I'm sorry to keep boring you with these questions, which probably seem insignificant to you. But.......I have this indentation or pockmark about the size of a pinhead or a tad larger over my feather inlay as you know. Can I just try and sand that tiny area and put a drop of finish in to fill it or do I have to finish the entire signature area? I guess that would mean I would have to sand and coat the entire signature area, correct? Is there something else I could do to hide the mark?

I think you asking the same question over and over has turned many people off from responding, especially since people have ALREADY answerred this question the first time, plus it's in the archives.

To be honest, it isn' t that big of a deal to try and figure out on your own. TRy what you think would work, and see what happens. Teh worst thing that coudl happen is you have to start over - that's the great thing about Learning how to do something, trial and error. Asking a question, then begging people to respond to it will result in many people not responding to your posts in teh future.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2006 08:38AM by Billy Vivona.

Billy's right. Just try it and see.

If you enlarge the top of the hole a bit, you could posibly get away with putting a drop of finish in the hole to fill it. You will most likely get a small lump of finish there instead of a hole if you try this, but try it anyway. If you don't like the way it looks after this, then just hit the sig area with some sandpaper and put another coat on. No big deal and you will be done.

Just make it so Bruce.

Terry

What it boils down to is how much trouble versus how good you want it to look. You can try putting a little tiny drop of epoxy in the hole and seeing if it will flow out and fill it. But I suspect it will not meet your expectations if you're looking for perfection.

If you want to do it all over again, you'd need to lightly block sand the entire area with some 400 grit sandpaper. Then move on to 600 if you have any. You're not trying to remove waves and lumps, I assume, so this would only take a light going over. Dust off the surface with a soft brush (do not wipe it with any sort of solvent) and then recoat.

The only problem is, the recoat is not guaranteed to be perfect, either. At some point you may find, as most of us here have, that absolute perfection is what you strive for, but rarely what you get. That's why you try harder on the next rod.

............

Bruce, I am strictly an amature rod builder, but I have considerable experience with epoxies. Every method that has been sugested here will work. If it was my rod and if I understand your description of the descrepancy correctly, this is what I would do.

Roughen the walls of the hole and the surrounding area. The hole being as small as I am interpreting the description, you may be relagated to something like scratching the walls with the point of a needle. Do it gently and carefully so that you don't end up trying to lift the epoxy off the rod. You only need scratches, not gouges. you do need some roughness for the epoxy to adhere, as it does not generate much heat, while curing, as does polyester resins (fiberglassing).

Roughen the surrounding area, preferably lengthwise trying not to go too far around the rod, although on all sides of the depression. this can be with sandpaper, an emory board, a nail file or as a last resort, scratching it with the needle. Rember----scratching, not gouging.

Mix some epoxy. Dull the point of the needle with sandpaper or even rubbing it across some concrete a couple of times. Dip the needle in the epoxy and put it in the hole. Work the needle up and down a few times, as if you were pumping the epoxy. This should expel any air trapped under the epoxy. Repeat this until the epoxy is slightly higher than the top of the hole. Then put a few drops of epoxy on the surrounding area. TINY drops.

Wrap your finger with some saran wrap, or a piece cut from a sandwich bag. Make it a smooth surface on the bottom and start to gently rub out those drops. Don't rub hard, or you will pull some out of the hole. Rub as if you were petting a bird, wiping the excess from your finger. A few strokes should have it level and feather edged.

I would not turn the rod while drying, unless you sanded too far around the circumference, and if so would leave it set up for a while stationary, with the repair on top. Then after it starts setting up,rotate it.

Lastly, remember the epoxy doesn,t know, or care if you are applying it to a rod, or a telephone pole. it will fill the scratches, from your preparation, and when it does, they disappear from sight.

Thanks, C. Royce! I am an amateur, too! That's why I post so many questions. That method sounds extremely interesting and I will try it tonight. I'll post my results. Thanks for the help!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2006 11:18AM by Bruce A. Tomaselli.

I can't wait to see how this turns out.

Bruce after you get the repair done if there is a small bump left please leave the razor blade on the bench top!

Bill, I certainly will hide them. LOL!. If possible in my lifetime, I'd eventually like to get to the point where I could sell a few rods for pocket change. I only have 4 nephews and I can only use so many rods myself. Of course, I guess one can never have too many fly rods! The finish on my guidewraps is fine, but I seem to be having a few problems with the signature area. I guess you may have read that in a previous post. LOL!

If you get a pair of really dark sunglasses and hold the rods at full arms length they will look a lot better!