after fishing and spraying off rods factory and rods i have built there is moisture under wraps how do i repair and prevent the problem when i coat wraps on my next rod

Make sure you extend the epoxy (or similar) slightly beyond the edge of the wraps. Doubly important, make sure you fill the tunnels alongside the guide feet with epoxy (or similar).

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Ouch!

I had the same problem on one of my rod builds and I simply kept the rod in a dry place until the wraps had cleared totally, then put another coat on (buff the original finish with scotch pad) being careful to get the tunnels properly per Tom's instructions. No problem after that.

Hi,

Did you use color sealer/preserver on the wraps?

Color sealer/preserver is water dissolvable, not sure if all are. If this product is not totally covered by finish, usually at the ends of the wraps, then if water hits it the sealer will dissolve and leave a tunnel for water to get under the wraps.

Let the rod dry in a warm environment or out in the warm sun. The cloudiness will disappear. Then clean the ends of the wraps, where the finish meets the blank, and add another coat of finish that extends past the last coat of finish.

Capt Neil Faulkner

Michael Danek Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I had the same problem on one of my rod builds and
> I simply kept the rod in a dry place until the
> wraps had cleared totally, then put another coat
> on (buff the original finish with scotch pad)
> being careful to get the tunnels properly per
> Tom's instructions. No problem after that.


How do you get the tunnels on a second coat of finish? Curious.

When adding the second coat, make sure you use a toothpick, or a bodkin to dab finish into the tunnel, or what ever of it is left to fill after your first coat. Again, making sure that your finish is extended beyond where any wraps or CP hit the blank, you will avoid any more moisture getting under the wraps.

Terry

My point is...if your first coat was done properly, the tunnel should be sealed. How would you fill something that is sealed off? Doesn't make sense to me that's why I can't understand.

PS...I've never had to use anything other than my brush and natural wicking to fill a guide foot tunnel. But I rarely use CP for anything either...

If you lack the sun, take a baggie pop it over the rod to the guide, fill it with rice and rubber band the ends. Then just let it sit and re coat when dry.

" natural wicking " has never filled a guide foot tunnel for me, especially the butt guide!

If you can't get the wicking to happen, Bob, you need to alter your technique. It works every time if you allow it to.

I start by applying a drop of epoxy on the tip of each guide foot starting at the butt and working my way to the top. Once I get to the tip guide I start over at the butt again. After a couple of rounds the smaller guides usually have epoxy flowing from the tunnels. Then you can concentrate on the larger guides. After another drop on the tip of each foot I'll turn the guides 90 degrees and apply a drop to the side of each foot close to, but not directly on the tip. I figure epoxy is flowing up the tunnel already so why apply it at the tip when I can apply it about 1/3 of the way up the foot. Do all the large guides, turn 180 degrees, and repeate. Never have I had an issue with epoxy flowing on it's own out of the tunnel...even with the largest saltwater guides you can buy.

If you cover a guide foot all at once, the only finish that gets wicked in equals the amount of air displaced from your wrap (visible as bubbles in the finish) A guide foot completely covered in epoxy in one pass will not wick well compared to a guide where the finish is applied in stages as Jay describes above.

Fow what it's worth, I personally apply finish first under the guide stem on each guide, then come back and apply finish along one edge of the guide foot at each guide. With each application, air displaced by finish can easily escape from the wrap without having to work its way through finish in the form of a bubble because the thread is still uncovered along part of the guide foot

Finally, I come back and finish the rest of the guide wrap and do my finish transitions to the blank. I started to finish this way a long time ago simply as a means to avoid bubbles popping through the finish and getting trapped as the rod dried on my earliest rods. It wasn't until years later when i started getting back some of my early builds for a refinishing that I noticed how well the finish had filled in around and under the guide feet compared to my first rods where I applied the finish all at once.

I don't think it really matters how or where you start applying finish as long as you apply it in stages leaving open threads next to the finish so air can more easily escape as the finish soaks or wicks into the open space along the foot. I start under the stem because it's the most difficult part for me to do so I get that done first. A friend of mine starts at the "toe" of the foot and creeps his way towards the stem in a couple stages. he reports "really good' side fill and "some" central fill under the foot on rods he has refinished.

Jay, on my rod I saw no visible entry point for the water, so it could have been a "miss" somewhere in the finish coupled with the fact that that rod did have CP. All I did was dry it and put on another coat being sure that I covered everything everywhere around the guide with finish.