Hello all,

I am looking to try some different varnishes on my fly rod projects. What is your favorite varnish and where is it available?

Thanks kindly,

Jesse Shipe

Varnish or epoxy? Or finish in general?

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Are you talking Bamboo? If not, varnish is not your best option!

Epiphanes is very nice on wood and i like it thin on bamboo..
Threadmaster is good on threads.
Delft is a good water based polyurethane.
PermaGloss is a great finish too.
What type of material are you trying to coat?

I dont do bamboo, just glass or graphite rods. I am asking what is your favorite brand of varnish (not epoxy).

I am just looking to see what folks like to use and why, thats all.

I want to see what else is out there other than Helmsman Spar Varnish.

Thanks

Jesse

Most builders do not use varnish on glass or graphite rods anymore. Epoxy is the leading type of thread wrap coating and has been for about 40 years now. There are some urethanes such as PermaGloss and LumaSeal that look a great deal like varnish but have far superior characteristics compared to varnish.

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Does Permagloss or Lumaseal protect a naked blank? Is this what the rod manufactures use?

They do a good job as a blank clear coating. They are similar, but not exactly the same product that manufacturers us to clear coat blanks.

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To answer the OP's question I think the best varnish is Epifanes, but as others have stated I would not use it for the intended purpose.

The best varnishes will be made from tung oil not linseed oil, have a very high solid content, and have quality UV inhibitors added. In this case, the price for quality will be high (though price, by itself, is not a good indicator of a quality varnish). There's a lot of expensive low quality varnishes out there. There are few to no industry standards when talking about commercial varnishes (and many finishes of this type in general). Marketing hype runs rampant in much of the finishing industry.

Jesse, I do mostly bamboo and fiberglass work. I've probably tried more kinds of varnish than I can remember. everything from artists quality to no name. the top two in my book and in no particular order are.
Epifrans tough finish and this stuff is almost bullet proof. heck if you can finish a boat with it it's got to be tough. the down side is that it's costly and sometimes hard to find.
Ace Hardware green label house brand. it's a spar not a polyurethane. yep, just roll down to the hardware store and get a can off the shelf. this may take an extra coat but for what you pay and the quality it's a bargain. it is actually preferred by many bamboo rod builders including myself.
spar varnish on glass does give that classic look and if you are restoring a rod it is the correct finish. I have used more modern finished on rods but there are times when you just have to go old school. in fact I've got a 9 1/2' 8wt Orvis salmon rod that is finished with spar and that thing is still going strong after 30+ years.

I have been pleased with the Helmsan Spar Varnish, I love the depth and translucence of the windings when I use it because if offers a look that epoxy just doesnt do for me. I am strictly an amateur at this, I have only built maybe 6 or 7 rods over the last few years. I have been striving to make them nicer, and my efforts are starting to show. Im not at the level where I would like to be, but I am enjoying this hobby immensely. Most of my rods are glass or graphite.

I have a Riffle 7'5" 3/4 waiting to be built and I just recieved my NOS Fenwick FF756 blank. I have really nice fittings for the Riffle that I bought from Phil when I got the blank, the Fen will be done in an old school kind of way. I have to plan that one out a bit.

Thanks for the info guys.

Jesse

If I were going to use a thin varnish type finish I'd use Permagloss because its so much clearer than varnish, won't yellow and is harder and longer lasting. Just my .02 worth.

Jesse, shoot me a message. I've got a bunch of nos old school parts that could look good on that Fenwick.