I have been using the Heat and Roll Abalone on some trolling rods, but after seeing the rods after 1 season, I saw that the Abalone kept cracking and even cracked through 2 coats of ProKote. I emailed Anglers Envy to see if there was a way I could avoid this from happening. There is! Anglers Envy has a new Abalone Veneer now that you just boil it for 10 minutes in water, peel the backer off and apply to the blank. For once, I had no waste! I was used to ordering double the Abalone I needed because of too much cracking, too much or too little heat, etc. With this stuff, it is simple. I was able to use my hands to wrap it and the adhesive was still tacky even after boiling. I will be ordering more of this stuff; it gives a cleaner look w/o the nasty smell of boiling vinegar.

And when I say it is simple to do, I mean simple! Cut it to size/shape, throw it in boiling water for 10 min. Remove, blot dry, remove the backer and tack one edge down and then roll it around the blank. I used 2 fingers to press the Abalone onto the blank, then wrapped thread over it while it came back to room temp. Worked great, no cracks!! And it's a lot thinner than the other stuff, so there is less of a transition from the blank to the Abalone. I cut out 4 pieces and got all 4 of them on w/o any problems!

Great product Anglers Envy and Kevin!!

Sweet. All the talk about cracking kept me from really getting into the abalone thing. If this is as easy as you say I may have to give it a go.

It really is. I was shocked, the first time I tried the heat and roll I went through several of the 2X sheets from Mudhole (like 4 or 5) before I got somewhat consistent with it, but there was some times when it would still crack badly. I used the same methods to get a measurement of the ends of the abalone and then cut it with scissors. I used some nice scissors, but there was still no cracking around the edges of the cuts. I tried the vinegar method on the heat and roll and the adhesive didn't seem to hold up as well on that, but it works very nicely on this stuff.

This stuff is truly that simple! I did the first one and then did the next 3 w/o any problems. Cut out, boil, blot, remove backer, stick one side down and smooth it out, then roll around the blank, pressing with the fingers as you go to get it nice and tight to the blank. I then wrapped over it with thread to really press it down so the seam and edges wouldn't roll up, but I don't know if that was necessary or not? It's nice to see a product that works as advertised!

So how do you get the stuff? There's no link for ordering on their website.

AC
FishinFreaks
Rogers, MN

AARON,
Here is the link to the color choices.

www.anglersenvy.com/veneer-gallery

If you email me at kknox@anglersenvy.com, I can take care of your needs via paypal.

Thanks and Timothy, I am glad you are seeing the benefits of the TACHY-MOP !!!

Kevin

That's real GOOD News Kevin.

This stuff is simply awesome. 5 minutes of prep and I can wrap 5 guide inlays and a but wrap inlay in about 5 minutes. It just doesn't get easier!

Went to Kevins Abalone Lecture at High Point. Learned from the Boss Himself. Easy as can be! Thank You Kevin

I went to the seminar also but showed up a little late and missed it he was so quick. At least I got to wave to Kevin.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

It really is simple to do. No more worrying about it! I used to have to order 2-3 times what I needed to make sure that I had enough because of cracking. Colors like the Blue and Teal Angel Wing patterns I could only use on large OD areas, like thick gaff handles, and sometimes they would still crack, even with enough heat! Drove me nuts; I went thru several sheets of the blue and teal and only got it to work once on a gaff and it still cracked, but not as bad as the other attempts. I have the rods I used this on epoxying now, I will get some pics once it cures. They look awesome!