Hi all,

I am building a rod using the Fuji red painted reel seat which requires the use of a 15mm graphite tube to mount it on. I want this tube which is basic grey woven graphite, to match the reelseat and GL3 mahogany blank. I read about Dying woven graphite with RIT. My question is does RIT penetrate from the inside so that the colour is permanent, or is the colour only on the outside surface, therefore requiring some sort of top coat to preserve it?

I did a search and found that the results were mixed, so I'm hoping someone has done some more experimenting and has the answer?

Thanks in advance,
Mark

Mark Janeck
Custom Rods, Campbellville, Ontario

I've never tried it, but it would seem that you would need to remove the clear coat from the graphite before RIT could do anything, assuming it would actually work. It seems to my that you'd be better off using tinted Permagloss. Since it works on rod blanks, it certainly should work on the graphite reel seat.

Hi Gerry, yes I figure that if the dye can't penetrate the graphite from the inside of the tube, then it will not penetrate the clearcoat on the outside. I'm hoping that the inside of the tube has some "open grain" in the carbon weave that will allow the dye to penetrate and show through to the outside. Wishful thinking maybe.

I am a Permagloss rookie. I've never used it and just recently bought my first bottle. Can you give me a quick hint on how to do the tinted permagloss? What type of pigment is used? How applied? How much "thickness" does it add? The tube is matched to the reelseat exactly (15mm i.d.) so I can't add too much thickness to the surface of the tube.

Thanks again

Mark Janeck
Custom Rods, Campbellville, Ontario

If I am reading you right, the components are glued to the tube, and the tube is not seen ? Or am I thinking of a different seat ?

Hi Bill, yes you are partially right. The reel seat is mounted to the tube, but the seat is an ECS with blank exposure so the tube will be exposed, plus I will be doing a split rear grip so the tube will be seen there also. Lastly, I might show the tube in front of the seat also, not sure about that though.

Mark

Mark Janeck
Custom Rods, Campbellville, Ontario

Mark, I don't think that dying from the inside is going to give you the look you want. While there may be some open grain on the first layer, I can't see any dye really getting to the outside because of the resins used to "laminate" the layers together. Even if the dye could penetrate (which I can't see how), I can't imagine that you would have a consistent look.

I've dyed PG with testors paint pigment (no solvent) with decent results. Pour some into a mixing cup and add your tint. Make It so that the color in the cup is much richer than you want on the blank. It goes on extremely thin. I have read somewhere the exact measurements, but don't recall it, but think of a good varnish. Apply with lint free cloth or a coffee filter. I've read in here where some guys swear by a foam brush but I haven't tried it yet myself. You have to work very quickly as this stuff sets up ridiculously fast, especially if it's humid. When you tint, it doesn't look like much indoors but in the sun, it can give an awfully pretty look.

Keep us informed of what you do with it!

All I can find out is that they are triger casting seats that have no tube and are measured according to blank size ? Have no idea where this tube comes in ?

Thanks Mick.

Bill, normally the ECS is sized to the blank diameter as you mention, but in the case of the Fuji Painted seats, they are all 15mm i.d. (to minimize sizes that they have to paint) therefore they must be mounted on the 15mm o.d. graphite tube. Many of the unique Japanese rods like Megabass are done like this. The whole handle assembly is mounted on the graphite tube, then the tube is mounted on the blank, and can extend the length of the rod if necessary.


Mark Janeck
Custom Rods, Campbellville, Ontario

Idea What about instead of the tube, use a flex coat arbor and cut or file sand it where the blank opening is. Then perhaps you could just dye the cut to match the color of the seat ?
If there is not much space between blank and seat, maybe two smaller arbors, if very little tape arbors ?

Come to think about it, when I paint a seat, I don't paint the inside of the seat, maybe just enough to cover the edges.

Or even use the tube but trim it to match the size of the seat and cut out the opening so the blank shows.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2005 10:07AM by bill boettcher.

Maybe you could make your own tube using epoxy and make it whatever color you want?