Just getting started in this fascinating hobby. I'm refinishing an old Harnell 9' two piece spinning rod. Had good success in getting the rod repainted at my local body shop with black flexible gloss paint, the kind they use to paint things like plastic bumpers. I've installed all of my guides. Put down an underwrap of metallic gold followed by overwrap sections of black. Then I applied first coat of flex coat thinned with minimum amount of acetone. No comes the problem, when drying was complete, some of the wraps had some slightly "raised" thread parts like little "spurs", resulting in rough texture, much like the first coat of varnish raises the grain on a piece of wood furniture. I want to sand it off, but thought I'd better inquire of the experts first. What caused this and what is the best way to smooth the roughness out before applying the second coat? Thanks much.

I'm relatively new too, one thing I've seen folks do is just hit the threads with a flame source to get those tiny frays out that the burnishing tool didn't get. As for hitting those high spots with some light sandpaper, I don't think that will hurt at all as long as you're not digging too deep. In the tiger wrapped witeup, they say you can sand the first finish level and the next coat of finish over the second wrap will clear it all back up. No personal experience with sanding and re-finishing.

Jim,

carefully trim/shave them off with a sharp razor blade and re-coat the entire wrap, do NOT cut the threads! You can sand them as well, just DONT sand down into the thread. IF you sand or cut the threads, you have to re-wrap that guide.

DR

Light flaming before you finish will help get rid of those annoying spurs. Using a sharp blade to cut them off after the finish is hard and applying a second coat of finish work for me. Just lightly shave them off and recoat. Kip

Why the "thinning?" Flecxcoat can be applies as a thin coat without additives. When you add things, you can often expect unusual results. It takes time to learn what works and what does'nt.

If the spurs are not too tall I'd just go ahead a put on my second coat. There have been times when I used a razor to trim the tips, too. By keeping the epoxy thin on each coat, I have frequently used three coats, sanding and trimming the second coat before the third is applied.

Believe it or not, I can keep the build-up lower with three thin coats than with two heavier ones and the results are better for me, too.

Les

If you have these thread end bumps after finishing, a pair of fingernail clippers will trim them and then put on another coat of finish.

use a fine finger nail file....then do a second coat of finish........