May be a stupid question but here goes. Does CP on guide wraps impede the finish to fill in the tunnels through soaking or do you need to work the finish in at the gap with a brush? The few rods I have built have either been metallic thread or straight nylon without CP, so I haven't really worried about it until now. Thanks for your time.

The CP will seal the thread and prevent epoxy from penetrating. This is what you want. But you should put epoxy into the guide tunnels by means of a drop or two applied to the tunnel opening with a toothpick or steel needle. The epoxy will then wick up into the tunnels. This is the last step I do when applying epoxy. Coat all the wraps and then go back and put a drop at each tunnel opening.

Thanks. Without the CP, it seemed like I could chase the air out with a drop of finish at the end of the foot first and letting it soak before spreading it on the rest of the wrap. I have to use CP on the next one and will use the needle trick.

When using CP I coat the wrap
Then you can usually tell when it soaks into the thread usually warm place 30 min. then another coat while turning Then i stop it turning and put a Good Drop onto the area of the tunnel on each guide Let sit and soak in Then turn and do the other side let sit and soak in Several times and you should have good penetration in the tunnels

Bill - willierods.com

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Until you get a few thick coats of CP on it will seal the wraps but leave the tunnels open to fill with a needle as mentioned above. When I do the needle method I like to try flooding the tunnels as much as I can from one side so the air can escape out the other side. I also find that permagloss gets into the tunnels easier than epoxy but it does need a few applications.

Jay - To answer your question - Yes, CP applied to guide wraps will impede your epoxy application to the tunnels. The CP that you've appled to the thread seals the thread. Therefore, when you apply epoxy to the mouth of the tunnel the epoxy doesn't wick through the tunnel because there is no way for air to escape, except back through the mouth of the tunnel. This problem is averted in foot tunnels without CP because air can escape through the thread, allowing for wicking.

The size of the guide your working with has alot to do with your solution method. Small guide (snake guide) - small tunnel, usually solved with a brush stroke pushing epoxy into the tunnel. No sweat.
Larger guides mean larger tunnels. This is where your needles or tooth picks come into play. I decent swipe of epoxy into the tunnel followed by a pick to try to both pack the epoxy into the tunnel as well as allow air to escape.
Obiviously thinner epoxy fills these voids more thoroughly than thick epoxy. This is why I usually will work on filling tunnels (that have CP thread) first, sense the epoxy is at it thinnest state. Also, as I finish coating the rod I can go back and inspect the tunnels to see if any need more attention. A little heat will help too but be careful. If you heat the epoxy too much you will introduce bubbles into the tunnel epoxy.

Good Luck
Nick Brunetti
Boynton Beach, FL

That is why I like a thinner CP and put on several coats -- but not letting it completely dry -- or like said it will seal and you will not get multi coats in the thread. 30 mins may be to long Like I said you can see the CP soak into the thread and as soon as it does apply another That is also why I put the guides on there side so I can SOAK the side of the guide and get as much into the tunnel as possible

Bill - willierods.com