The wrap finish on a rod I built last year is cracking (U-40 LS Supreme). As I did the measuring with syringes, I feel comfortable that the mixtures were correct. I suspect that the epoxy had reached the end of its shelf life. I have a number of questions: First, can I remove the imperfect finish without removing the wraps, and, if so, how? Second, what are the causes of these blemishes, if not the epoxy itself? I checked FAQ's and did a search (surely this topic has been brought up by other newbies), however, I could not find anything from the past. I am getting ready to begin a new project and do not want to repeat any mistakes I may have made. It is also worth noting that this problem is not present on the rod I built prior to my last.
Thanks to any and everyone for any help.
Tight lines,
Hunter

The cracking comes from the guide foot being less flexible than the blank. SInce they bend differently, the thing to go is the epoxy and you get cracks. You should find several topics on this if you do a search and make sure you select all dates. There are a couple of things that can help prevent this. Make sure your guide prep is done well. You want to take off as much of the thickness of the foot as you can. This will allow the guide foot to flex more. Another is proper thread tension. If the thread is too loose, this will allow the guide to be able to move and thus cracking the epoxy. I don't think you can do anyhting to keep the old wraps by taking off the old epoxy only, at least I have not found a way.

You can lightly buff the finish with a gray Schothch brit pad and refinish. Your problem sounds like the guide feet were not preped correctly
Good Wraps Bob

Not fair to blame the epoxy. It is teh common reaction though, but as previosly stated use lighter guides, and grind them a lot thinner - and you will REDUCE the problem.

Hunter you could go a step furthur in trying to determine the thing that is causing your problem. Take a picture close up of the guide that shows finish cracking and post on the Photo Board. The picture should reveal just what you are calling finish cracks maybe some more definitive answers could be proposed. If the cracks your are describing start from finish that has climbed to high on the guide frame there may be a problem with your application technique. It would also be helpful if you posted the guide style number and type of blank.

Okay, I probably should have added this bit of information: The epoxy is also cracking at the butt wraps where there are no guide feet, or any other kind of foot/feet. It has simply chipped off the wraps. There also appears to be separation under the epoxy creating "fish eyes?" in a number of locations. I am not certain if this is the correct terminology. These are almost like blisters on the finish. Again, thanks for all the responses, and I apologize if I am not describing the situation accurately.
Tight lines,
Hunter

First, there is no shelf life. The properties of that epoxy will not change in your lifetime.

What exactly do you mean by cracking? If you could possibly take a photo and post in on the photo page we might have a better idea of what you're dealing with.

...........

Almost sounds like a delamination between the coats of finish.....hard to tell without seeing it first hand.

How long did you wait between coats?

Lou

Delamination is what I am thinking, too, Lou.

Hunter - Did you use Color Preserver (CP) on the thread of the Butt Wrap? If you used more than two coats of CP, the Thread Finish (TF) may not have adhered very well to the thread texture, which can be plastered over by too much CP.

Or, as Lou is suggesting, if you wait too long to lay down the first coat of TF, or between coats of TF, like days, then you may have had some conditions occur which can reduce good adhesion of the next coats of TF.

Is this a lite power rod blank that bends down into the corks / handle?
Or did the TF over the butt wrap just flake off, for no obvious reason?

I have a "comedy of errors" rod here from 20 years ago at my elbow which reminds me of the dangers of applying too much CP (delamination); and waiting too long between coats (poor adhesion or flaking); and how the CP can be so crystalline and non-flexible that it makes more noise than the epoxy when flexed. ...

Hunter, these things may not be involved in your problem, but it is worth mentioning as a possibility. .... Good Luck witht the diagnosis, ... -Cliff Hall+++, Gainesville, FL-USA

The exoerance I have had with delamination is that it does not crack, it just peals away. This happens when you wait to long between coats. Then if you waited to long befor putting another coat on you did not deglaz the old finish
Good Wraps Bob

My thanks to all. Delamination is a good way to describe what is happening. While I did use two coats of CP, the coats I did put on were thicker than I would have liked. The Gudebrod CP had become quite thick, even after I tried diluting it with alcohol. I do not think I waited too long between applications of the finish, but it was late last spring and I am not certain. I don't think it was as long as 72 hours, and probably not more than 48. Sometimes I am a tad impatient to complete a project once it has reached the finishing stage. It is also worth mentioning (I think), that the problems exist only on the butt wrap and the gathering guide (25 mm). Also, just for the record, it was a St Croix 6'3" blank with an extra fast action. Again, thanks for all the sound advice. I will begin wrapping a new rod within the week and these are details to which I will be paying much closer attention this time.
Tight lines,
Hunter

Hunter, adding alcohol to the CP may have affected the finish. Try not to introduce any chemicals ie: alcohol, acetone, thinner etc.. to the threads before finishing.
Rob

Boston, MA