Hi Guy's,
Just wondering how many people put finish on the whole rod when making standup/ trolling style rods. The 15kg rod I am building seems to get scratches very easy on the blank. I know it would add weight but wonder what other problems can arise.As this is only my second build I am a little concerned about being able to get a good finish over such a large area.Also I wonder about proper adherence of the epoxy finish to the blank as there is no way to get a water break surface prep I thInk. Also what do people do before doing next coat of finish? Hope to bind and coat over the weekend on this long winded project.
Tight lines Scott.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/2018 03:41PM by Scott Lawrence.

Rod wrap epoxy is not what should be used to coat a full blank. Too soft and heavy! The best overcoat is Perma Gloss. You can do a search on it's application.

Phil is dead on you definitely do not want to use rod wrapping finish on the whole rod . I tried Permagloss for the first time last year and that stuff is amazing , easy to apply, dries fast and the finish it provides is super light and durable.

There's no reason why you can't epoxy the whole rod. St.Croix FlexCoats all their rods from the fore grip to the tip/top and they look beautiful.
Yes its true, it adds weight. About as much as a book of matches, and I'll bet you carry a cell phone but that doesn't seem to bother anyone now does it.
As far as dust goes, If you have any kind of draft or air flow in the area where you finish your rods your gonna get dust particles. If I showed you a photo of my shop, you would probably call O.S.H.A. to report a dangerous condition But, I have no draft created by fans or leaky windows and doors. My finish comes out flawless. Low R.P.M. finishing motors are another asset along with high build epoxy and alot of it to fill in any differences where you want a smooth transition from bare blank to a wrapped area.
The second coat( if you desire to add one) will adhere seamlessly without any further preparation
When the rod gets too heavy for Me, I'll take up bird watching or stamp collecting..

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

There's no reason why you can't epoxy the whole rod. St.Croix Flex Coats all their rods from the fore grip to the tip/top and they look beautiful.


Dennis i assume you mean they use Flex Coat epoxy glue for the fore grips , reel seat etc... and use Flex Coat high build finish for the guide wraps because i say with 100% certainty that St. Croix DOES NOT use flex coat rod wrapping finish to coat the entire rod .

Herb, If their not using Flex Coat then its got to be something else.. I base my theory on the description of how their rods are built and the products they use to build them with. I also have the experience of working on these rods, and I can tell you the painted area between the guides have some sort of epoxy finish. How I know this is because with a little heat from a heat gun it gets soft and can be removed with little effort. Heat will not break down Perma Gloss or any other finish like it.
Now tell me why you are 100% sure St. Croix does not coat the whole blank.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Dennis,
Give St. Croix a call and they will tell you how they coat the blank.

I believe that it is a flexible paint of some sort.

But, the other posts have it correct. The finish is not a typical Flex Coat or similar guide wrap finish.

Good luck

To All: If you want to cease innovation in this craft you are "right on" and "100% certain " to curtail the individuality of what we do.
The question remains. How many people put finish on the whole blank? I have. Anyone else?

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Putting rod wrap epoxy on the whole blank is senseless, when there are far better products to use for the purpose! Rod wrap epoxy, even light goes on too thick, is too soft, degrades with UV and is heavy. I believe these are enough reasons to avoid using it for an unintended purpose.
A call to St. Croix will easily clear up the misconception about what they use.

I have decided just to leave this rod as is and just put finish on he binds. Will look into the permagloss. Thanks for your time.
Scott.

Dennis,
Glad to hear someone else has coated an entire blank with wrap finish. That is how I finished the first three blanks when starting to wrap 3 years ago until everyone on this site stated it was not a good idea. The ultimate finish looks better than any of the numerous blanks I’ve coated with PG. Rather than just globbing it on with a brush, I applied it with saturated lint-free gauze while rotating at approximately 75RPM, then came back over it with a dry gauze, back and forth, until the application was extremely thin and even. While having to repeat the process 3 or 4 times to achieve the desired luster was time consuming, those three rods look noticeably better than any I’ve done with PG and the coats are so thin I cannot imagine the overall coating being noticeably heavier than two coats of PG. Nonetheless, I have resorted to PG on my present builds. But I still stand wrap finish can be substituted for rod finish if applied correctly. I thought I was the only one. Let it be known I am not willing to debate the subject. I am simply offering my experiences to others.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Scott,
The simplest and lightest finish on a rod is no finish at all.
If you start with a new bare blank, just polish it as needed and build the rod.

If you are rebuilding an old rod, completely strip the blank free of 100% of all finish and then, do a final wet sand - starting with 100 grit and moving up to 1200 grit. When done, you will have a perfectly polished finish that has 0 weight, since there is nothing on the blank.

Both fiberglass and graphite do not need any finish, since the epoxy used to make the rod provides a very nice durable finish.

Good luck