Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Confirming my mother's suspicions that I was dropped on my head as an infant, I just pulled what seems like what ought to be the biggest screw-up in the storied annals of rodbuilding. I humbly come before this learned group, seeking advice. Here's the story, which I will blame on the aforementioned drop and a few St. Arnold's Elissa Pale Ales.

So, I'm building a 12 wt. on a St. Croix Legend Ultra blank. Thrilled to pieces, can't wait to get it together. Start in on the handle assembly tonight. Ream a Flex Coat arbor just right, and Scotch-brite the butt end of the blank. Except (here's the really good part) - I realize after Scotch-brite-ing (is there such a word?) - that I've Scotch-brited the second piece of the four-piece blank. Stunning. The true butt end sits, beautifully untouched, on my workbench. I ponder the depths of my stupidity. Stop and quickly drink another St. Arnold's, thinking "what in the (FILL IN THE BLANK) have I done?"

I hope against hope that I am not the only one in the entire universe who has committed this gaffe. So, here's my question. Is there any way to salvage the finish on the blank section I've incorrectly scuffed, or am I stuck buying a new blank? Is it possible that St. Croix could repair the particular section by reapplying a finish? While I doubt the scuffing did anything structurally to the blank, I would prefer not to fish the cosmetically ruined rod. I can only imagine the number of times I would have to explain it, and the suffering I would have endure as the butt of my fishing buddies' jokes. Shudder the thought.

So, what do you think? Is Bob at Hook & Hackle due some additional business, or can I recover? As always, any thoughts appreciated. And hey, at least I can laugh at myself.

Regards,

John "Pass the Dunce Cap" Boatwright

Well, just a thought, but how bad did you scuff it? If it's just enough to dull the shine a little, scuff the rest of the rod, put a coat or 2 of perma gloss on it, and wrap it up.

Larry

John... Now that I've stopped laughing, and my wife has stopped laughing (after I called her over to see if she didn't agree that this sounds like something I would do) I gotta say that I could put out a DVD on how not to build a rod. I've done a my share of bonehead plays... and your share, and his share....

I haven't pulled off something quite like this, so I don't have a for-sure answer. I'm not sure if St. Croix would be able to help you (I'd be surprised if they did, actually), but it doesn't cost anything to ask. You could do a minimal thread decorative wrap over the area, and the finish would hide it, although you will take a beating from the performance minded folks. At the least, you could give it a wipe with permagloss and do some buffing to blend.

Or you could offer it up for sale at a small discount to see if someone else can live with it and get a new setup and not be out too much cash. I'd offer to take it off your hands myself but it's a bit outside the type of fishing that I do.

Good luck John and thanks for sharing the blooper!

Gotta borrow the phrase again; I feel your pain! Try some Permagloss after exhausting all solicitations of St. Croix help (who knows, after they stop laughing, too, they might feel for you like we do??).

Putter
Williston, ND

Go with Putters suggestion. I would put a little on my finger and just lighly cover the effected ares. You might use a coffe filter or spong to wipe off excess or smooth the finish.
Good Wraps Bob. Joe Kassuba works Perma Gloss all the time, he may have a better idea. joe@hisrodshop.com
Good wraps Bob

John,

How bad did you scuff it? If the scratches are only in the top clear coat (asssuming there is one) then you may be able to use progressively finer grades of scotchbrite to scuff the blank back to a shine.

If that doesn't work Larry's suggestion sounds prety good to me.


Mark

If the scuffing isn't too deep, an mildly abrasive car polish or even a metal polish should bring a mirror shine back to the finish. Since I live in South-Africa I can't recommend any specific brands or products, but abrasive car polishes will usually have something along the lines of "removes old paint / surface scratches" or "renews the paint surface" written on the label.

Try this first before resorting to more drastic measures. I have used this trick to good effect on quite a few rods with minor scuffs. Apply and polish with a soft cloth.

Good luck.

Sorry to hear about the goof up, although I enjoyed the entertainment value. Repeating some of the other suggestions, given that the scuffing was light and didn't penetrate the factory clearcoat through to the blank, there is a chance that you can use "rubbing compound" and bring it back to to a gloss. If it were me, I would use my 3 wheeled buffing set, and progressively buff it back. Option 2 is to apply permagloss and then if the finish doesn't quite match, buff it to see if you can blend the finishes.

First give St.Croix and email and let them know, you may get lucky.

Good Luck,
Mark

Mark Janeck
Custom Rods, Campbellville, Ontario

John
One way you can tell if the permagloss will work is to wet the section. This will act like a clear coat and you can see how bad it is. Bring it out in the sun if you can true light.
No beer when building !!

All, thanks for the suggestions. I will file those away for future reference. I emailed St. Croix's service group this morning, and they were kind enough to offer to rebuild the blemished section for me. As I told them, the minor cost was well worth the protection from endless kidding it afforded my fragile ego.

As I get further into this hobby, I continue to be pleasantly surprised at the excellent customer service I've received, from rod manufacturers and supply houses, to folks on this board. In this instance, St. Croix's helpfulness, on top of a fantastic product, is something I'll certainly remember.

Best regards,

John Boatwright

John: Endless kidding indeed, especially with a name like yours.

You ought to hear me try and explain why I don't get a break on purchasing a Boatright Skiff....

Just keep that boat right -----side up LOL

John,

Thanks for sharing that, I think............I finished with all the delicate rod work I was going to do last night so I popped a cold one to keep me company while I glued up a couple of rods to work on today. Well needless to say I had read your post, and I must have checked at least 10 times on each blank I was gluing to make sure I was roughing the finish on the correct section.........lol Almost took all the fun out of having a few cold ones at the end of the day.....Almost that is...........lol

Kirk

For future snafus such as this one, you would do well to purchase some Menzerna polishing compound (get their pre-polish as well). This polishing compound is a hi-end product that is used extensively in the musical instrument industry. It performs exceptionally well on modern polymer finishes (the grit is very uniform in size). Homestead finishing carries this line of compounds (www.homesteadfinishing.com).





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2005 08:52AM by Mark Van Ditta.