I see various posts about painting blanks. Sure like some of the results.

However, do not the paint add weight and thus slowing down the blank and reducing it's 'crispness' (i.e. recovery rate, oscillation rate etc.)?

I have blanks that are 'bare' sanded which is how I always choose if given a choice. however, having some unique paint scheme would be nice and am wondering about paint's impact.

Thanks,
Mo

Change in action? No, but you're dead on the money that it will change the response/recovery time. How much so depends on how much weight you add. Then you've got to consider the overall weight of the blank you're working with. I could paint a stout bottom or pier rod and probably not find the slight additional weight to change much. But do the same thing to a fly rod or light power casting or spinning rod and that change might be noticeable.

All I could suggest, if you really want to do this paint thing, is to try to do it with the least weight additional possible. I'd tint my clear coat and get the whole job done in one step. I'd keep it as thin and light as possible.

.....

We paint a rod if the customer wants it. But we recommend against it just a Tom does above. One coat, only.

On the other hand, some customers want a "gloss". finish (as opposed to a "sanded" finish). Then we use one coat of rod varnish, applied with a slightly fast spin rate on the lathe, and then allowed to dry for about 24hrs. We don't wrap the guides until all this is done, of course. And we have found that our initial layup might change a little bit, after the varnish goes on, on the lighter rods.

Uncle Russ