I used the denatured acohol to clean off some residue from some old wraps prior to re-sealing them, and it left a heavy white residue - any ideas about how to remove it without damaging the wraps?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2010 11:30AM by karen erickson.

Karen,
Spray it with windex and wipe off.
Roger

Roger, I tried the Windex, and it took off some of it, will it help to recoat it over and over and use more "elbow grease"?

Karen,
If there is still a white residue, you might try paint thinner - or mineral spirits. But, if you try mineral spirits, you will have to go over it again with alchol to remove the oil left from the mineral spirits.
I am not sure what the residue might be composed of.
I wonder, if it is possible that you might be seeing some residual alchol, that might have gotten under the old finish and is remaining trapped under the finish?

The one thing that I would likely suggest, would be to try recoating one guide after letting things dry and see how it goes. After the one guide cures, see if the overall effect meets your requirements. If you are still seeing issues with the appearance of the wrap, you might be forced to think about stripping the rod, and redoing the guides.

I am just concerned, that you are seeing something trapped under a former coat that won't go away with rod recoating.

Roger

I don't have enough information about your rod to know what you are looking at. If your previous wrap was an epoxy on top of CP, then the residue is probably dried CP. If it was just Epoxy, then you have cured epoxy. If you used Permagloss, then you have cured urethane.

First, if it is just cured epoxy then the DNA dissolved a small amount of the epoxy and as the alcohol evaporated, epoxy that had dissolved in the DNA re-precipitated onto the surface of the blank. The use of the Windex may have dissolved some small part or the wiping may have carried away some of the residue. Repeated uses may remove the rest. However, most commercial products like Windex contain additives such as dyes and moisturizers which may contain silicone greases. Hence, you will need to wash the blank thoroughly with soap and water with a soap or detergent that does not contain the same dyes or moisturizers. Alconox used to clean glassware in Chemistry labs would be a good one to use. Obtaining Alconox might be difficult. I used to muse before retiring to clean my wine glasses. Windex also contains a small amount of ammonia which can also affect the residue. Good luck

It's funny, it's an old fiberglass rod, and the residue affects the fiberglass just as it does the wraps, so it doesn't seem like the alcohol has gotten under the finish, more like it just has deposited on top. I can scratch it off the blank, but not off the wraps.

Karen,

If it is an old(1970s or so) fiberglass rod without a finish on it, residue may be varnish. In that era, acetone was often used to remove varnish. You need to be careful since a few manufacturers coated their blanks with a paint to hide any cosmetic defects. Companies like SilaFlex, Harnell, Garcia/ Conolon, and Shakespeare did not coat their blanks. If you try a bit of acetone in a place that will not show and it doesn't affect the surface, then you could try removing the residue with some acetone applied carefully. Good luck

Mike Blomme

Mike, the Acetone worked like a charm, but wonder about dealing with the aftermath? Should I coat the wraps with CP? Maybe 16 coats? That's pretty evil stuff.

Karen,
If you are happy with the way that the rod looks, I would simply suggest that you apply your finish and move on. I wouldn't expect that you would have a need for CP.
Roger

OK, that's what I was hoping for. Thanks, K.