How do you sand the NFC blanks? Do you spin the rod on a lathe or sand it by hand? What grades of sandpaper do you use? Do you use wet or dry paper? Thanks for the help.

Try a search , sanding blanks all dates.

I sand by hand, not on a lathe. Use 200 grit to start and finish with 400.

Check with NFC prior to sanding to ensure that sanding will not void the blank warranty.

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The ridges on the unsanded X-ray and Delta blanks are composed of epoxy resin and they wet sand by hand very easily by using wet/dry paper. Can use very fine grits from 800 to 1500 and not worry about getting into the graphite fibers.
Norm

It works very well to wet sand.

Take a 5 gallon bucket and fill it half way with warm water. No need to have cold hands when sanding.

Then, just use various grades of sand paper used wet t sand down the length of the blank The sanding goes very quickly and the water keeps the process free of dust and other issues.

But, when you do sand, be sure to wear gloves. You are potentially removing particles of graphite or glass - to a small degree and these particles are sharp and could penetrate a bare hand.

Be safe

I had several NFC HM blanks that were significantly higher in power than some I previously purchased of the same model numbers. We’re all aware that blank power specs are likely to fluctuate somewhat within a given model, but these were dramatically different. Because the blanks in question were also much heavier, I suspected that they were not sufficiently sanded by NFC. Being unhappy with them, I figured it was worth the risk to sand them further to reduce power and weight. I was careful to make measurements at 6” intervals along the blank to ensure an even removal of material. I started with 60 grit and worked progressively to finer grits to achieve a polished finish. The process appeared to be removing far more material than what was actually being removed, so measurements were invaluable. I ended up taking from .003” (tip end) to .006” (butt end) per side. I was able to reduce power by 15% and weight by 14%. While both have since been fished rigorously and have held up fine, I wouldn’t want to make sanding blanks a common practice.

I sent a request to NFC about the ridges and the warranty. They specifically stated that the blank was designed that way. They did not yet have a stand on the warranty if sanding. Will add warranty info if/when i get it.

Ed,
You must have the unfinished blanks they offer, at a very good price. These are dried / heated in a polymer plastic wrap used to hold the prepreg in place and will shrink, applying pressure to the drying blank. The film is removed leaving ridges in the blanks surface. These ridges are not sanded off and offered to the public at a very good discount. I have actually been sanding these on my rod wrapper because it will accommodate the length, but I do have a vacuum at my work station to clean the mess up. I will start with 200 grit then finish with wet sanding 400 grit. Just eliminate the ridges with the 200 grit and level out with the 400. if you start seeing the linear graphite pattern at the surface, you are sanding too much. Try to keep a thin layer above that. I use strips that are at least 2" in width and keep them moving starting at the butt working your way up the tip where you will need to use the most caution. Wear a dust mask because fine particles of carbon or fiberglass are not good to breath.
Lance



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2020 03:14PM by Lance Schreckenbach.

Dumb question..how do we get the unfinished blanks? I got several from Mudhole which are awesome. If I can get something similar from NFC, that would be awesome!

As everyone has said, they sand very easily. So easily that I personally wouldn't see a need to start with a 200 grit paper. I did mine (2 X ray blanks) starting with 320, then to 400, and finally on one of the blanks, a grey Scotch Brite pad. The Scotch Brite pad gave the blank a slight shine, similar to satin finish paint.

I was careful not to damage the blank. I went just enough to where the surface was smooth. I didn't sand mine to try and take off any weight, or to lessen the power of the blank. I just wanted the surface smooth. Personally I wasn't worried about voiding the warranty. I've fished both rods for almost a full season, using them quite extensively. If they break at this point, it's something that I did in handling the rod. Not something that was caused by a factory defect in the blank.

I got another message from them that states "all Xray blanks will have ridges and matte finish and all Deltas will have ridges and shiny finish". Sounds like it's intentional.

It is intentional. All unsanded blanks will have ridges due to wrapping the prepreg carbon fiber on the mandrel with cellophane prior to baking. When the cellophane wrap is removed there are ridges on the surface of the blank composed of epoxy resin that seeped from the prepreg. The blank can be left unsanded with the ridges intact or it can be sanded to remove the epoxy resin on the surface making the blank smooth. I personally don’t mind the ridges, but others like a smooth blank, which is more traditional. I bought a Century Blank at the Expo and it was also unsanded and I plan to leave it that way. It does not take a lot of sanding to remove the ridges and make the blank smooth. That is the reason I wet sand with very fine grit wet/dry paper. It only takes a few minutes and give a nice smooth matte finish and does not remove any of the underlying carbon fiber.
Norm

Keep in mind the blanks strongest state is with the cello wrap ridges left as is.They leave them on purpose not to save money. It literally takes them 5 seconds to sand a blank on their centerless grinder

Ken,

Any blank in the "Delta" Family is un-sanded blank.

[northforkcomposites.com]


Ken Brown 2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dumb question..how do we get the unfinished
> blanks? I got several from Mudhole which are
> awesome. If I can get something similar from NFC,
> that would be awesome!

In most cases, sanding the blank WILL NOT void the warranty.

The reason I say most - if we can see that you sanded into the wall and the fiber of the blank - this will lead us to deny your warranty claim.

1) please wear a mask, carbon fiber, especially dust is not something that you want to breathe. We use a fully enclosed ventilation system and only wet sand.
2) we don't use sandpaper/type belts in the factory - if you do - use a 300+ grit sandpaper for the first pass, and a scotch-brite 7447 to finish.

Best,
Alex

Is it advisable to sand the X-Ray blanks by hand? Possibly using a wet sand from bottom to top and then the 7447 hand pad from bottom to top? I have 4 NFC SLJ 692-1 blanks that I'd love to smooth out the ridges on before I build them.

Thanks

Jason Grochowski

I love the unhanded blanks and so do all of the people who get one that I build. Easy to wrap and look great.

I am building out an NFC LMX 9' 5wt rod currently. The look of the ridges does not bother me, in fact, I kind of like the look (I thought I might dislike it when buying on line.) And they only provide a minor difference in wrapping Size A thread, as it will slide a little less easy when starting a wrap and getting it lined up straight. After a few wraps you get it down.

I don't think I could be bothered to sand off the ridges as it would not be easy to do so in a perfectly uniform way and I would be concerned about sanding into the carbon fiber wall of the blank.

In addition, as Alex indicates, I would not sand a blank without proper eye and a quality breathing mask (not just a cheap Covid medical type). Sanding will release all sorts of micro particles and fibers that you are not going to want to breath in or have enter your eye area.

For those who wish to sand, go at it. I'd say you have true grit!

If you "sand" with a wet piece of scotchbrite they're isn't any dust.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2023 06:28PM by Lynn Behler.