I'm going to do a build on one of the Rainshadow RX8 blanks with the titanium finish. Was considering doing the threadless look using nylon white or silk. I haven't done this before so searched the forum and found several different posts on thinning with acetone or dna.

One comment said not to go for the threadless look with mono line because it'll gives off a strong silver sheen.

Has anyone ever tried this using very light flourocarbon line? I'll probably test to see the result but curious if others have tried and what their experience was.

Thanks,
Chad Huderle

Huderle Custom Rods
Prior Lake, MN

Chad,
Just to clarify, you are speaking of wrapping your guides with either
white nylon
silk
mono
fluorocarbon

Pretty easy. Take a junk blank and do a bunch of test wraps with old guides with the different materials and using your expected finish.

After letting dry for a couple of days, do some testing n the guides to see if you can rip them off the blank. Hence my suggestion to use a junk blank and some junk guides for the testing.

However, in any event I certainly would not thin any finish with solvent.

First, there is no reason to thin the finish and if you use the wrong solvent, you could have it do bad things to the thread that you are wrapping with.

Be safe

Thanks Roger. But to get to my specific question, you haven't tried wrapping with flouro to see the resulting "look"?

Thanks,
Chad Huderle

Huderle Custom Rods
Prior Lake, MN

It doesn't look much different that if you did it with clear mono. It will be clear, but it won't disappear the way fine white silk will. You will be able to see it.

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

Chad, i do a rx8 ti with silver grey makoi A thread and you may want to do a test wrap with it too.

Try it on a section you are going to put the reel seat on or similar, you may also like it.

Not see thru but i hit it with a few coats of PG : its about a 100% match to the blank.
So you just have the ring sort of growing out the blank.

I personally prefer it to the white silk/epoxy look guides sort of hanging in there look on Ti finishes. But its a personal taste thing..

Now a white blank with white silkwraps and no cp looks awesome: again personal taste.

I see above that Roger suggests "no thinning" of the epoxy, I differ, as my experience in doing a number of rods using Pearsall's Gossamer Silk, that a first coat of epoxy thinned with DNA to almost water consistency, followed 24 hours later with an unthinned epoxy coat, has given me absolutely crystal clear wraps. In fact I have had people insist that I did not use any thread wrap! Conversely, I have found that a unthinned first coat, while greatly making the thread transparent, it was never absolutely clear!

If dubious, give it a try!!!

Thanks Lou. I was thinking the Tich guide feet visible over that particular colored blank may look really nice. Hence, the desire for the threadless look. This particular blank does lend itself to some really nice color possibilities.

Thanks,
Chad Huderle

Huderle Custom Rods
Prior Lake, MN

I always thinn my finish
I was using lacquer thinner - Mid Temp Now i am using urethain reducer have been doing it for Years And never - never had a customer give me any grife about finish

Just do not over do it

Bill - willierods.com

You could also make it truly threadless as described in RodMaker some years ago or you might enough info using the searc function.

Here's my process for the transparent look. Others may vary from this and have good results but it works for me.

Pearsall's Gossamer, or YLI 100 white silk thread.
Wrap guides with adequate but not overly tight tension.
1st coat with Threadmaster lite finish, thinned with 30% acetone (DNA also works as a thinner)
The first coat is very thin. You will see thread ridges when finished.
Work from the tip of the guide foot forward. This pushes the air out of the tunnel as you advance the finish.
Put on the dryer for normal curing time.
2nd coat of Threadmaster lite is unthinned. Finish as normal.

Again, this is what works for me for the best transparent finish. This process is quite striking on light colored blanks that have red, black or green trim bands.

Good luck!

Terry

Instead of thinning epoxy, wouldn't a person be better off with a urethane finish like permagloss on the first soaking? From my limited experience with it, it is significantly stronger than epoxy finish as well. A top coat of epoxy can be added over the top for a smoother finish. Thoughts?

I've used the same method as terry when repairing splits and hook digs on bamboo rods. I've thought about trying perma gloss for the first coat but then I don't like to mess with a good thing or maybe it's because when I'm doding the job I don't have perma gloss kicking around. I've never had a problem with any separation etc when using the thinned epoxy. It soaks in well and seals the threads. second coat reinforces the first.

I've tried permagloss a couple of times for this method but I have trouble with it setting up too fast before the air is displaced. Could just be my method, and it's on my list to work on as there are advantages to using urethanes. I do get very good results with the thinned epoxy as long as coat #1 is very thin, and allowed to cure/evaporate off the solvent.

I'm not looking for any strength in the finish to the wrap. The thread provides this. I will continue to experiment though.

Terry

I had a homemade label that keep lifting on the corners after I had put rod finish on. It was a rod for myself so I went ahead and grabbed a spool of floro and wrapped it all over the label and crossed my fingers. You can see the floro very faintly but I think this is more due to it wasn't wrapped in touching turns and was kind of just cross hatched back and forth. I can pick it out but when I asked my brother to look he couldn't see it until I pointed it out.