Hey everyone,

I screwed up and need some advice. I was mid-build on a rod for myself. I had the grip assembly done, epoxy ramp started and all the underwraps done with CP on them when I got a customer call. They wanted a blank exactly like the one I was building, but he wanted to see it first and check the action, grip type, etc, prior to placing an order. So I (like an idiot) take the rod out of the wrapper, load it up in the truck and go to see the customer. We handle the rod pretty good, getting our fingers all over the underwraps (we had just eaten cheeseburgers as well).... LOL, what an idiot.

I bring the rod home, I put it back in the wrapper and proceed to put a coat of TM lite on the underwraps, and believe it or not (kidding), it appears I've gotten some contamination on the wraps and the TM doesn't want to adhere to the threads. So, my question is, now that the contamination is already there, is there any way to cover it so the TM will adhere ? Another thin coat of CP maybe ? Heat the wrap prior to the next coat ? Clean with alcohol and a lint free wipe ?

Well, needless to say, this was the first and last time I'll be removing a rod from the wrapper and packing it up in the truck for a road trip until the rod is completely finished. Live and learn, but God I'm an idiot. ;-)

Thanks, Jeff
Shieldski

Hi Jeff,

Save yourself a lot of time and work - Rewrap the guides. If you take and play around trying other thing that proberly won't work you will have to rewrap them in the end. Thread is cheap, labors not.

Hank
On The Rocks Fishing
Wells, ME.

Jeff
Just lick the cheese burger drippings off the rod and you'll be good to go. LOL

Seriously though, I would just try another coat of CP if that doesn't work a rewrap may be in order.

Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details

Well at least I sold two rods out of the deal, and at least it wasn't a customers rod.... God am I an idiot. Live and learn.

Jeff, before you go thru a rewarap, try cleaning the contamination off with lacquer thinner and a clean rag, another coat of CP, and then try the finish.
Not sure if it will work on cheeseburger remains, but I've used it on other surface contamination with good results.

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

Jeff,

I think a lot of other people will back me up on "DO NOT USE LACQUER THINNER". Lacuuer thinner can and will remove the finish on your rod. Denatured alchol is the strongest thing I would use. I've even gotten away from that and use 91% alchol. But it's up to you, and like I stated in my first post most likely you'll be like a dog chasing it's tail. Rewrap - just my opinion.

Hank
On The Rocks Fishing
Wells, ME.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2008 10:08PM by Milton (Hank) Aldridge.

Well.. here is my .02. I would wipe the wraps good with 50 % or 71% alcohol, ( I have had 91% take the finish off ) nothing stronger. Put a coat of CP on , put on another coat of TM and see what happens. If it doesn't work, you are probably ready for a re-wrap. In other words, I would try a few things before I would re-wrap.

Hey,, dont be so hard on yourself, we've all been there and done that in some fashion !

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2008 04:49PM by Jay Hunt.

Jeff, I weigh in with Hank. "Cheeseburger" grease wiil likely dissolve in some solvents such as lacquer thinner or MEK, but these will likely damage the finish on the blank. Alcohols are pretty polar solvents and tend to dissolve polar materials, but not non-polar materials like fats and greases. Save yourself the time and waste of solvents (and possible damage to a blank). The cost of a blank is considerably higher than the cost of finish, CP and solvents. You have also learned a good lesson.

I destroyed the finish on a 3M graphite blank when they first came out. I was used to using MEK to clean up varnish and adhesive spills, but when I use it on the 3M graphite blank the finish began peeling off. Now MEK doesn't get used in my workshop. It was an expensive lesson for me. Good luck.

Mike Blomme

Shieldski:

The key thing when using stronger solvents than alcohol is to NOT use a towel or rag that's "dripping wet". You just need it slightly moist. I put acetone on one towel and then use another dry towel to just dab some off the first one. Then use the "slightly dampened" one to remove the nasties.

Oils and greases normally won't be removed by alcohol. Try it on a piece of glass. Rub your finger around the outside of your nose and then onto the glass. Without looking, wipe the oils off the glass with an alcohol moistened paper towel using the same technique you'd use wiping your wraps on the rod.

Then put the glass up to the light and see how clean it is. It isn't... it just tends to wipe some off and smear & smudge the rest around. Now think how it would be trying to wipe between & around thread ridges, etc. Alcohol just isn't a good solvent for oils.

I don't use acetone very darned often in rod building, but there's times it's a neccessary evil. And I've not had problems when using it on plain graphite blanks. Alcohol is plenty good enough for 99% of what I do.

If it's a colored blank, you might want to wrap around the wraps with some Reynold's Wrap (or shrink wrap) to ensure you don't get the acetone/laquer thinner on the colored blank and create problems. But with a properly dampened towel and careful wiping, you should be able to avoid doing that.

Like many things in rod building, there's many different ways of doing things and many different results. The results given are dependent on HOW you do things and on how carefully you do them.

Take care,
Puttski



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2008 07:21PM by Randy Parpart (Putter).

I have not personally tried this and I doubt it would hurt the finish much, but I think any citrus juice would absolutely destroy any burger grease remains. You should be able to rinse it off with water if everything is protected. Follow that by a wipe of alcohol as suggested above and I believe everything should be good to go.

Again I HAVE NOT TRIED THIS, but it seems like a reasonable shot in the dark. An orange, lime or lemon is cheap.

Your best choice is to rewrap. Then, just don't make the same mistake again. Believe, me there are plenty of new ones out there.

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