I have been using some clear media on open water rods, with no trouble. I am currently building a his and hers Ice rod set, and ran into a snag. The media is to stiff and wants to "unwrap" from the small dia ice blanks. But it doesn't do this until I hit it with the first coat of epoxy. (had a little panic attack last night) I applied new decals last night and wrapped them with thread tying to form them to the blank.

My question is, can i hit it with a blow driers or some other form of heat to shape it to the blank, similar to an abalone inlay? Or, do I opt for a more flexible media and cut my losses?


I just ordered some of Swamplands decal media to try.


Thanks in advance.
Josh

I'm guessing you haven't read any of the RodMaker articles on applying decals.

Try this - stick it down and then wrap over it with some regular rod wrapping thread. Leave this thread "clamp" in place overnight.

Remove thread and apply your epoxy. The pressure of the thread on the decal overnight generally causes the decal to set and bond to the blank very well.

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No, I haven't read the article. That is exactly what I did though. The decals are wrapped or clamped with thread. Still I wonder if some heat would help things?
Do you know what issue or issues cover this topic?

If the blank is a very, very tiny diameter, you will also benefit from rolling the decal before hand (if it's a peel and stick type) around a shaft even smaller. Let that sit for a few hours to take a curved set.

I suppose there is going to be a limit to how small you can effectively go with such a decal.

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Hopefully you can get some of Swampland's clear backed waterslide decal sheets. That's what I used for this image... [www.rodbuilding.org]...

I wrapped with gold thread first then printed the decal entirely in black, minus the lettering which is printed as the color white so it appears clear on clear backed media. That allows the underlying thread to show through.

You won't need to mess with clamping or pre-rolling the media. The only prep is be sure to let the decal dry and then spray it with Krylon Crystal Clear or something similar before applying it to the rod.

Thanks,
Chad Huderle

Huderle Custom Rods
Prior Lake, MN