I looked in the library and did a search but did not see an answer to my question. I have turned my first wood handle. I used clear wood turners finish after sanding. Should i leave it as is or put another finish on e.g. polyurethane? Any recommendations would be most appreciated

I like to use a couple of coats of epoxy guide coating. Tough and will have the same life as the epoxy guide finish that is used to coat the guide wraps. So, if the guide wrap finish go bad, then the handle finish will likely be in the same state.
On the other hand, if the guide finish holds up to your use ans storage of the rod, the handle will have the same appearance.


Be safe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2014 04:20PM by roger wilson.

I like to use a couple of coats of epoxy guide coating. Tough and not bothered much by UV.

Be safe

Many finishes will work on wood, depending on the variety of wood!! Gus Stock finish such as that made by Trondak, or Permagloss will give a very shiny finish and depending on the number of coats will be almost 3-d in appearance. Oily woods like Coco-bolo need no finish and should just be sanded, finishing with 600 grit and then boned, then buffed with carnuba wax.

Many of us use Tru-Oil, and depending upon the number of coats, you can have a matte or gloss finish.

Thanks guys. Any idea how long the finish will last with moderate use? A couple of time per year

Something like Tru-Oil would last a long time under that type of use. Remember, it was developed for use on gun stocks.

................

David,
As I said earlier, use a couple of coats of rod guide epoxy on the finish and the rod handle will be good for the life of the handle.

Be safe

I used 4-5 coats of Tru-oil on cork handles and they only need to be touched up after five years of fishing, no pit filler loss, just a slight sanding and re-coat once or twice.

Epoxy guide coating is not bothered much by UV?? Hmmmm.... I beg to differ. Look at a rod that has been wished for a few years or better yet replace a guide and then compare the looks of the finish from the old to new. BIG difference. Different woods will require different finish. I'm not well educated in the world of wood finish so I will not make a suggestion. I have used CA (Crazy Glue) as a finish on some walnut handles I made and it is holding up well after years. Looks like new. [www.youtube.com]

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

If you are looking for a high build finish to use in a marine environment, linseed oil based finishes are not as good a choice as tung oil based finishes because linseed oil supports the growth of micro organisms and molds which lead to premature finish failure. What this means to a rodbuilder is that if your customer spends a lot of time on the water, the finish on a wooden part will need refinishing sooner than if you used a more appropriate product. If the rod sees little use, this probably is not a significant concern.

If you are concerned and want to provide your customers with a high quality finish that provides maximum finish life in severe conditions, choose a tung oil based finish made with phenolic-modified alkyd resins and a high level of UV absorbers/inhibitors. I don't have a lot of wood on the rods i build, but on the few that do, they are left out in rod rack on charter boats 24/7 during the fishing season. Two specific products that have worked well for me are Epifanes clear varnish for non-oily woods and Epifanes wood finish gloss on the oily woods.

On rods whose wooden parts will receive cleaning and pampered care after each use, a quality high build finish should last the life of the rod.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2014 02:41PM by John E Powell.

For over 40 years I have made my own reel seat inserts, hosels, trim, butts, etc. I have over 50 different varieties of wood in my shop. Some very exotic such as tulip wood, pink ivory wood, pernambuco, and too many others to list. Many different types of finishes will work on some of them but not on others. Some do not require a finish at all, just a high sanding and then boning which brings more oil to the surface and is then buffed with pure carnuba wax. People need to experiment with the wood that they have. There is no quick and easy substitute for trial and error testing.

Guys,

I really appreciate all of the comments. Every time I post a question ( new rod builder) I am so impressed by the board's comments. They are so helpful. I have been on other boards ( fishing reports) and they are nothing but people complaining about other posters. Thanks for you professionalism.

This has been very helpful

Many types of wood are affected by UV light (Cherry, cocobolo) they will darken as they are exposed. Not sure what you are using but a good Spar urethane works great. it is MUCH harder than rod finish for sure, you can sand it for a satin finish or allow it to be for a better one. I will use Spar on most, True oil on some and Tung on others. Depends on the wood.

