Ok, I have a question and I can't seem to find the answer anyhere. Is the epoxy I use on my wrapped guides different from the finish? I am assuming so. The finish is for the whole rod (?) and the epoxy is only for the guides(?). My rod is nearly done and I can't seem to the information I need about this last subject. Any help here would be appreciated.


Adam Rossiter

The finish on a rod blank itself is more of a paint or varnish, not an epoxy type finish like you would put on the guides.

So, after I expoxy the guides I will then coat the entire rod in the finish? Does this include the already epoxied guides?

Adam Rossiter

Rods blanks are finished at the factory. There is no need to apply any finish to the blank unless you are doing a color change or something

Mike

Some rods come out in a matte finish which looks "unfinished". If you want a gloss look to these type of blanks, you're probably better off doing that first, before wrapping or putting the handle on it. Pretty hard to do a good job of this afterwards; can be done, but not nearly as easily.

Some builders do use 2-part wrapping finish (epoxy) on the entire blank, but it's not as hard as a Permagloss-style blank finish. It scratches easily and looks like heck in short order.

Permagloss is a great blank finish and can be tinted with pigments to color the blanks, also.

Putter
Williston, ND

Thanks for the advice. I guess I can get it done then. I have made a marathon out of my first rod (quitting smoking and guide spacing were a major train wreck for me). But its fishing season and my buddies got me a new reel just for me custom rod. Its nothing special for sure but I built and there will be a lot of satisfaction out of slaying maying rock fish with it.


Adam Rossiter

There are two types of common epoxies used in rod building - the epoxy adhesive for mounting grips and seats, and the epoxy finish for coating the guide thread wrappings. Be certain you're using the right one for the job at hand.

..............

Figure it this way - if after you finish it if you don't like it, you can strip it down and do it over. Good experence

To give you a little context, you can use a rod finish for both the blank and the wraps in two different operations. Permagloss can be used this way. Generally folks leave the blank bare or as finished by the factory. If you wish to color a blank, tinted permagloss is a good bet. Epoxy is used for the wraps only and is a different type of epoxy from the component glue.