Has anyone ever used spar urethane as a finish? I was reading the info on a can of the stuff and it seems as though it might work. I thought I read one time that people once used spar varnish. Is it the same as spar urethane?
Bruce

I use it to finish carbon fiber grips, it works OK but it does have a yellow tint.

Are you talking about as a thread finish, wrap finish, wood grip finish????

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

You could certainly use it that way (brush on, not spray type). I think there are some water based exterior urethane furniture finishes that would be much clearer, however.

Expect to have to use 4 to 6 coats to build any depth.

...........

I have been playing around with exterior spar urethane and solvent based polyurethane varnishes as a result of recent interest in bamboo rods. I just completed a MHX flyrod using spar urethane (thinned 60/40 ) on the signature portion of the blank, an area that has been giving me fits with unlevel epoxy finishes. I apply liberally with a small squeeze bottle while slowly rotating the rod manually. After a minutes rest, use a coffee filter to wick (not wipe) the drips off the bottom. Slowly rotate the rod, all the while watching the light glare from the finish. When the glare is uneven along the top of the rod, let set for a few moments and it will begin to level out. Then immediately resume rotation, otherwise sagging will reoccur. Prick air bubbles with a pin. Continue this procedure for a few minutes after placing on a dryer. It will level out perfectly!

The problem with the poly is that it has an amber color. Spar urethane is even darker in color. The alternative is to use water based exterior spar urethane which is crystal clear. Unfortunately, it won't level out using the application procedure described above. For water based urethane suspend the rod vertically and use the squeeze bottle to dribble the finish down the rod, making sure there are no dry spots (bambool rod builders call this the "turkey baster method"). Be sure to thoroughly mask off the handle and reel seat. If the reel seat and handle have not been installed, make a dip tube form 1" plastic pipe and dip the butt end of the rod up to the wrap in front of the signature section. Based upon the success I have had so far with these varnishes and application techniques, I will probably never go back to epoxy for the signature section.

I put it on a cork grip on a broken rod for a test run and it came out nice. It's not slippery at all and if the customer likes that gloss on the grip, it will do the job. However, I found that Krylon Fusion Clearcoat came out much thicker with one coat and crystal clear. The Fusion paint is in a spray can though, so take a lot of care when using.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

I recently finished a rod with minwax spar urethane. It took 5 coats. The first coat sealed the thread and didn't need to be turned, but all the other coats were turned for an hour.

I use it as a finish on my burl and rubberized cork all the time. Looks good gloss or rubbed satin. Really brings the grain out of the burl and makes it look nice!
As a thread finish they "dip" whole rods in it (bamboo) so I can't imagine why not. It is yellow right ouf of the can as stated so long as you are not doing a light thread or light blank. WIth all things new use a scrap blank and test it out.

On thread wraps I prefer Permagloss or Lumiseal if I'm not putting on epoxy. It is clear, dries fast, and you can put on several coats in a short time. Really comes in handy when refinishing a beat up rod.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

john backos Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I recently finished a rod with minwax spar
> urethane. It took 5 coats. The first coat sealed
> the thread and didn't need to be turned, but all
> the other coats were turned for an hour.


Hey John. Minwax spar urethane is exactly what I was referring to--the liquid in the can. To clear things up I meant as a thread wrap finish. Is it easy to work with? Is room temperature important? Interesting. It seems spar would be more economical.
Bruce

It will dis - color the thread

use any of the thread finishes They are all better DO NOT BE LOOKING FOR CHEAP

Bill - willierods.com

I have to disagree with some of the negative comments regarding spar varnish as a wrap finish. Spar varnish has much to offer as a wrap finish, for fly rods anyway. It's the traditional finish for bamboo fly rods and is, oddly enough, the preferred finish by many people for fiberglass fly rods. I've used spar and various epoxies on glass and graphite (I have not yet built a bamboo rod) and frankly I am not sure which I prefer. Spar gives a warmer, low-build look, which can be quite beautiful. Spar does requires more coats and does discolor wraps (but the change in color can be attractive). Spar is also, in my opinion, more forgiving and easier to work with. Fewer mistakes are made and when a mistake is made, it's easy to correct. Epoxy has one great advantage: it's fast. Durability? A debatable subject, believe it or not. Dave Lewis, who passed away a while back, was the acknowledged master of spar varnished wraps. A weblink to Dave's wrap work still exists and is worth reading:

[www.performanceflyrods.com]

The quality of Dave's work may make you re-think the epoxy paradigm.

I was looking at spar urethane/varnish to finish an old blank i stripped down for refurb. I was only going to use it on the blank and use prokote on the wraps. Would there be a problem with incompatibility? I don't know what the prokote is made of and whether or not it would lift off the blank.

Thanks Dace