Why not just us several thin coats of an auto clear
I have never seen a car go yellow Just polish it once in a while

Bill - willierods.com

different woods require different finishes just like Randolph advised. Urethanes,ca, cablo, oils, etc all have their place. It also depends on the look and durability you are looking for. My experience with rod epoxy is that it is not near as tough as wood finishes. It also can blush depending on the oil content in the wood as well as scratching with little use. I know some use it and like it. I don't care for it as there are better finishes out there. I wish they still made the Petri polyurethane. It was the best i have ever found and hoarding the last i have.
As Eric stated, woods are photochromic and will change color when exposed to sunlight. Just another consideration when making handles and choosing a finish.

David
Try a search on the Internet for that type of wood You should be able to find what finish to use

Bill - willierods.com

David, what wood are you using? Like John said many woods will change color over time. Vermillion which starts out a beautiful red color may over time turn brown. The type of wood you are using would be helpful in giving advice.

All woods will oxidize over time. Both the rate and extent to which oxidation occurs varies from species to species, and It also varies, sometimes widely, from one sample to another of the same species. With a few exceptions, it's probably safe to say that a rodbuilder's goal is to limit both the rate and extent of the oxidation process to a piece of decorative wood on their rods. Some exceptions might be the desired darkening of cherry, the desired antiquing of oaks with indirect chemical vapors, or the direct application of liquid chemicals such as potassium dicromate to woods like honduras mahogany to cause a desired specific oxidation/tannin reaction to bring about an exaggerated visually-heightened state in the wood.

Again, if our goal is to limit both the rate and extent of the oxidation process, it's helpful to understand that different finishes have different capabilities to do so. All factors being equal (which they are not) high build finishes tend to do this better than thin finishes, and thin finishes tend to do this better than waxes or oils. Conversely though, the opposite tends to be true if the finish is not well cared for. A wax may allow a poorly maintained wood component to gently oxidize over time thereby tending to hide blemishes caused from rough handling whereas a damaged high build film finish might show a lot of oxidation at the point of damage and contrastingly very little oxidation in the adjacent undamaged finish area - thus being quite noticeable. This is what woodworkers sometimes refer to when they talk about various finishes capabilities to hide damage or use/handling to the finish over time.

Given that a rodcrafter's custom rod will probably receive more cautious use and pampered care than on off the shelf rod by the average consumer, it's probably safe to assume that just about any finish can be used to achieve some level of desirable results. So how do we decide which to use?

This is where it's helpful to know the customer, how the rod will likely be used, what level of care (or abuse) they will give the rod, what your capabilities and goals are, and other possible factors you may need to consider. I build mostly trolling rods for the local charter fleet, so on the rare occasion I add wood embellishments my three primary concerns are durability, UV resistance, and a film finish to seal the grain of the wood because I know these rods will likely spend extensive time sitting in rod holders. In some cases this could be an entire fishing season in the elements literally 24/7 for months on end. A non-UV inhibiting wax isn't going to work for me. Other finishes like Cetol certainly excel in the durability aspects I need, but lack in comparative UV protection and certain aesthetics (Cetol is not a warm finish, it can appear "cold" compared to "warmer" finishes like varnishes and waxes).

As to any of the linseed oil based finishes, I simply can't get the level of performance I demand for my finishing needs. But keep in mind my requirements are pretty extreme and you may certainly find this or other types of finishes appropriate for your needs (though I do find it difficult to support a case for linseed oil over tung oil in a marine environment). If you decide that a high build gloss finish is what is appropriate for your needs then my two previously mentioned finish recommendations excel in meeting all the goals I mentioned while still being easy for a hobbyist to apply.

Now as to the much recommended True Oil, if you're considering using it based on other's recommendations, I suggest you first perform an internet search, try "linseed oil mold" and see how many results you get (Google sited me 159,000 sources). The way linseed oil is processed, it leaves behind proteins and these proteins are food for mold. You can read up on this yourself and make your own conclusions. Then look at True Oil's ingredients and you'll find its base is linseed oil, not tung oil.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2014 03:48PM by John E Powell.

One product that I have used with great success over the years is the gunstock finish made by Ralph O'Quinn of Trondak. It is a true tung oil based finish. He also produced it for the Dembart label.