Hey everyone!

I made a few posts when I started this adventure, built my own rod wrapping stuff, bought threads, epoxies, have been lurking, reading, and practicing since. I have already stripped and rebuilt 5 rods, for friends, Ugly Sticks so nothing fancy, and have gotten pretty good at wrapping thread, and epoxy finish. I have gotten Nearly perfect, glassy finishes on every rod. I did have a little thread tag on my first one, and a little "dust" on another, but since then I have used a new blade on every rod, and run a small pencil torch over the threads to burn off the "excess" fuzz, and this has resulted in perfect finishes.

Now I have a few questions with images attached.

[www.rodbuilding.org] - #1 Broken Guide
[www.rodbuilding.org] - #2 Removed Guide
[www.rodbuilding.org] - #3 Striped Rod

Ok, so picture #1, broken guide. As you can see, it was in pretty rough shape. The guide was actually pulling up the thread wrap. Now, On this particular pole, I am stripping it ALMOST completely naked (picture #3). I intend to keep the original manufacturer Chevrons (unless someone thinks I should redo them) and manufacturer markings.

During the stripping process, I noticed the entire rod is coated in something. You can see it is highly built up in picture #2, and this continues to be this highly built all the way between guides, as seen in picture #3. So I tried to peel this off, which is NOT AN EASY TASK AT ALL! I did find heating it, helps considerably, and almost "de-bonds" it from the blank. It comes of in chunks, and sometimes, rarely, peels. From the peeled pieces, I can see it has yellowed considerably as well.

So, for the questions I have:
1. Is this some type of varnish, urethane, or epoxy?
2. When I finally come to the process of rebuilding, what should I use to protect the fiberglass?
3. I have it in my head, that the best method will be to(in this order): Wrap all the guides etc, use a single part rod varnish (permagloss, or any suggestions?) between the guides (not touching the threads) and apply 3 to 5 coats to get back the "high build" and smooth things out, and then Flex-Coat the threads and guides. Any suggestions on whether or not this is a good method?

This is going to be a long rebuild, as I am learning as well as researching. I am excited to get the first one of 2 done, but I want to have all my ducks in a row. ANY suggestions you guys have for me on proper rebuilding, would be appreciated. I am going for the "original" look and feel, only because they have sentimental value, and they are from the 60`s. Just a cool piece of history.

Thanks!

P.S. The guides is another area of contention on this build. I want a very reliable, long lasting guide, but I want "original" look. They were White ceramic with Black shock ring, (blue shock ring would be nice and work as well). I have only found two versions: These CER Guides [www.mudhole.com] or these "Mt. Fuji" guides on fleabay, which look a little better quality, but i cant find any info on them. If you guys have a suggestion on where to find them, a nice good quality stainless set, I would appreciate it.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2017 09:53AM by Earl Estrada.

Good Morning Earl,
There are three type of finishes: Epoxy, Urethane (Perma Gloss), and Varnish. Varnish is the oldest type and is slightly amber in color. The epoxy and Perma Gloss are not tinted. They have the same "color" as water.

I suspect that the coating on your rod is varnish and it has become brittle with age. If you want to recoat the rod blank itself, Perma Gloss would be the easiest to use.

When I rebuilt a bamboo rod several years ago, I had to remove the old varnish and apply another coat. I used Perma Gloss. The technique I used was to obtain some of those very soft sponges that women use to apply makeup. I loaded the sponge with Perma gloss and then holding the rod vertically at the top, I took the loaded sponge and squeezed it around the blank and then pulled it down to the end of the blank. You should try to do this in a single motion. After the permagloss dries, you will need to check it to see if you missed any spots. If you have, you will need to repeat the process. You must apply the Perma Gloss in a very thin coat or it will sag and run.

Good luck with you project.

Mike Blomme

As far as refinishing goes, once the rod has been striped, which method should I use, or is this "preference"?

1. Should I Perma Gloss the entire blank, and then put my under wraps and guide wraps on OVER the perma gloss and flex coat the wraps?
2. Should I do my wraps, and Perma Gloss over the entire rod and the thread wraps instead of Flex Coat?
3. Should I do my wraps, Perma Gloss between the wraps, being careful not to touch the wraps with the perma gloss, and then Flex coat over the wraps, meeting the perma gloss with the epoxy?

I know thats a lot of detail and options, but i can see how each one may have an advantage and disadvantage.

Also, is there an advantage/disadvantage to using varnish, like RodDancer, instead of using Perma Gloss??

Thanks again!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2017 12:37PM by Earl Estrada.

Option #1 is the best approach. You will find it difficult to apply Perma Gloss between wraps as it cures rapidly.

Yes, you can use rod varnish. However, it is more viscous, not as hard, and not as flexible as Perma Gloss. Years ago when varnish was all we had, we would use it for all of these purposes, but today we have some extremely good finishes that makes our tasks easier. Phil is right. Trying to produce an even coating by working around guides, if not impossible, is an extremely difficult task.
Mike Blomme

Since I am so new to this, I have not yet used Perm Gloss. Would Perma Gloss indeed be my best option for blank overcoat? Can Perma gloss be brought to a smooth and glassy finish? The glass under the varnish, is VERY rough, so Maybe I need to sand it first, to smooth it out a bit, then go over it with Perma Gloss, 4 or 5 coats????

Yes, Perma Gloss needs to be applied to a smooth surface. Before you attempt using Perma Gloss, do a search here to find out the technique. There is no need for more than 2 coats.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2017 01:46PM by Phil Erickson.