Hello all,

I am new to the craft, and this site, but went to Charlotte this year and learned a ton and the info here has been incredible. I am building my first rod for my little girl. I have completed an open diamond butt wrap using a rice royal blue metalic and gudebrod white (not NCP). The rod is cobalt blue and I have Flexcoat CP to apply to keep the white from darkening. My question is, when I apply the CP on an open wrap do you run the CP over the thread and onto the rod to keep the finish coat from wicking under the edge of the wrap? Also I did a search and learned that it would be bad if you touch the CP while it is drying, is this the case only while drying or should it be hands off untill finish is applied. the last question is how long after appling CP should I wait before appling the finish.
I hope these questions don't seem to idiotic, but I'm kinda jacked about how well this rod is turning out and I don't want to screw it up at the end.

Thanks, Craig



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2006 05:33PM by Craig Godwin.

Welcome to the addiction Craig! (and you will become an addict believe me!)

Cover the wraps and the blank with a heavy coat of C.P. then wick off the excess
drips with a paper towel from underneith. (try not to touch the wraps with the paper towel)
The F.C. should dry in about an hour or so depending on conditions. You can speed up
the drying time with a hair dryer.

apply 2 coats just to be sure you have complete coverage.

DO NOT disturb the CP while it sets or after. If you do you the CP will turn white where it
was touched. (found this out the hard way by letting someone handle a rod before the
fininsh was applied, white fingerprints!)

I have applied the finish as soon as 1/2 hr after applying the C.P. and using the hair dryer
with no ill effects but I recommend you wait over night if it is cold and humid in your area.

While I really like the Flex-Coat thread finishes I don't care for their C.P. because of the white
milky look it has until it sets and the white effects if oyu touch it after it drys.

I recommend Gudebrod 811 but thats just me.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Craig – In general, for threads that need CP, two saturating coats of Color Preserver should do it. Using more coats of CP can prevent good adhesion of the thread finish.

In your particular case, Craig, the Metallic Thread does not really need CP. And the White thread usually holds its color better if you start with an NCP-White + CP, especially since the blank is such a strong dark color.

Perhaps your best bet at this stage, Craig, is to slow down and do a mini test wrap on a 1 cm section of the rod blank halfway between the butt wrap and the butt guide. Just do a trim band type of thing that has about the same width and color distribution as your butt wrap. Don’t worry about making it perfect. All you are going to do is apply CP and check the color. DO NOT apply any thread finish. This little color test wrap will give you a very good idea of what your metallic Blue thread and especially your regular White thread will look like, BEFORE you soak your butt wrap in CP. After your first coat of CP dries on your test wraps, THAT is the color your WHITE thread will be, and your metallic BLUE thread will be. I suspect your White will look bluish from the cobalt blue rod blank underneath, … and your Blue Metallic may have a dusty (whitish) cast from the CP that it did not need, drying / glopping on the foil surface. … Let’s hope I’m wrong and you like the way it looks.

If you don’t like the way the WHITE looks after the 2nd coat of CP on your test wrap, it is not gonna look any better on your butt wrap. If the BLUE suffers from a dusty haze, then you can avoid getting CP on the Blue Metallic, and should be okay. Chances are, it is your opinion of the White thread that will determine if you are happy with this forecast for the final appearance of the butt wrap. If you will live with it, or start over. If you liked the results of your test wrap, then proceed as then.

Apply the first coat in a generous quantity that saturates the thread, but do not bother applying CP to the rod blank in the open spaces between the bands of your diamond wrap. Give the CP plenty of time to dry before applying a second coat. Then, IMO, wait at least 12 hours before applying your Thread Finish.

Now, in the future, if you really want to ensure a fail-proof thread & color system, then you should work-up a small scale decorative wrap or guide wrap on a scrap blank, or a short section of the actual rod blank. IMO, there are just enough subtle variables in all this that it’s difficult to cover each scenario and give directions. Drying times alone can vary considerably, depending on the room conditions.

After your color test is complete, you can simply slice off the test wrap, and remove the CP residue from the rod blank with some alcohol and paper towels. I am assuming that this rod blank has an outer SEALING coat over the rod fibers or over the paint job, so that the rod blank’s finish will not be marred by the alcohol.

If you elect to re-do the butt wrap, the Gudebrod NCP-White nylon thread + CP should retain its whiteness for you, and your Metallic Blue thread can still be used.

White Under-Painting beneath light-colored regular nylon thread can be used for underwraps to help retain a crisp color (for yellows, etc.). Some brands of polyurethane varnish can be better color preservers than the CPs made for rod-building. And different color combinations of thread may or may not look good in a regular nylon thread or in an NCP-nylon thread. … You’ll have to think about it and see for yourself as you go along, and stick to what is interesting to you for now.

By the way, Craig, even if the white colored regular nylon thread turns somewhat translucent with the use of CP, the blue hue may actually look nice and not bother your daughter nearly as much as it may irk you at first. What SHE will remember is that “My Daddy made it for me,” and “my Daddy loves me.” If she asks, just tell her some gushy story about how it matches her eyes or the sky or the clouds or something pretty. Spend more time with her fishing, and the rod-building will take care of itself. You will have a fishing partner for life, either way, Craig, and your future son-in-law will have a wife that is fond of fishing. You really can’t go wrong here, buddy.

Keep it simple & fun.
Best Wishes, …-Cliff Hall+++, Gainesville, FL-USA*****

Thanks for the help Raymond & Cliff,

Yea, I've been reading about this addiction thing........it's to late for me I'm past any point of return. I am only in the middle of building my first rod and before I got started I built a powered rod lathe and dryer. Then I started buying the "STUFF", and then I went to Charlotte and bought more "STUFF". So then I needed a place to use my stuff, so I built a workcenter out of oak that looks like a hutch with fold down sides. Then I thought to myself......gee I hope I like this rodbuilding thing!!!

My wife has selected several "Shrinks" for me out of the phonebook.........she may have a point.

Craig



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2006 05:31PM by Craig Godwin.