I'm always experimenting with different kinds of guides and their placement. So, I was wondering if there is anything you can do with the area of the blank that once had the guide placed on it but now only has the scar (if you will) of old finish. Permagloss over the area? Any other tricks?
Thanks,
Todd

most times, you can simply use your finger nail and scrape off old finish and have a perfectly good shiny blank underneath..but for stubborn places use a razor blade and CAREFULLY remove it bits of finish and or CP left behind when the guide is moved..I've also dulled a razor blade on sandpaper for this also and lightly scraped it off...then wiped with denatured alcohol and a few quick passes with a scotch brite pad. only thing left after that is re wrapping the guide and applying finish


Dave



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2008 08:15PM by David Teague.

Thanks.
I think your answer was more towards if I'm wrapping back over the exact same place. I'm talking about the area left when a guide is moved and the old spot is left exposed.

Tough call. You can finish over that area, but it will still show slightly upon close inspection.

The only way around it really is to completely strip and refinish the entire blank. That is, if you want it to be factory fresh and flawless.

.........

Todd; I am doing a repair like that as we speak. The tip was broken off a 2 piece spinning rod just below the tip. A #5 tube fit so I moved the first guide back 3 1/2 inches from the new tip. I used a little box cutter to remove all the old finish without scraping the blank finish. After I cleaned the area best I could I rubbed on a little auto polish , let dry then buffed out the area. I then used Lemon Pledge sprayed on a rag and went over the whole rod then buffed it out. Surprisingly, you can hardly tell where the guide was.

If you can get all the finish off successfully, then the polishing steps listed above will make it barely noticeable. It's tough to make it flawless without stripping totally.

You can use CAREFULLY a little heat from an alcohol lamp (not a heat gun) in the area where the finish is, then use a plastic tool or your finger nail to remove the softened finish. Also if you have a power wrapper, soak a paper towel or a coffee filter in alcohol and spin it fast. The heat from the minor friction also helps to soften and remove the finish as well.

Terry

Great info guys. It doesn't have to be spotless or factory finish good. But, as good as I can get it. Thanks

You can also try a little MEK (methyl ethyel ketone) but be careful it will soften the old epoxy but will eventually soften the finish underneath as well .This is a little less invasive than using heat or a razor . It's also quite nasty stuff so wear your p.p.e. Removing old epoxy without damaging the finish of a blank is never exact science but sometimes it does work out well and saves you from stripping the whole blank . Good luck.

Shai