built my first rod today and thought I did o.k. on the finish. wrong. After having it on the dryer about 2 hrs I discovered finish in two of the eyes What can I do? They are micros. Thanks Scott

Heat the tip of an exacto knife blade and stick it through the epoxy and twist it until it's clean.

I'm sure Lance has done enough of them to be spot on with his recommendation. But for myself and not having probably 1% under my belt as he has done; I would recommend using thinner coats or a thinner version of epoxy on micros because the guide ring is lower to the blank and leaves room for less error on the next build. Were you trying to do a one coat finish? I usually do a minimum of 2 coats on them. I wish I had the know how to do single coats, but I always end up with eggs, bubbles, or some other mess to deal with later.

start with less finish and be careful near the guide ring and you will avoid the problem completely

If it was still wet, you could have probablyhave cleaned it up and been done with it.
On the next build, however, use a couple of thin coats to finish these guides. A little dab will do ya.

Scott,
As with any build, It is always a good idea to keep an eye on the rods for every 5-10 minutes for the first 30 minutes that the rods are on a dryer.
Then, if you find that some finish happens to migrate into an area - like a guide ring - during the drying process, you can take care of it before the finish competely sets up.

After 30 minutes, as long as you have a good mix, the finish is not likely to run or sag any more to cause an issue.

Take care
Roger

I have actually been using a bodkin to apply the epoxy near the really small guides.

Scott you are not in the boat alone -

Those who build a lot of micro rod know that the last quality control check of the finished micro rod, before it goes out the door, is a visual check to insure that ALL guides do not have finish in the ring. No matter how the finish is applied the possibility of an "accident" occurs.

An inexperienced person will destroy a rod trying to get the finish out of the ring so he can use it on the water.

Some real savvy custom builders make money for lunch or dinner in the Big Box Stores. Find production micro rods on the rack with rings full of finish. Talk to the store manager - secretly retread to a closed room - do not allow anyone to watch you - take the Xacto Knife and a cigarette lighter - perform magic for a fee!

It is common sense to use finishing techniques to keep the stuff out of the rings but when it does happen, and it will, you should know how to get it out without damaging the ring or the rod.