What exactly is meant by "roughing up or scratching" a rod blank before signing it? I put a 3M pad on my last rod and you can see the scratches. Please advise. Also, do I put a coating of Crystal
Coat down first and then sign on that?

You can put some epoxy down first or you can write directly on the blank. "Roughing" is probably not the best term to describe what you need to do. "De-gloss" is probably the better term. The grey (fine) Scotchbrite pad will quickly de-gloss the blank surface without leaving much in the way of scratches that would be large enough to see once finished over.

Do keep in mind that Scotchbrite and similar pads come in various grades (similar to sandpaper grits) and for de-glossing you only need the finer ones.

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Hi Tom! What grade of 3M pad do you recommend? Is the grey pad what I need or does it come in different sizes? The rod I'm working on now has a matte black finish.

The grey in the 3M Scotchbrite line will be the fine grade. I'd use that.

Some builders put down an initial layer of epoxy and then work on that rather than writing directly on the blank. It tends to lift the signature off the blank and also gives you a more forgiving surface if you have to redo or rework the signature in order to get it to your liking.

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Hi Tom! I have the grey pad and used it last night. I signed my name with a quill pen and acrylic waterbased paint directly on the rod. If I redo it and place a coat of epoxy down first, would I have time to put another final coat on it so it can be used this Saturday. Saturday is the traditioinal oepning day of fishing in PA. I want to present the rod to my nephew on that day.

BEWARE: Color has NOTHING to do with grade. You should be using Superfine or 0000 steel wool only. All others will mar the finish and leave deep scratches that finishes will not remove.