my guide feet are showing thru on the first rods i built 2 years ago. I learned how to build watching doc ski's dvd [ best one i have seen] that said, on those rods i put 5 coats of cp, just like he does. what happened??, wrap to tight?, bad burnishing?, you can see almost the whole foot [stainless xbg] is it the stainless?

how do you mean "showing htrough" gaps or have they gone clear under finish
If there gappy then burnish better.
If your talking about the thread going opaque under the finish try using NCP thread or colour preserver
Try and post a photo of what you maen

Allen

Could be not packed tight enough.

Good Wraps Bob

Did you thin your color preserver? If you did, then you were putting most water on the wraps and that won't seal them.

As the others asked, are you seeing the foot through gaps in the thread, or did your thread turn transparent?

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

did not thin cp. thread turned transparent. i just looked at them again its seems to be where i grinded them down

Sounds like your guides were plated and you ground off the plating,
Herb

Herb I do not believe that this is the reason for the guides showing threw his wrap. In most cases when filing you always remove the top of plating or coating used on the guides. He says his rod was built about 2 years ago. So the is question is why is he just now noticing his guides showing threw. In any case I still believe He did not pack the wrap tight enough and follow up with a hard burnishing. I never burnish back an forth, I burnish only in one direction (towards the end of the foot). Someone else chime in am I right or wrong.

Good Wraps Bob

The first few rods I built looked fine to me until I got a few years under my belt. I go back and look at them now and I see gaps and all sorts of stuff that have majically appeared out of nowhere :)

One hint to make sure your wrpds are packed and burnished right. Look at them threw a mag. glass

Good Wraps Bob