I incorrectly ordered a RX7 7 foot 9 wt from Acid Rod. Got the flat black and always go with the beautiful olympic green that they would have had to special order. I think I will stay with the build, maybe, because it's hard to get a hold of them anyway. The blank is very dull to look at at first and with no gloss coating the scratches will stand out quite a bit and would seem hard to cover up. How do you builders deal with this sort of finish? I e-mailed Acid rod before the order and asked them about their Flor grade flygrips. I recieved no reply after several days and went ahead with the order. Some of the grips from suppliers at the 25.00 range are very thin walled in the recess area. I was inserting the top piece of the seat to check for fit and the grip split. Hard to get happy.

Tom, Why would the flat finish show scratches more than the gloss green. Doesn't make sense to me. I would swear that a gloss finish would show scratches way more easily that a flat finish. If you have never built on the "matte" finish, do so and then compare the two. I have customers that love the matte black finish, and you don't constantly have to use a color combination that goes with green. Every color goes with black!

Thanks for the input Greg. I am rethinking and need to get over the shock.

Tom,

Unless you use a different name/email address, the only note that we got from you didn't seem to require a reply. "Please make sure the cut out is sraight and true for the reel seat. Have had trouble with other suppliers. Thank you." I checked the hood in the seat myself to make sure that the mortise was concentric and that the flange fit flush to the grip, which they did.

Sorry that you had a problem with the grip. As the hood fit the grip fine at the shop, the only thing that I can think of that may have swelled the mortice may have been humidity. I've split .850's before which are thinner walled than the grip that you ordered, but the splits were easily fixed by simply putting some adhesive behind the crack inside of the mortise, then lightly sanding the mortice pocket with 150 grit paper after the glue had cured. As long as you didn't break a chunk off of the grip, you'll never see or have a problem with it.

As for the matte finish, I think you'll find it less prone to scratching than the gloss finish. The rod that I thrash around the local mountains with is matte RX7 and there's not a scratch on it, even after it's shot rapids on it's own, been dropped on many rocks and dragged through trees and brush for almost four years.

Mark Griffin
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C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California

A matte finish is easier to maintain than a gloss finish by far.

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

The RX7 is a great series. What I have found useful when putting a hood into a tight fit. Is I soak the cork in hot boiling water for 3 minutes. This will soften the cork and let it slide in to place easily. You will find the matte will hold up better than a gloss finish, as for scratches it will not scratch any easier that a gloss finish. There has been posts in the past where new builders believe that the flat black blank has no finish at all. Which is entirely wrong, there is a flat finish on the blank

Good Wraps Bob

Once the rod is wrapped and the guides finished, hit the blank with a coat of Lemon Pledge, or Behold, furniture polish. This will impart a rich sheen to the surface and make it more of a semi-flat appearance. You can do this once or twice a year to renew the appearance as need be.

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The guys I build for love the Matt Black finish, as I do. It looks great and is tough as nails. I also do as Tom suggested, polish with Lemon Pledge, looks great.

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY

Wrap the cork hood with a couple of wraps of masking tape.After installing the cork grip and the glue dries,take off the tape.

mark, I did send a previous e-mail and asked about the wall thickness in the recess area and recieved no responce. On a good grip, the reel seat hood flange only covers about half the inlet mounting face. Tom, Thanks for the input on the pledge.

I also use a good wax (Hardwood Floor wax) I use a wax that has lots of Carnauba. The more you buff the shinier it gets. When masking off areas I do not want a glue to show I use a Teflon plumbers tape. Glue will not stick to it, no tape lines.

Good Wraps Bob

If you don't like the flat -- clear it

Bill - willierods.com

You mean clear coat it Bill?

I can not see why not. Try a spot at the butt where the handle will go with I would think LumiSeal would work well.

I like the flat look myself.

Bill - willierods.com

If you ar considering a clear coat, use Permaglos

Good Wraps Bob

Permagloss may be to HOT for the finish. Don't know how well that finish is but LumiSeal may work better. Same thing just not as hot.

Bill - willierods.com