I'm getting ready to finish my first rod with Flex Coat light. There are a couple places where the thread has a little fuzzie spot. Can I take care of these after applying the finish?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2005 12:22PM by Leon Mack.

The fuzzies can be quite troublesome. If there is a chance that a rewrap could be done before finishing it could be the best thing. If you are using a thread tenioner it could be that too much tension was applied. Consider a spool tensioner. Inspect the spool of thread to be sure that a defective thread was not the culprit. You may get away with trimming the nubs off with a sharp razor blade after applying the first coat. Every time I have had this occur nothing would cure the problem except a rewrap.

Good Luck - Gon Fishn

Hello Leon,
Bill is correct. The fuzzies can be a problem. Sometimes you can solve the problem by using an alcohol burner and singe the fuzzies away. You must be very careful. Hold the rod with the wrap area about two inches above the alcohol flame and rapidly rotate the rod for a few seconds (1-2 seconds). Very often this will solve the problem. This is also effective for getting rid of nubbins which are left when you don't cut the tie-off thread close enough (or when your razor blade is too dull). I use 91 or 99% rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol for this purpose). You can buy an alcohol lamp from a good fishing tackle and/or flytying store, or from one of the sponsor on the left. The secret is to work quickly. I also use a magnifying lens to locate the fuzzies and see that they are gone. Good luck.

Mike Blomme

A good way to lay down the fuzzies is a thin undercoat of CP or a rod finish like Gudebrod 840 applied and then removed with a palatte knife in one direction. You can literally stick the thread down into the finish. This might work with a spot application of the Flex Coat before the big event, but I would be concerned that the flood coat would float the threads back up or that you would get uneven penetration. If you intend to use 2 coats of the Flex Coat, you can remove the first coat as you go with the palatte knife, but a thinner finish would work better and have a longer pot life.

If your a "hobbyist" (amateur) type builder like me, re-wrapping to achieve perfection without any fuzzies would be a never-ending quest. I do a quick pass with one of those long-stemmed butane lighters (for lighting a grill or fireplace)...like swiping your finger thru a bunsen burner flame in chemistry to impress your friends. Then, if there is still a problem after the first coat of finish, I take a very sharp, fresh scalpel blade as parallel to the rod as I can get and shave the defect off...works for any bubbles, too. The next coat of finish will cover your tracks. Having said all of this, I don't have too many fuzzies...check to see if you have a thread problem as already mentioned if you have lots of fuzz.