I am in the process of completing my first rod, which is a 5'6'' light action Shakespeare that I have stripped down and rebuilt. I have finished wrapping the guides and I have applied one coat of Flex-Coat Hi-Build. The first coat looks decent, however, I need to apply a thin second coat on a few guides. I would have applied a second coat the next day, but I had to travel to be with my family for Christmas. So my question is: since it will be about a week until I will have the chance to work on the rod again, do I need to sand or scuff the finish before applying a second coat?

You do not have to do anything to the existing wraps, I have waited weeks before deciding to put the second coat on.

Thanks for the response. I new you could wait a day or two, but I wasn't sure about waiting over a week before a second coat was applied.

I always scuff if over 48 hours. IMO, after 48 hours the first coat has cured sufficiently as to prohibit a chemical bonding with subsequent coats. By lightly abrading the surface of the first coat, I believe that allows the second coat to form a mechanical bond which will suffice in place of the standard chemical bond. It works for me ...

Ben, you would be better off to scuff the existing wraps with a grey scotchbtite pad or 600 grit sandpaper. I have seen finish repel on a wrap after several days of applying the first coat. Why not be safe and maybe save you some grief later on. I think you would get the same answer from the majority of the guys here.

Lance

I'll take everyone's advice and scuff the existing wraps before applying a second coat. It's better to take one extra step and avoid potential issues later.