An unevenness showed up in the largest wrap on my rod after the first coat of color preserver (U-40 color lock 2). Does not show so much in the photos but here are a couple:





I proceeded to put two more applications of color preserver on, expecting that the thread that was lighter had not soaked up its share and the color would even out. It did not even out.

Two questions:

1. If I fish this rod with no additional finish, should I stick with just color preserver or will putting Flex Coat over the slightly weathered wraps be fine?

2. After removing the large hook keeper wrap (the guides all came out nicely), will DNA get the hardened CP off the blank, if not, what is the best way to remove color preserver residue from the blank?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Craig



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2015 07:21PM by Craig Strong.

Functionally it will be fine.

Trying to use nylon yellow, or any other very light color over a dark grey blank is always a bit of a challenge. It is very important that your threads be packed tightly together. Any variance in density across the length can show as a darker area. Outright gaps, of course, will show distinctly.

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as tom has said, your wraps have to be immaculately packed to prevent shading issue.

i will usually put a very thin coat of tinted finish (using a similar light color) before wrapping, which i find prevents shade variation/show through.

Thanks Tom and Marty for your quick input.

I only burnished the threads where there were gaps. This large wrap was my first on the rod so I am sure how tight the threads were packed from the start, especially under the hook keeper, was all over the place.

There is certainly a chance that I'll finish this up as-is.

If I were to remove this large wrap, what to do with the blank to prep it for a new wrap?

If you remove the wrap use DNA to clean up the residue. It should clean up just fine.

As Tom said, putting a light colored wrap over a darker colored blank is tricky. Marty's suggestion to put a thin coat of tinted finish (you can even use a thin coat of Testor's hobby paint) to keep the darker blank color from bleeding through is good.

Good luck

John A.

You can also use a NCP thread with a good coat of CP to be sure Pack and burnish well

Bill - willierods.com

Great information as always. Thank you.

Honestly - for a light color over a dark blank I'd say you did good! But yes - packing thread tight and even is the key. These days I avoid color preserver if at all possible.

Thanks - Marc

Keep it simple - that's all I can handle!