Hello again. I know that I am sounding like a broken record but I have another problem. My spirits are really down on this rod because it seems that anything that can go wrong has. I put the epoxy on the blank wraps then put it into the dryer, left it to spin for three hours and upon returning found that the blank had come out of the dryer. The threads that secure the thread art had fallen onto my rod wrapping jig and got the fuzzies from felt on it. The few guides that I had put epoxy on are all misshapen and look like crap. The good news is that the epoxy was just tacky enough at that point that it didn't make a mess on my table! Also the thread art area still looks good and did not get damaged. When I was applying the epoxy I also noticed that I would get it all spread out then in certain spots it would be really thin and threads would be showing. Any ideas? I am using Fex coat high build. I appologize for all of the negative "disaster" topics and I promise to post some more positive ones when I get all of this stuff figured out.


Thanks again,

Mike Nash

Mike,
One thing that I learned a long time ago in rodbuilding is attention to detail. Imagine a teeneger taking up rodbuilding with an attention span like the kid on the TV show Two and a half Men. That was me. You can try to pull that finish off, but you will always see the imperfections and scars from the removal process.
I am sorry to say that my recommendation would be to remove the finish and thread and rebuild it right, fixing any imperfections that are in this one and make any changes that would make the rod more astheticly pleasing. Then finish the rod again and end up with an absolutely beautiful ro that will always have a story behind it.

JMHO.

Tight wraps,
Kevin Knox

Mike,

We have all had our problems with the first few rods. My story was very similar to yours so i know what you are going through. I would just put this rod in the corner somewhere out of the way. Start with a basic rod with out thread art, or very little of it, and work your way up through a couple of rods. This should give you the feeling of accomplishment instead of defeat. do a few rods adding something a little different each time and then pull the first rod out and re-do everything that is wrong..

In the mean time i would certainly check that dryer motor.

Good luck and don`t give up. I keep my first one around just for comparrison to the following rod I build. I still use the first one. It is ugly but fishes real nice!!

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

Even when using a dryer/rotator, you never want to just walk away from the rod until you are certain that the finish has set and everything is the way you want it. You learned that lesson the hard way so we don't need to go into it further.

At this point you can rewrap as Kevin mentioned, or try to salvage what you have. If the wraps are misshapen, they can be sanded/filed to remove the felt fuzzies and rounded over to remove lumps or sags. Then a second application of epoxy can be applied. You might spend an afternoon or evening doing this and find that the rod can indeed be salvaged to a great extent. You really have nothing to lose at this point so I'd consider trying to straighten out what you have.

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

What thread did you use?

This situation is a test for more than one - you are being tested for your patience and your shrink is being tested to verify he has prescribed the proper medication!

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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If the wraps are misshapen, they can be sanded/filed to remove the felt fuzzies and rounded
over to remove lumps or sags. Then a second application of epoxy can be applied. You might
spend an afternoon or evening doing this and find that the rod can indeed be salvaged to a
great extent. You really have nothing to lose at this point so I'd consider trying to straighten out
what you have.

Yep! With a bit of careful sanding (don't go into the thread work!) you can save it. Trim off the
bumps of epoxy with a blade first.
Most if not all of us have been there and done that Mike. Don't beat yourself up over it.

Those dry areas are commonly called "fish-eyes" the finish was repelled by something on
the threads (most likely silicone). That's why Billy asked you "what thread did you use?"

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

I would absolutely give "saving the rod" a whirl with what you already have as Tom suggested.

If you had some areas of thread with less finish than others could it be those areas where the finish is soaking in around the guide foot? More than one coat is usually needed to get the desired look you're wanting. Sure it CAN be done in one coat, but I cant ever seem to make one coat work for me. I usually use 2-3 very thin coats.

On the heavy bulb like areas where the finish piled up, you can take a razor blade and shave that finish down being careful to NOT cut your thread wrappings, then maybe a little sanding and re-coat. Taping off the surrounding areas when doing this helps protect the area aroiund the wrappings while you work.

DR

Mike,
It happens to all of us. I was using a second dryer I rarely use and had the same problem. The rod was to be delivered the next day to one of my best customers and it was about midnight when I found my "mess". My ramps were shot and my marbling looked like crap. Fortunately I was able to redo everything with some late night work and have it ready.

Lesson I learned - I now use two rubber bands wrapped around my rod when I use my second dryer and haven't had a mishap since.

Keep working at it and you'll master it. Don't let it get you down.
Take Care,
Robert

I bought two of these years ago and never had a rod fall off
[www.cabelas.com]

Mike - I have had rods "from @#$%&" over the years. Ones that seem determined not to be built. I even had one that after many reworks that I broke the tip in a car door on the first trip (I threw it away thinking that I didn't want its bad mojo back in my shop). I don't have a rational explanation for these rods but have come to the conclusion they exist to help me develop the skills of an "advanced" builder - how to fix problems. Every wonder why "here's my problem" posts get such quick responses, regardless of how bizzare the problem seems to be? My conclusion is there is a near 100% chance that someone (or someones) here have had the same problem.

Cheer up. Look at it this way. Pretty soon you will be among the responders to "what do I do now" posts :) . In the mean time take the posted advise on attempting to fix the problems. And the advise about "an once of prevention" with the understanding that the next hard lesson may only be a blank away and an opportunity to use your incresing problem solving skills.

Not sure if I read it right, but if you "have threads showing", I assume you mean that the epoxy did not fully cover them. If thats the case, I'd be real cautious with the sanding business. Sand paper and bare threads do not get along very well. Good luck with the fix, I'm with the take em' off and rewrap crowd, but thats only because I just happen to have a bit of experience in correcting my mistake......wait.....thats my mistakes, plural!!!
,

Thank you all for the kind words. After reading through all of this great information I figured out nearly all of my problems. Even before I had the dryer mishap I had gone terribly wrong. I had heard of the "fish eyes" but never really understood what they were. I now know what they are. Luckily my thread art turned out beautifully and because I used CP on that part I will not have to redo it, but on the bad thread showing part I did not. (Lesson learned 1. USE CP ON MADERIA THREAD!!) The second problem area is that I should have weighted my rod dryer stand down to make it less top heavy. (Lesson learned 2) I will also "hang out" near the turning rod till it cures a little. (Lesson 3 (thanks Tom)) To correct my errors I will cut off all of the threads and epoxy mess that I now have, redo the thread work, (luckily the 6 or so hours of cross wrap work is not damaged !!!) , apply two coats of CP (to all threads this time), apply two or three light coats of epoxy wile following all of the "learned lessons". I feel a lot better knowing about my fisheye problem. I thought I had applied the epoxy wrong or was just having bad luck. Thanks again for all of your wisdom as it really helped me!

I have built 13 rods, 5 have had mistakes to fix, 3 of those mistakes required me to tear the whole thing down and start over. After a day or two of kicking and screaming fits, and one even sitting in a corner for 3 months because I was so mad at it I couldn't bear to look at it, I picked them up and started over or fixed the problems and moved carefully on. It happens, I would bet that it still happens to a lot of the more experienced builders here, just less frequently. I actually have one that I am not counting that I use for a back up rod and a reminder of some mistakes that can make a good idea for colors and great wrapping go south, Functionally it is perfect, it is however the ugliest rod that I have built, uglier even than my first that I use the most often, it was built with strict function and weight reduction in mind. that one I can say I never intended to be pretty.