I am building a spinning rod on a G-Loomis IMX blank (matte finish). I noticed last night when I was shaping and fitting the grips that there is a scratch on the blank. It is right in between where my split grips will be on the rear of the blank. Is there any way to fix this? It is not in a place that can be covered with a thread wrap or any other type of material. Can it be sanded or am i pretty much left with this exposed scratch?

Thanks for any suggestions.

-Mike

Sanding just adds more scratches. Don't do that.

One trick you can try, is rubbing a pencil eraser (white) over the scratch. Sometimes if the "scratch" is just a burnish on the top coat, this will remove it and makes things look good as new.

Beyond that, you may just try coloring it in with a Sharpie marker of the same color as the blank. Just enough to fill in the scratch. You'll still be able to see it if you look closely, but it'll be less noticeable than a deep scratch.

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If it is in the split grip area, you can use one or two coats of permagloss. Should fill it in nicely.

Terry

Thank you. I will go buy a white eraser in a bit and give that trick a try. Even if it just dulls it down so it doesnt stick out like a sore thumb. However the scratch goes into the finish. Its not a scuff mark. If that doesnt work i'll look for a gray sharpie. Man this @#$%&, I just got done telling my father in law (thats who its for) how much better my rod will be from a store bought IMX and now this happens........GRRRRRRRRRRR

Thanks again for the suggestions. I'll write and let you know how it turns out.....Fingers crossed.

-Mike

If the eraser doesn't work, I would definitely do what Mr. Turner recommended. Permagloss or even a very light coat of finish epoxy would more than likely completely hide the scratch. If you do attempt the grey sharpie, and it looks bad, make sure you clean it off before you use the perma gloss/rod finish.

Another thought is to cover with an inscription or decal, and then coat with rod finish.
That helps it look like it was a planned event.
If the scratch is not too deep, sometimes WD40 will hide it.
That really brings a scuffed finishback to life, even on well used rods.


Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

I feel your pain. This is what I've done with pretty good results... lightly coat the scratched area with finish. In fact, coat the whole exposed area. Then rub the finish into the scratch with a lint-free piece of cloth. Then wipe off the finish (with lint-free cloth) enough to get the matted look again. You may have to repeat the process after the finish cures, depending on how deep the scratch is. Good luck.

I wouldnt use WD-40 That could end up contaminating your work area.

Brent Keever
Building friendships through custom rods

I originally took a 6'6" rod and cut it down to 6'2". Ive decided that with the rear (butt) grip (1 7/8") I can cut an additional 1" off and be able to cover the scratch with a winding check and wrap on the check. The logo i have for the rod says 6'2" but It'll be a 6' 1/2" rod. Thanks for all the suggestions. I think that will be my best option.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

-Mike

Use Gudebrod Rod Varnish or Gudebrod Speed Kote to cover the scratched area. You can do it as a patch on top of the scratch or just apply it as a "band" to that area of the rod. It will effectively fill-in the scratch, bot reducing the visual effect and filling it in.

Then you can wrap over it, write on it, or anything else that comes to mind.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

The trouble with putting any sort of gloss topcoat on that area is that what you end up with will be perhaps even more noticeable than the scratch itself - this is a matte finish blank, correct?

If you go that route, what you'd have to do is tint the PG or even better, some matte or satin urethane to the color of the blank.

I'd see what I could do with the Sharpie marker, first.


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Can also put some threadwork in the space between the grips, Looks sharp also.

Gift for father in law? Is he a paying customer? if not simply tell him you wanted the satisfaction of putting the first scratch on the thing - after it fishes a couple of times maybe some of the real scratches will blend right in!

Marble that area!!!

DR

Mike,
I have repaired and or rebuild many G Loomis IMX blanks.
As part of the repair job, I simply use a very fine grade sand paper to sand down the entire blank when it is mounted in my lathe, I go to finer and finer grades of sandpaper, finishing off with a fine buffing compound.
The finished product is essentially identical to the factory finish which is a buffed graphite finish.

No, don't use 80 grit sand paper.
However, you can use 600-2000 grit sandpaper and easily remove the scratch that you see on that blank.

The key is to do the entire area around the blank, so that the appearance of the blank at that location is uniform.

Roger