As the title says...

There is significant discoloration throughout this ol' solid glass rod, (the translucent kind) Expecially where the guides were.. "Ghost guides" are going to force me to place them back where i found them.. No big deal. But if the idea js to clean the whole rod up... Removing staining should be part of it no?

i cleaned it up the best i could, wet sanding and all.. Ive tried a 50/50 peroxide water soluton, tried the whole baking soda/peroxide paste, i was going to try bleach until we had a issue with the basement, (we have gotten so much rain my sisturn was higher then my basement floor, had to pump about 5 feet of water out of the sisturn) so my wife used it all up lol..

Any suggestions?

I mean, it is what it is.. The customer doesnt mind that much, but i'd like to 'wow' him.. Again.. Lol

It is less likely a stain, then the effects of UV on the resins in the rod. If so,I believe there isn't any way of changing the blemishes.

Thats a bummer.. And your probably correct.. Just very unsightly around the feet.. So.. Since this is a rod that Will never see water again.. I warned the owner that this glass is in no condition to be placed under load anymore, so he wants it as a wall hanger... Is it possible that the discoloration hasnt penetrated completly through?

In simpler terms, if i remove enough material, will it go away..

Im fairly certain, being a translucent blank, and ultraviolets, that it has full penetration, but worth questioning

Anthony,
There is a very simple solution for your problem.
Put on new guides and extend the wraps far enough to cover any discoloration.
You have already said, that this rod will not be used for fishing, so it makes 0 difference to the owner of the rod as to the length of the guide wraps.

Or, since you have said that it will not see water, just give the rod an appropriate coat of paint, rewrap the guides and return the rod to its owner.

Many choices.

Blasphemy! Lol i could never paint a translucent blank! Defeats the purpose.. Ive spent waaay to long on the handle for this thing, just @#$%& to have a sub par looking blank.. Kinda aiming for that white look, not yellowish brown

Anthony, Try tooth paste mixed with Comet or Ajax cleanser.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Whitening toothpaste? Lol

I have it pretty good in the tip section.. I just tried soft scrub with bleach.. A little harsh i know.. But it did seem to help..

How abraisive do you think will be dennis? I just took it back to 600 lol

Anthony,
I have rebuilt two vintage rods where the combination of the thread dye and finish employed stained the blank under the wraps. Nothing I personally tried and learned from this site even phased the stains. I ended up employing the stains in the wrap theme and it turned out exceptionally better than originally anticipated. Since I cannot afford you with a solution for your stains, allow me to attempt to ease your pain = It’s a wall-hanger, consider it patina.

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

Its not staining.. And reverse what your situation was.. The whole blank is aged rom UV.. I got it pretty darn good, atleast even.. For how blotchy it was originally i figured it was staining.. Its currently waiting for me with a coat go permagloss curing.. It should be fine..
Thanks everyone

UV can affect them i guess, is there any type of dye or stain you could use to mask it I wonder?

most of my rods seem OK that ive got, but whatever type of varnish they put over them goes yellow and flakes off and everything looks quite nice and bright on the ones ive cleaned. I guess its actually protected the rod somewhat from the UV.
Just not sure what product to apply to the rod to finish them after rebuilding. Fibreglass resin seems to go yellow over time too and polyurethane does not stick well to the rod surface.

I permaglossed it, left the sanding stage to 2000, instead of my usual 3000, wiped clean, had a little ruffness yet, so adheasion shouldn't be a problem i woukd think.. I ended up doing underwraps, this way i extended the extended the previous wraps about 1/8-1/4 respectively... Up towards the tip section i had a heck of a time finding the last guide placement, it seems if i went a little deeper with the sanding i might have been able to get a good clear consistant look, but to achieve what i did i had to take the blank down to 120.. I would never remove that much material on a rod intended for use, the customer is happy, so works for me..

Yeah I agree, I dont think sanding these rods does them any good, especially if it exposes the fibreglass. I think that using a gentle scouring pad or steel wool would be OK to clean down all the old varnish to the bare blank?
Anyone recommend anything better on a rod you want to use?

It did seem to help towards the tip.. I could have went a little more agressive towards the butt, but theres alot of fractures.. I didnt want to risk shanking myself by accident lol.. If varnish is your issue, dawn dish soap and a good bath.. Seriously though try soft scrub with bleach.. Its about as gritty as toothpaste.. Or brasso.. It got alot of discoloration out of the pores..

Anthony Unger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It did seem to help towards the tip.. I could have
> went a little more agressive towards the butt, but
> theres alot of fractures.. I didnt want to risk
> shanking myself by accident lol.. If varnish is
> your issue, dawn dish soap and a good bath..
> Seriously though try soft scrub with bleach.. Its
> about as gritty as toothpaste.. Or brasso.. It got
> alot of discoloration out of the pores..


We have a cleaning product called Jif (vim in the UK) which could do the job too.
Anyway ive got some real rough rods im going to have a go at first to see how I get on with steel wool or a gentle scouring pad.
Its flaking off real easy, i tried methylated spirits, but it almost re-activates this lacquer and makes it all sticky, so alcohol must be a solvent for this kind of varnish.