I recently made a reel seat insert to match the wood grip for a fly rod I am making for a customer. I finished the grip with six coats of Tru-Oil and was gong to do the same for the insert. However, I know how wet the reel seat gets when the line is retrieved or when in my haste I reach down to net a trout and find that I let the butt of the rod get into the water.

Woud it be better to coat the insert with Perma Gloss and then coat with six coats of Tru-Oil or to apply the Perma Gloss after the six coats of Tru-Oil. For the second method, I worry a bit about matching the "gloss" on the insert to that on the grip. Any of you who have experience with this, please offer me your advice. As always, thanks for your help.

Mike Blomme

Tru Oil is a gunstock finish, I have no idea how you keep a gun out of the weather here in the Pac NW and have never had a problem. Haven't had any problems with Tru Oil and water on rods either.

I would go with just the Tru Oil, like Spener said!!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Michael, I would use Tru-Oi for this. Five or six coats should be fine. If you try Perma-Gloss & Tru-Oil together put them on a scrap to see the results. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

I made some inserts awhile back. Were what I did was put them in a jar filled with the finish I was using and let them soak for a week.
Removed them and hung them up to dry. Been using the rod since Jan of 2003. With out any problems.
I figured if it took a week for the finish to penetrate as far as it could, there was no way that an accidental dip in the creek would affect it.
I’ve been trying remember what finish, but cannot sorry.

If your reelseat is getting wet, so is your grip. What is the maximum length between the two, one inch? Finish them both the same way, with the same product. Even in a worst case scenario in your wildest nightmares, they will then fade/discolor/etc... equally.

I have turned wooden inserts and put them in a small glass jar filled with tung oil, covered with plastic lid and put in microwave , heated in short segments. you have to put lid on loosely. With out boiling the oil you can see bubbles coming out of wood when oil is hot.I have never tryed this with true oil, but bet it would work same.The inserts treated this way seem to be stable ,so far at least. They will also buff up to semi gloss finish.The wood will float when you start and will sink when full of oil,so know it is soaking it up.give it a try and see what you think. Daryl

Don't try to combine PermaGloss and Tru-Oil. Use one or the other. PermaGloss is much harder and more of a "lifetime" finish, but Tru-Oil is certainly easy to use and imparts a nice color to lighter woods.

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Think about what PermaGloss is. If you use it first, the Tru-Oil will never get to the wood.