I don't have a drying motor yet, and applying finish by hand has left me with less than satisfactory edges. I have no trouble getting my hi build Flex Coat to soak the threads and penetrate, but I don't like the ragged edge I'm leaving just past the end of my wraps.

I was wondering if I could put a piece of the 3M blue painters tape down to make a straight edge, or if the Flex coat would trap the tape on the blank?

Any other suggestions on how to get a quality edge on a hand done finish? I've looked through the archive and at a few videos on other sites, but they generally all assume the use of a finishing motor, which I have to do without for a while longer.

Peter

Peter, here is what I have done in the past. If you can set up a rest for your hand with the epoxy it will GREATLY aid you in keeping your hand steady. I will tell you that even if you drink way too much coffee (or barley soda's) as I often do, you will be able to clean it up with a coffee filter with alcohol and create a nice straight line that way. It is what works for me and I am sure there will be many other ideas offered to you here.

Tom

Pete,

Like Tom suggested, you can fold a coffee filter in 1/2 creating a straight edge, soak it in alcohol and use it to straighten up your edges. You can also do the tape thing, but change out to regular "masking" tape and get a roll of 1/4". Take the masking tape and tape off your edges nice and straight making SURE to leave nice big tag ends to remove the tape by. Take your finish edge onto the tape barely and thinly. Let the finish set up about 1/4th the way into it's "stringy" state, THEN pull the tape. The finish will have just enough "flow" for the edges to lay down nicely if you timed it right.

Nothing beats a DRYER!!!!! Like I told you before, it's the MOST important thing you'll buy, GET ONE. :-)

DR

Peter, another way to get a nice even edge for your finish is to use a fly tying bodkin, basically a thin sharpened wire in a handle, and pick up a drop of epoxy with it. Lay the drop carefully at the edge of the thread and turn the rod drawing the finish around the rod while holding the wire of the bodkin against the thread. You will probably have to use several drops to get enough to fill the edge of the thread. This gives a nice even line of finish at the end of your wraps.

I just recently finished my first rod and just so you know I used lite build threadmaster. I used masking tape for the purpose of a straight edge as well as so that I could measure out exactly how far I wanted the finish to go off of the threads so that all of the guides would look uniform. It worked awesome. The trick here is that you need to only make one wrap with minimal overwrap because you do not want the edge to stand up high like a dam. Don't paint the finish liberally over the tape just right up to the edge. You can go up onto the tap and it will not cause any problems. Keep a close eye on the finish and once you see that it is setting up but is not solid yet then carefully peel the tape off. If you do it this way then the tape is not trapped and the edge will look a little squared off or tall even with only one layer of tape, but that is part of the reason why you take the tape off while it is still pliable. Without the tape there the edge will sag down just enough to look like a perfect taper onto the blank. Keep in mind that I am new to this and everyone else probably has more experience than me and I was using lite build. The first coat I did just the thread, the second I did the whole thing up to the tape. And the third was only on the larger guides where I thought that it was necessary. So I'm not sure if it will work for your high build. Good luck.
James

I use a short block of 4X4 Oak as a steady rest,have three different lengths

Peter,
I think it likely that you have an electric drill - portable or corded type.
To do a nice job of applying finish smoothly, it is nice to have the rod turning at a reasonable speed to get a nice smooth edge with no issues.
If you do have a variable speed drill - preferably a two speed portable, it is quite easy to fabricate a chuck of sorts to tape to the butt of the rod to get th e rod turning nicely for the smooth edges that you desire.

Give it a thought and see what you come up with.

There are many examples of folks using a pvc cap - drilling a hole through the end of it - putting a 1/4 inch bolt in the end and then chucking it into the drill.
Then, simply wrap tape around the end of the butt of the rod, until the tape covered rod butt is a tight fit into the pvc cap. Voila - instant and inexpensive chuck.

Then, if you have a flat bottom drill - have someone else simply hold the drill so it doesn't turn or twist and have them run it on a low speed, with the rod resting in a v block.

Now, you have an instant rod turner for less than $1.

Take care
Roger
p.s.
If, after applying the finish, you use a hair dryer or a light touch with a heat gun, the finish will thin and flow very straight for nice clean edges. (Of course this is with a nice smooth even turning of the rod at about 10-20 rpm. )

Thanks guys. I used blue painters tape, burnished down with a long tag end left loose. I followed the advice and started on the tape and worked to the center.

I had a few leaks that were easy to clean with alcohol on a coffee filter, although the last pot of coffee tasted funny. :-)

One tip I know, from airbrushing, to get good edges if anyone else wants to use tape. Put the tape on a small pane of glass and use a straightedge and fresh blade to cut the tape so the edges are very straight. Burnish the edge down )I used a long fingernail).


If I can figure out the photo board, I'll post some pictures.

Try regular "Scotch" tape. Seals very well in fact you can see the seal through the tape and only needs a little pressure. I have used this a lot to get a straight edge. Only thing you need to do is not try and overlap it much as the finish will run under the overlap. I remove mine after the finish starts to set a little, maybe 1-2 hours that way the finish is not set and will form a really nice edge. Simple, quick!