After placing Decal on rod, what would be the best method to protect it from getting scratch during normal wear and tear fishing on a daily basis? Would a thin coat of epoxy be sufficient with a small thread wrap above and below the decal be better as to possibly keep the epoxy from making the diameter of rod noticeably larger than main blank above decal? My rods take alot of abuse with different clients using rods on a daily basis.
Thank you,
Capt. Marvin Engel

Strongest stuff I can think of to protect decals is a urethane clear coat like permagloss or an auto clear.
Seal it well before applying the likes of permagloss. Hot stuff !

I coat my decals with Epoxy in the normal coarse of finishing

No decal on a fishing rod will hold up for long unless you put a protective coating over it. Most use epoxy, but Permagloss will work just fine. It is thinner, so it works best on a the water slide decals which are quite thin.

Putting a thread wrap above and below the decal is something you'll have to decide on for yourself. It's a matter of cosmetics. Many guys do use those trim bands above and below. In my opinion, it looks fine.

Always make sure to seal your decal before apply an epoxy or urethane over it. The slick surface of the decal tends to repel coatings. A single coat of color preserver is usually sufficient prior to topcoating with epoxy or PermaGloss.

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Tom,
I appreciate the information. I will put a coat of color preserver over decal before putting epoxy. I will probably put a thread wrap above the decal since I already have wraps below all the way down to the foregrip.
Thank you,
Capt. Marvin Engel