I need advice from more experienced folks than I have. I have noticed some pretty severe bleed thru (in my opinion) on the foot area on one of my wrapped guides. While I can see a little thru on pretty much all of the guides it is really nasty on the stripper foot. I ground the leading edges of the feet and used a permanent black marker to color the bared foot then wrapped with Fishhawk nylon. I prepped the thread with three coats of CP before I applied the epoxy finish. Should I have used black paint? Is this my problem? Is there any way to repair this mess? Wrap over it with more thread? Cut it off and start over? The thread was orange so I expected to see a "little" thru it, but this is unacceptable. TIA

i use cp alot but i also never color the guide foot..no reason to.

Albert,
I rarely use nylon thread in favor of NCP. I also rarely use CP. I do slightly dress the tip of guide feet to produce a smother, less abrupt ramp, admittedly against the advice of many including Jim Ising of AR and Fuji. Since I use NCP thread, the color (difference) of the dressed foot is no issue. I have experienced permanent markers such as Marks-A-Lot may bleed a bit when coated with epoxy in other applications though. May I suggest finding and using model car/boat/airplane paint but test it first. I have also heard that latex or acrylic paint is not affected by most common epoxies but have no experience and thus cannot justify the claim.
As for rectifying your present problem, all I can offer is live with it or start over. While adding another layer of thread would cover the issue, it would add weight and make the wrap look bulbous compared to the others. Good luck.

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

If you are talking about a dark shadow like appearance under the orange thread, it is due to a dark (black) subject under a light colored thread. If you had used yellow thread it would be even worse!

If you have something like a black guide foot to go under a light thread (even with CP) you would be better to use a light, even whit paint on the guide feet. Bottom line......the thread just isn't opaque enough to cover the black!

be sure to do a good packing and burnishing job..and after the first cp coat, do another burnishing before applying the second cp coat..but like Phil says the thread is probably too light..

DUH!!!! I forgot to tell y'all it's on a white blank..................OOPS

Albert,
Why is seeing a guide foot through the thread a problem.

I like to see the guide foot as it gives the rod a bit of interest.

Take care

As stated, the problem very well may be insufficient packing. What you're trying to do is a tough assignment. I don't know how to salvage it. If it were a rod I was going to use myself, I'd leave it alone.

I'm not a fan of Fishawk thread, but don't know if it's part of the problem. I use Prowrap or Fuji, and have no trouble with Flex Coat CP, never more than two coats, but I use liberal coats and blot off the excess after a few minutes.


All I do to guide feet is a few light brushes of sandpaper right at the tip of the foot, across the foot, to allow the thread to climb the foot. I don't know what guides you are using, but that's all Fuji's need. I think that really grinding on the feet is asking for trouble.

I suspect "permanent" black marker is not at all permanent in the presence of a number of different solvents.

Thanks, fellows. It is for family use so in service the rod goes. I' with you Phil on permanence. Y'all gave me some gr8 pointers

Black guides, on white blank, with orange thread.....................guaranteed shown through that can be exacerbated by poor packing! I use a black Sharpie considerably and never had epoxy effect it at all.

When building on white blanks I use white fingernail polish to cover the foot. Sally Hansen hard as nails is my brand of choice.