats suggested, and if so, is there any preperation needed between coats? Are there any chemicals used during re-building that might affect the Perma Gloss, Ie. color preserve, alcohol, etc...? Thanks!

Hello Shawn
Sorry to take so long getting back. But I just got back to the board this evening.
One coat is sufficent. Apply a thin coat of Perma Gloss for best results. A thin coat will cure to the toughest finish. You will gain some depth of finish look by applying more than one thin coat. This is a personal preference that you can decide upon. Using a coffee filter does two things for you:
First it is essentially lint free so you will not have any particles to contend with.
And two you will not be able to load it to much to where you will be putting it on too thick.
You may want to practice on a piece of old rod and see for yourself.
After Perma Gloss is cured you can use an alcohol damped towel to clean excessive epoxy from mounting you grips and or reel seat.
I do not know of any rod builders thread color preserver that isn't safe to use.
Multiple coats of Perma Gloss are commonly used when it is applied as thread finish. Instructions come with perma gloss and should be followed for best results. It is pretty straight forward to use. It is a humidity curing Urethane based product that has a volitale thinner.
If I can be of futhre help let me know.
Joe

His Rod Shop
Joe Kassuba

Joe, good stuff, thanks! Matt, I didn't mean to jump into your post, but hopefully my questions will help you too. Joe, still a few questions. I am in the process of re-finishing a good friends father's very old fiberglass boat rod. I have stripped all the old urethane and epoxy off and sanded the blank down to a smooth surface. My hope was that a second coat might help fill in some of the dings and scratches the rod has recieved over the years. It sounds as if the coats are so thin, that it would take numerous coats to achieve that? If one wanted to put a second coat on, how long would you recommend waiting before applying it and is there any surface prep before that second coat? Is the initial application thin enough that one could essentially mount the rod perpindicular to the floor and coat from tip to butt leaving it in that position to dry rather than hanging it as you had suggested earlier? When coating with the coffee filter, is there any specific stroke you prefer? Lastly, what is the shelf life on the Perma Gloss? Thanks again!

Hello Shawn
Perma Gloss will not fill in dings and scratches. It will cover them and the rod with a tough shinny coating of finish.
You can use as many coats as you want too. Let the first coat dry over night thereafter you can recoat in 6 to 12 hours. I have found best results waiting 12 or more hours between coats. The surface to be finished needs to be clean. The smoother it is the better finish you will achieve. I suggest you try this on a piece of scrap rod and then go to your friends rod.
You can coat from tip to butt. I have found for me that going from butt to tip is best. I use a wiping motion twisting only slightly after I have wrapped the saturated piece of coffee filter around the rod.
Shelf life of Perma Gloss is depended upon how well you can keep it closed. If you leave it open it will thicken and become useless.
Pour some into a small container for use and close the bottle.
I have developed a method of that greatly increases shelf life by using a small new (never been used) paint can. I use a quarter pint size. Put a small hole into the base of the can and insert (screw in) a #8 or # 10 screen door eyelet. Pour in the Perma Gloss and seal the lid tight.
The seepage around the eyelet will seal itself and the eyelet is now your spigot to extract what you need each time for use.
The shelf life is 6 months to more than a year tipically for me using the can storage.
I would not use anything but alcohol to clean a rod and this will not cause any problem with Perma Gloss. Acetone and other thinnners are to unfriendly to me physically. I will be seeing Ralph this coming weekend and will check with him regarding thinners and cleaners that could affect Perma Gloss. I know that damp Alcohol wipes do not after it is fully cured.
Hope this all helps.
Regards Joe

Joe, thanks again for all your help! I am pretty sure I got the basics. I had intentions of trying it on a piece of blank prior to the rod itself. I wouldn't use acetone anyway because at this point the rod is almost down to bare fiberglass. Again, this rod is old and has obviously seen some miles. I would think the acetone might affect the structural integrity because the finish is worn off completely. In any event, I wouldn't use anything other then alcohol during the balance of the re-building process as that is what I use to thin my color preserver when used. I do however, appreciate the follow through! My only last nagging detail, would be how you proceed to handle the rod and coat it with the Perma Gloss with out affecting the fresh coat you just put on? I guess I envisioned myself taking a card board box and cutting a hole in it so the blank fit snuggly inside and supports the weight of the blank perpindicular to the floor. This would allow me to wipe the finish on from tip to butt or vice versa and walk away to allow it to dry without any additional handling. Sound feasable?

Shawn,

I use a large bottle (about quart size) to stand the blank up right.

If I were to use U40, can I use two part epoxy for wraps, or do I need to stick with U40?

U-4o makes several products besides Perma gloss, Including an excellant 2 part finish. Ypu can certainly use any 2 part finish over you wraps. Some people use Perma Gloss as a wrap finish also (takes more coats than regular finish)

If you are going to finish a blank with Permagloss, I would do it on a bare blank. After that, you can pretty much build it anyway you want

Mike

I agree with Mike...Just PermaGloss the bare blank...then treat it as you always do.

Tom...If you still following this thread.

The email notification on posts is SWEET! The one down fall (before the mb change) is that messages would roll off and get lost in just a day...this is great!

Thanks