Thought it may be educational to learn what others have used for rodbuilding that was never intended to go on a rod.

My example is an epoxy I found at Lowes. Its called Glaze Coat and is a resin which is made to cover bar tops etc. This specific formula is formulated to not have a problem with air bubbles.

I have to say I love this stuff. It applies with ease and I have yet to have an air bubble remain in the finish. Even when I whip the mixture to mix. Right now im only using it for practice wraps and carbon fiber handle layups. If I knew the stuff was UV resistant and would not crack when bent I would use it as my finish of choice.

and dont get my started on my power wrapper which is a hodge podge of this and that...

any others ????

I think this should be an interesting thread. I just did a cork grip out of blocked burl with chevrons. For cork strips I used cork flooring squares and just sanded of the finish. For the white trim I used some kind of spacer material from Texas Knife Works. It turned out great. I'll start off with that and add more later. The cost of rod building materials are high and the profit margin is low so I'm always looking for ways to save a buck without sacrificing quality.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2012 07:07PM by Brandon Gay.

I used a few wild colored foam blocks from my kids play set. They are very durable and turned out really well after being turned on the lathe.

so much of what we use in rodbuilding was not originally designed for rodbuilding, but someone has found it, tried it, and used it. think about abalone, carbon fiber, snakeskin, all kinds of handle materials, even epoxies. This is just a small idea of what we use. Everytime we see something and our creative mind thinks " hey I bet I could use that". How many troll through craft stores?

John is right on.This is all from builders trying different ideas and sharing.

I have sample materials of Corian, Counter tops. I cut with a holesaw and have used a few for the butt piece with a rubber plug. Credit cards, and auto motive gaskets for trim bands is all I can think of now.

Somewhere I heard a builder used a hex nut for a winding check he was building a rod for a mechanic.

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

One of the most unique things I've seen on a rod that definately was never intended is Lana Preston's bead work.

Lana,
I salute you!

Leather has been used on rod handles for many years but I haven't seen anything like the stacked leather or stamped / tooled leather grips my dad &I have done. Probably been done before though. I've yet to see everything!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Automobile door-panel trim retainers for butt caps-they come in all sizes.

Hi Casey,
TIG welding wire for hookeepers, crafts sheets for inlays and you can even include madeira embroidery thread for all my thread work. I'm always keeping my eye out for stuff in craft stores etc and obviously so are a lot of others. People will find all sorts of stuff to use when you keep an open mind.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Mike Barkley, where are you on this one? Mike uses all kinds of stuff you would never dream of.

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don

Fiberglass drywall tape arbors for reel seats are a favorite of mine.

Don't know if this qualifies but off the top of my head.

Bark
Feathers in reels seats
Enviro Tex Lite - a water clear reactive polymer compound.
Waterborne polyurethane top coat

"crackle" nail polish

rog

Ron Hossack Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don't know if this qualifies but off the top of my
> head.
>
> Bark
> Feathers in reels seats
> Enviro Tex Lite - a water clear reactive polymer
> compound.
> Waterborne polyurethane top coat

What is "Enviro Tex Lite " ?????? That name seems familiar but I just cant place where I have heard of it or used it for. Is it a casting resin?

Casey Abell Wrote:

> What is "Enviro Tex Lite " ?????? That name
> seems familiar but I just cant place where I have
> heard of it or used it for. Is it a casting resin?

Not a casting resin per se ... 'a water clear reactive polymer' is probably a better descriped as a "Bar Top" type of finish and I got my small pint can from Hobby Lobby for $10 or so.

Now I expierment a lot (especially with finishes) and with this I cut it about 50% with isopryptl when used as a wrap finish.

Okay I know what you are talking about now... I frequent hobby lobby A LOT. They have all sorts of cool stuff that can be used for rod building. Im guessing thats where I have seen the stuff you have used. Heck I have probably used it before.

On that note have you noticed any UV resistance problems when using it. To be honest I REALLY like this Glaze Coat stuff I get from Lowes. If I could be sure it had the UV resistance properties and would remain flexible I would use it as a wrapping resin. The stuff just lays out awesome and I cant even force it to have air bubbles. Right now im only using it for practice but may use it as the filler on CF handles. I am hoping that when top coated with an auto 2k clear there will not be any issues with UV yellowing.

If you are using a 2 K clear I would stay with that
I have also played with this [www.klasskote.com]
And found it similar to an auto 2K

Bill - willierods.com

There are several E-Tex products that people in rod building talk about. EX-88 is one, it and does not have UV inhibitors. EX-74 however is said to be same as EX-88 but with UV inhibitors.

Back when Envirotex products were being discussed I contacted the company to ask some questions. I was told that unlike EX-88, EX-74 did indeed contain UV inhibitors but that it was only sold in industrial quantities. So I asked if I could get a sample quantity of EX-74. The woman I spoke with hemmed and hawed and then told me I could buy it in a craft store. The product's name is Easy Cast, sold as a casting resin for casting things like gems. If you visit the E-Tex site take a look at the MSDS's for EX-74 and Easy Cast. They're identical.

Eight ounce pack was around $10 at A.C. Moore. Though I've had the product for awhile I've only done one test wrap which hasn't been subjected to sunlight or put into use on a rod. Maybe some day I'll do a rod with it.
Jeff

Casey Abell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On that note have you noticed any UV resistance
> problems when using it.

I don't know about any UV protection in the Enviroex protection but I do know that in the General Finishes High Performance it does have a UV Stabilizer.

> To be honest I REALLY like this Glaze Coat stuff I get from Lowes. If I could be sure it had the UV resistance properties
> and would remain flexible I would use it as a wrapping resin.

I'm going to guess that it doesn't. When I searched their site the only product listed with UV is Dura-Tuff Clear Coat is a superior strength polyurethane coating that provides a tough, UV and scratch-resistant, clear gloss finish.

Envirotex epoxy is actually rebottled by more than one company for use as a rod building thread coating.

................

Casey started a great thread. Sorry for taking it into an E-Tex direction. Back in 2004 I wrote to the forum about using binder clips to replace wing nuts on thread caddies. The idea seems to be catching on.