I have been having a problem with contamination on my wraps, sometimes during the first wrap, often on the second. I assume this is from the oils in my hands, from razoring off/sanding the odd tag end, etc. Often, the craters start appearing, ruining all of my work.

So, what is the best product to remove the oils that will cause issues with my finish, but not degrade a previous coat of epoxy. Also, the product itself preferably can't cause craters. I've used mineral spirits in the past, and got a lot of craters, and attribute it to the MS.

What am I doing wrrong, or what should I use?

Need more information!

What threads are you using?
What epoxy?
CP or not?
When are the "craters" appearing?
Are you putting anything else on the wraps? (Mineral spirits?)

Don't touch the wraps. Solvents may be causing your problem - don't wash the wraps with any solvent whatsoever.

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

Matt,
When I hear of issues like you mention, I can only suggest one thing - CLEAN UP-

Simply put, to build a perfect rod with 0 issues and problems, one needs to work in a "Clean Shop".

1. Don't have any dust in your room.
2. Don't have any oil or similar products in an area where the rod could come in contact with any rod or your work.
3. NEVER< EVER use mineral spirits on your rods or wraps. Mineral spirits contain an oil that is next to impossible to remove completely.
4. From time to time, open all of the windows in the shop and use a good source of air to blow any dust in the room out the windows. Then, use a good vacuum to vacuum off all surfaces, including the ceiling and any exposed beams.

Finally, when working - frequently wash your hands, arms and face with a good soap and water on a frequent basis.

People lose skin cells every day. People sweat and perspire. Many people have a lot of natural oil all over their bodies, that - if not washed off - end up on any thing that they touch.

As Mr. Kirkman suggested - never use any solvents on any thread wrap after it has been applied to the rod.

--------------------------
Think about your rod wrapping area similar to a Hospital operating room. Compare the cleanliness of your shop in its current state to any Hospital operating room, just before the folks and patient comes into the room to have his/her operation.
Basically, to get the best results on your rod, work in a "clean room" do do the wrapping and thread finish work.

Again, the best way to accomplish this is to NOT do any "dirty" work like sanding or grinding, drilling or any other work that will generate dust and or dirt. Rather do the dirty work in a location that is separate and different from the area where you do your wrapping and thread finish or your clean room work.

But certainly about more important than any thing else that you might do, is to keep your body- especially your hands, arms and face very clean and free of excess skin cells and oils that may end up on your rod while it is being wrapped.

Also, don't forget your fingernails and keep them clean as well. Folks often use their fingernails to pack thread while wrapping. That is just fine if your hands and finger nails are clean. But, if you have dirt under your nails, that dirt may end up on the thread.

Be safe

If it is not possible to have a separate sterile room a few things can be done to help alleviate the issue you are having. As stated already get away from solvents. Mineral spirits especially. If you feel you need a solvent DNA is all you really need to clean up things.
If the room has a dusty atmosphere that is hard to manage take a spray bottle with water and spray the air up high. The mist will pull the dust down and keep it down for a little while, I worked in a combo shop where it all got done on the same bench and never had a contamination issue. Its better to keep it simple .

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

A while back Roger Wilson said it best. WASH your hands before your start. Touch your face..... wash your hands again, Scratch your hair...wash your hands again. NEVER eat or drink while working on your rod. If you stop for a while when you come back wash your hands again. Dry them off with a clean dry paper towel. It can be that important but so easy to rectify.

I wear nitrile gloves when I work with any finish. They keep the stuff off your hands and your hands off the wraps and blank. I do not have finish problems.
Norm

I guess I have never understood how wraps get contaminated with anything. Why touch the thread? It's not necessary. And yet I have watched builders run their fingers and hands all over it. The wraps are the portion of the rod you do not touch. Grasp it elsewhere.

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

I guess those did not -- wash there hands ??? LOL

Bill - willierods.com

Matt,

In addition to what has already been mentioned, some brands of razor blades come with a coating of lubricant. If you use an unclean razor blade to cut your thread, and again to trim stick ups and loose fibers, you could be getting contamination from that.

I use a scalpel. The blades are clean right out of the pack.

Take care,

Chris

In addition to the scalpel comment by Chris, I use a fine bladed pair of fly tying scissors to snip all of my thread wrap tag ends. I begin doing this shortly after starting to wrap when one of my teachers at the location where I was taking rod building lessons illustrated his technique for trimming tag ends.

I sharpen the scissors about once a year, or as needed, if they ever get sharp and I have been using the same pair of scissors for clipping tag ends for many years. I have never needed to purchase more than the single pair of scissors that I bought when I first starting building rods.

Good luck

Dr. Slick to the rescue:

[www.drslick.com]

I use a product called Fast Orange to wash my hands when ever I work on rods, and then wash them again with a natural dish soap. The Fast Orange is designed for Mechanics to get the oil off their hands. The second was is just an In case wash. I use razor blades designed for cutting picture mats. They have a wax type coating. I wipe then down with alcohol as soon as they come out of the package, and then wash my hands again.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

Matt are you wrapping your rods on the same floor level as your Kitchen? I had that problem years ago when I first started, one rod would come out great, The next would have a terrible finnish problem, I was doing things all the same on each one, As I should be by the book as far as cleanliness goes, And doing all the above mentioned and still had problems. It took some time to piece the puzzle together. But I did finally notice a pattern And it was coming from those cooking in the kitchen. {Thru steam and grease in the air From Cooking}, Even though I was in another room I was still on the same floor, It would still make it's way onto my wrap. I had nowhere else to work in that house so I had to cover my wraps with Saran Wrap as soon as I completed them. That did work by the way, In the house I'm in now I have a dedicated wrap and finish area that's not on the same floor and my problems have been gone for GOOD. I see a lot of rod builders working on their dining room tables and wonder how they manage to get a good finnish? Something to keep in Mind. Jaa