I just uploaded a photo of a little comparison test I did with Color Preservers. I wrapped three sections of Gudebrod nylon thread on my test wrap rod. The wrap on the left had two coats of Cason's Crystal Clear. The one in the middle had two coats of Flex Coat, and the one on the right had no CP. One coat of ProKote finish after that. For my application the Flex did the best job at maintaining the thread color. The one with no CP became nearly transparent and the Cason's was somewhere in between.

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Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas

My tests showed similar results.
You need to leave that test wrap outside for a year to see all the effects of sun, weather, cold,rain,freezing etc.
Pull it apart after a year and look what went on.
Some CP's when i got to unwrap after a year to see what happened show how they stopped the epoxy getting to the blank or thread and just made it sort of float above everything.
If i have to use CP its a slightly thinned down bottle of the old flexcoat that looks like elmers which works best for my techniques.
Not just looks after epoxy, but actual UV protection too.
Look to compare upper to lower thread colors on same wrap to see UV effects.
What works for you may differ as my application technique may be affecting results..

If the CP doesn't stop the epoxy from reaching the thread, the thread will turn transparent. When you see "blotchy" wraps these are most usually do to one of two things - loosely packed wraps or CP not being applied evenly which allows the epoxy to reach the thread in spots.

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Good thoughts, Tom. These were pretty tight wraps. I'm thinking that if I had used more coats of the Cason's, it might have turned out better.

Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas

Light thread over a dark blank is always a tough trick. That light blue is one of the tougher threads to work with in that regard.

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Agreed on the light blue thread, but it sure looked good as a trim band next to metallic blue. I'll post a couple of pics this weekend when the rod is finished. I'm glad I did the test though.

Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2013 04:38PM by Steve Hartzell.

Steve,
Your test verifies exactly why I never use CP - unless it is requested.

I generally choose a thread color that is a perfect match for the blank.

Then, when coated with finish, the thread essentially disappears and you simply have the guides nicely attached to the blank without any sort of garish wraps staring you in the face.

But that is the wonderful thing about the free market.

Everyone has choices and with a Custom rod, the client always has the final say for his/her choice on rod, thread wraps etc.

Be safe

Roger,

I'm a hobby builder and primarily build fro myself, family, and now a few friends. I like to look down that rod and see the guide wraps. The rod I'm working on right now has a metallic blue guide wrap trimmed with the light blue nylon. It's a split grip with a Tiger wrap between the butt and the rear grip. More Tiger in front of the reel seat. To my eye it looks great and it is a great color combo for the blank. I'm building four of them, all in different colors but the same format.

I understand why some prefer a black thread on a black or dark gray blank because it merges into the color of the blank and basically disappears. It is a clean look but I prefer something that stands out a little more. That's the good thing about this obsession, we've all got different ways of doing it and none of them are right and none of them are wrong. Thanks for the comment.

Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2013 06:04PM by Steve Hartzell.