I have an old walnut coloured glass rod that the paint and glaze is chipping. I am in the process of rebuilding it but before I start wrapping I want to repaint or finish it. but what is thew best means to strip it.

Just my way! I have used my rod lathe to spin the rod while I lightly sand with 320,400,600 wet and dry done wet to keep the heat down. Then I used a clear coat epoxy from klasscote. Klasskote has many colors to choose from as well. Do 2 to 3 thinned coats.

Gary, when you use that clear coat from Klasskote do you use the primer, and does that come in spray cans or do you use a sprayer?

Hi Gary,
There was a similar post last week and I responded by saying that I do the same as you. Most of the other responses were against any blank sanding. I'm very careful of how much comes off the blank and go a bit finer than you(1000). I've done seven and all but the one I'm doing now have been fully loaded with no issues regarding blank strength and they all feel the same as they did before sanding and painting. I send mine to the local panel beater for painting with 2 pack polyurethane as they've got all the setup to do it properly. Wondering if you've had any issues with blank strength after sanding?
ESFNEM Col

Col,
I do the same thing as Gary does when refinishing. i.e. use the lathe to spin the blank, first use low heat to soften the finish and then scrape it with a straight edged razor to remove 95% of the finish. Then, a light sanding while spinning the blank.
I also do a final wet sanding by hand up and down the blank to insure a final matt, uniform finish.

Whenever possible, I try to avoid putting any finish back on the blank. If the blank nicely cleans up with no flaws as is often the case, I will just use a buffer to buff the blank and call it good. I tend to think that finish on most rod blanks is an unnecessary application of weight to the blank.

Good luck
Roger

When you buff the blank with no finish, does it give it a shine, and how about protection on the rod, is not that why they put finish on the rod, that and the shine it gives?

thank you everyone i love the thoughts and ideas coming. im going to have to get or build a lathe. ant i like the heat gun idea as well. thank you

You don't need a lath You can scrap the old finish off with a knife being careful not to cut into the blank.
Then wet sand with 4-500 wet sandpaper . Dry well. Color, clear what ever you want.

Bill - willierods.com

if i used a heat gun will it damage the blank.

You should not really need a heat gun. Try the scrap and if it does not work then warm it up and do a section at a time. WARM IT do not burn the finish off

A knife from your old ladies draw will work Just clean it after

Bill - willierods.com

Citristrip (sp?) is a gel-type stripper that works well, and it's relatively harmless stuff that cleans up with water. It works great on those older fiberglass rod finishes. Use a mild abrasive scotch brite-type pad to remove most of the goop, then use a softer nylon abrasive pad and running water for final clean-up and polishing.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

After scraping, I just start with 400 grit wet and dry and go on up to 1000 grit.
I just do the sanding in the shower with the shower running. Easy to keep everything nice and wet and keep the sanding debris rinsed off of the rod. If you keep the rod clear of sanding slurry, the sanding goes more quickly.

Roger

Roger,
Thanks for the info. I've got some more options now. Most of my rods are for light/medium saltwater use so the bit of extra weight isn't a problem, although I do agree that finish adds unnecessary weight, and all the ones I've had sanded and painted look a 100% bettter than they did. A couple of them were 30+ year old Ugly stiks that still fished well but the finish was all peeling off. They've now got new titanium framed guides which has made a difference weight wise.
You and a rod blank naked together in the shower!!!!, the mind boggles but I'll keep my trap shut.
ESFNEM Col

Col,
Glad that you are getting the rods the way that you like it.
Actually when I do the sanding, I stand on the outside of the shower - open the door with the rod on the inside and sand the rod with the rod on the shower drain vertically. Simple easy and you rreally only get your arms wet when sanding.

Take care and be safe and shiny.

Roger

If the weather is half decent I go out side with a large pot of water . As I sand I wash the paper in the pot. Then wipe off with a paper towel to see if I got it all
If painting right away I wipe well with paper towels and then hit the blank with a hair dryer to be sure it is dry.

Bill - willierods.com

thanks for the wonderfull info

I've stripped quite a few old glass rods, including a few rare and endangered models. After carefully removing the grip, seat and old guides, I use citristrip to remove most of the old finish and then steel wool to get the blank down to raw glass. It may require several applications of the stripping agent to remove all the old finish. I follow up by light sanding with 1000 or 1500 wet paper as final prep work. I then refinish the rods using a good brand of spar varnish, applied using the dip-tube method perfected by the bamboo guys. There are, however, several other good ways to apply the new finish and I suppose if one wanted a flat finish, there is no need to apply varnish (although the UV-protection afforded by spar varnish may have some benefit). The results are stunning. Most of these methods, from start to finish, are outlined at length on the fibergalss rod builders website.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/2011 04:53PM by Craig Tucker.

Craig thank you thats what i'm going to do. everyone gave me great information i cant but thank you .