I started building my own rods last winter and enjoyed using them all summer, I just brought them home and noticed that on a couple of rods , just at either end of the butt wrap, the epoxy seems to have pulled away and looks like there is none there. These are gaps in the epoxy of up to 1/4" and if you look at the rod it looks like none was ever put there yet adjacent to the gap it looks like a perfect circle. On one rod I can actually see the thread ends where the epoxy is gone. I used Flex coat high build, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ed; I'm guessing but it sounds to me as though you made your Cross Wraps with a lot of tension. the thread keeps pulling because it has been stretched. I had this happen on one of mine that I did many years ago. I filled the gaps with some colored nylon cord available from hardware stores and put more finish over it.

Epoxy is pretty darn stable. I doubt it has shrunk. Sometimes we see flaws later on that we didn't think were there to begin with, but they were. Or, Jim's explanation may be your answer.

..........

I saw something similar on a couple graphite surf rods. The butt wraps were "quicky" braid and thread chevrons and when the rods were brought back there were cracks in the finish thoughout the butt wrap ( guides were fine, same batch of finish).... CP was used prior to finsh, that could've played a role, along with thread/ or braid tension. I'll never know, it still baffles me six years later...I will add that it was amazing to watch this guy bend an 11ft rod heavy graphite rod ...too its limits!! ( the reason he should've returned the rods should've been by breakage or pulverized guides...not cracks in the butt wrap!!!l )


At least your not alone on this.