Anyone had any issues with flex coat high build chipping off from over abalone? used 4 coats over the abalone in the split grip...customer says that the finish is cracking and peeling off of 2 of the 4 king rods i built him and only in the split grip section....at first a thought it could be the rod holders fault, but he has soft cushion inserts inside the rod holders so now i'm confused. i hand mix...and measure with syringes and NEVER vary from my process other than the temp is quite a bit hotter where i do my finish work since i moved to sw florida last year.. I built the customer 28 rods over the past few months...so ya'll can understand my worry...never had REAL issues with finish until now, i thought i had gotten over problems newbies have A.K.A improper mix, bubbles,saggs, footballs etc. several years ago after my first few builds...can anyone shed light on what went wrong?



Dave



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2011 11:24PM by David Teague.

I have seen this happen quit a few times so much that I ditched Flex Coat to Pro Kote some time ago and I have not had one problem

David,
Is any part of the rod holder rubbing against the rod where you are experiencing the problem?

I have generally found that split grips and rod holders don't function well together.

It seems that most rod holders can put a huge amount of pressure against the part of the split grip while in the rod holder.

If this is the case, it might be better to do your inlays above the fore grip and dispense with the use of split grips for the rods.

-----------
What is the style rod holder being used to hold the rod?
I am guessing that there is 0 issue with your finish and your inlays. I am guessing that you are simply putting your finish and inlays in harms way by the use of these particular rods in rod holders.

It is for this very reason, that I will not build a rod with a cork rear grip or a rod with any style split grip if the customer indicates that he wants to use the rod in a rod holder.
I have found from bad experience that
a. cork grips fail if used in rod holders.
b. Split grip rods, have the split portion of the grip get beat up if used in rod holders.


That is why I will only use slick butts, Eva or Hapalon type full rear grips on a rod, if it is going to be used in a rod holder for much of its fishing life.

Roger

I assume it is peeling down to the base material (abalone). I've never used abalone, but do you scuff it so the finish has something to bite onto? My background is automotive finishes, I know it is not apples to apples, and the base coat never getssprayed on an unscuffed surface except FOR additional coats. As to the top coat, more is not always better. Too much clear coat is brittle. It looks great on show cars but their not every day drivers getting put through the paces. Maybe a scuff of the abalone and fewer coats of finish would premote adhesion and add flexability. Just a guess...

Jim,
I would imagine that with the small cracks and runs in abalone, that there is plenty for the finish to adhere to.
Probably nothing went wrong with the finish but it the split grip area is living int he rod holder, there's your culprit.

I agree, that the rod holders have something to do with it. Rod holders have done quite some damage to my rods in the past. Its jsut the nature of it, unfortunately. You live you learn.

Ya'll are probably right...rod holders are likely the culprit and my first guess...but according to the customer they are custom rod holders with soft rubber inserts to keep the rods from getting banged up....which was one of the reasons he wanted split grips in the fisrt place. Ive never used another finish besides flex coat lite..as i have become comfortable with both of them....I assume with all the different brands of epoxy finish on the market, that there must be a few that are more durable...any ideas on which ones to try out first??? as will probably need to try them all and do some tests


Dave

David,
In spite of what the customer says, and in spite of the design of the rod holder - it is very doubtful, that the rod holder is actually gentle enough on the rod to prevent wear and tear on the split portion of the rod.

Remember, when a rod is used in a rod holder, it is banged, and jostled, and tugged, and fish beat on the rod. Wind and waves tear at the rod as the boat is guided through the water.

I simply can't imagine that any amount of cushion will prevent wear and tear on a split handled rod. When I look at any EVA, or evan a slick grip in many of different rod holders after a couple of years of heavy use - there is significant wear and tear on even the slick butt. Even more wear and tear is experienced on a EVA or other grip.

Take care
Roger