what were the guide wraps finished with on old fly rods?i am in the process of rebuilding one that is pretty old.the finish on the guides is almost nonexistent and is very brittle,like dried out varnish.thanks,Jim Gregory.

That's what it is - old, brittle varnish. You can use PermaGloss to recreate the same look but being a modern urethane it will never become brittle, nor crack or check.

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I think the old standard for fiberglass rods was Gudebrod color preserver and Gudebrod rod varnish. Back in the 50's my Dad called this "glass". Has anyone used Permagloss on a bamboo rod?

PermaGloss was originally designed for use on bamboo rods.

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I just finished out a 6' bamboo"banty" rod last week for a customer and used Perma gloss for the finish. I would have normally varnished the rod but the customer wanted to take it on a trip and my so the drying time for varnish was out out the question. Anyway, bottom line is that the perma gloss did a great job. 2 coats and it's tougher than spar varnish.