I have been asked to refinish an old graphite Fenwick fly rod. After inspecting the wraps, they appear ok. The finish on the wraps is about gone. What is the best way to proceed ? My thoughts were to wipe down the rod and simply recoat the thread wraps, then clean and sand the cork grip? I've never done a dedo so I would appreciate any advice ? Thanks.

Hi David,
You might be ok with the wraps, the only way to find out is to do it if you don't get more helpful posts. You might have to strip all the wraps and redo them. What's the original finish on the blank like? as it might need to come off as well. If it does you need to strip it off carefully probably with a mild paint stripper or a very careful sand and refinish with automotive clears or permagloss. The cork refinishing is easy. Tape up the reelseat, butt cap and anything in front of the foregrip that's needed.. Put it in a lathe and give it a sand with some 400 paper. You might have to go a bit coarser if the the cork is bad. You might also have to fill the dings to make it look better and the sand again with 400 and finish it with 600. A coat of cork sealer and it will be a big improvement.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Hi David, I have refurbished and or rebuilt a lot of fly rods. It has been my experience that cleaning off old epoxy and applying epoxy over sections with old epoxy and areas where it is gone is more problematic then stripping the guides and re-wrapping them. I have found too many inconsistencies with the condition of the thread and the look once it has been coated with epoxy, especially if there are areas with the old epoxy still on the thread. If you can get most of the old off and are going to go ahead with that then coat the thread with CP first, unless the guides were put on without CP the first time. I usually tell a customer I would prefer to re-wrap the guides as it would look better and generally be a cleaner job. It does always come down to what a customer wants and is willing to pay for. The builder however is the one who has to decide to take on the job and determine before he starts if it falls within his skill level and is worth the time it will take. Like most I end up doing a lot for friends and acquaintances that I say I will do at cost, but usually costs me when I calculate my time spent on the rod. Good Luck, and I'm sure you will get other advice and I might benefit from what others may have to say.

X3 for stripping guides and rewraping.

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don

I have had success just coating the old epoxy with Permagloss. It really cleared things up.

Ed Smith
Flat Rock, NC

I have had good luck refinishing old wraps and cracked finish on hook keepers. I clean first, then buff the area lightly with a grey Scotchbrite pad. Blow off the dust and finish. It's not as good as a rewrap, but very acceptable and you have to look pretty close to see that its not new. Clean the whole blank first, and finish the project with a coat of Carnuba wax when you're done.

I would try doing one wrap first and see how it goes.

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2012 12:26PM by Chuck Mills.

The customer really does not want the guides removed and wrapped. I will try cleaning, lightly buffing with 400 grit, and coating one wrap with Threadmaster light. If it looks ok, I'll proceed with the rest. Thanks again for all the advice.

David: Please post how the refinish procedure you just described works out. I plan to refinish the wraps on a fly rod (my own) if it is possible (and the result looks good). I look forward to your input.

David, Before you proceed, determine how old this Fenwick rod is. If it dates back to the 1970s or before, the finish is likely to be varnish. if this is the case, complete rewrap would in mho be the better course. Make sure you examine the guides for any sign of grooving or corrosion. Good luck.
Mike Blomme

David,
By the way, if you do decide to just clean the rod, scuff and recoat - do NOT use DNA or any other solvent for the cleaning.
Rather, just a good general purpose cleaner.

I have seen too many issues when something has been cleaned with DNA or another solvent and then applying a finish. Generally problems that only get solved by stripping and rewrapping the rod and recoating the wraps.

Good luck
Roger

The old Fenwick looks like new. Most of the problem was dirt and grime. I cleaned and scrubbed with Simple Green, did not rough up the old wraps, coated with TM lite,sanded the cork, and it looks great. Thanks again.

Thanks, David.