Been working on a red seeker hercules blank and used the flex coat brush cleaner to wipe off some fresh finish drops from the bottom part of the blank. This left red paint on my towel and I was wondering, is there any softer cleaner around that does not affect the blank's finish?

Isopropyl alcohol is about as gentle as you can get and still do any of the type cleaning you're referring to.

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Thanks Tom, much obliged!

Be advised, however, that even isopropyl will still attack some finishes. The old St. Croix black/metallic flake comes to mind. Best to test first, on an area of the blank that won't be visible.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

Thanks George!

As noted, some St Croix blanks require special handling. I have had issue with denatured alcohol on them, but not rubbing alcohol. I also suggest testing in the handle area before using liberally.

Jim thanks,
I also had a similar issue with an old St. Croix clear gloss finish , and denatured alcohol. I only wiped it once or twice just to give it a nice clean look and it immidiately became very sticky. It was a ten year old casting rod a friend brought for a minor repair. Never used de-natured alcohol ever since, and to be honest I am very happy with flex coat brush cleaner until now. Guess we have to always test on the butt before we move on .......!!!!!