I bought a large wood working type shop dust collector and set it up in my finishing room last week.

Put some clothes drier vent hose on it and a 4X8" heat duct floor outlet on the end.

Turn it on and just let it run for an hour or so in my shop before putting any finish on a rod.

It effectively removes all floating dust from my shop. I have not had a single piece of dust in the finish of a rod all week.
wish I had done this 20 years ago sure is making my life less frustrating.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2007 08:49AM by Steve Gardner.

When I get a little spare money I may have to try that! I have to finish my rods in my house or garage, and between the dogs and so forth, it is well nigh impossible to get a dust-free finish. The best I can do is let the guides fend for themselves, and as for a long butt-wrap, try to get the finish on ASAP and put that portion of the rod under a cardboard box with little doors cut in the ends while the rod rotates. I marvel at some of the rods I've had the pleasure to see built by some board regulars here, and envy the dust-free glassy finishes some attain. I have found one other thing that helps as to those finishing in a garage--mop floor and wet down (dampen) nearby surfaces before finishing. Also, in my case I've found that much of the dust accumulates on the exposed beams of my garage, so I clean them off periodically, though it makes me feel like "Felix" from "The Odd Couple". II also think (as was pointed out a few months ago on a post here) that rod blanks actually attract dust due to static put on them, especially if you rub them.
Charles Horan

Charles;
one other trick that helps a little if you are not on any time contraints as to when you have to finish rods. Is to do them during rainy days. The humidity helps to keep the dust down. I just don't have the luxury of waiting for weather