Posted by:
Chad Huderle
(---.static.twtelecom.net)
Doug, Mark Blabaum shared with me a method that he uses for finishing wood grips and I've found it to work extremely well for carbon grips too. I've modified his process a little for my use but it's still very similar.
The process uses a product called Enduro Pre-Cat water based urethane. [
www.woodcraft.com] It's applied with a Preval sprayer [
www.homedepot.com] while spinning on a lathe at low speed, say 500rpm.
You need to spray while spinning on the lathe, then transfer it to a rod dryer and spin until dry. It doesn't take long to dry and I can usually get 5 or 6 coats in one day. Wait for a day or two and you may use it as is. If you want a mirror-like shine then sand at low speed starting with 400 grit. Then wet sand with 600 and 1000 grit. Next I progress wet sanding through all 9 grits of Micro Mesh [
www.woodcraft.com] from 1500 to 12,000.
You could stop there but I add one extra step that gives the grip a mirror shine. After setting the lathe to it's highest speed, I apply automotive swirl remover [
www.amazon.com] with a paper towel. Give it a minute to dry then buff at high speed with another dry paper towel. Ends up looking like this...[
www.rodbuilding.org]
Thanks,
Chad Huderle
Huderle Custom Rods
Prior Lake, MN
