Hi...I'm back for more free, professional information. Hope you all don't get annoyed by my questions....I'm learning. I have wrapped a rod with a real good-looking red and inlayed with silver. It looks nice how it is. I just finished a rod with the same combo and when I applied the finish, of course the red went dark...almost a wine color. Still looks good but I now want to keep the red. I have heard bad about color preserver...that the finish doesn't apply as easily and other comments. Does anyone have an opinion, comment or advice on how to keep the color? Thanks!!

I` m going to take a page from Roger Wilson's playbook and suggest that you wrap a test strip. Do 1" bands of a bunch of colors, two bands of each. Try CP on one, any CP, follow the directions for it`s use, and use just finish on the other. You now have a permanent record to use for future builds. This works well for doing samples ofThroop tiger wraps or Trelikes trim bands. When you hear of bad experiences with finish, CP or thread, do your own tests.

Thanks Grant! I have an old piece of a rod.

Todd, if you can get ahold of vol.4 Issue 2, it has two very informative articles about color preserver and CP wrap strength..there are still some CDs available too..those early Rod Maker magazines were some of the best..

Thanks Ben...maybe I can google it. I think people are always learning and finding better ways. Have a great Memorial Day and be safe!

ben belote Wrote:
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> Todd, if you can get ahold of vol.4 Issue 2, it
> has two very informative articles about color
> preserver and CP wrap strength..there are still
> some CDs available too..those early Rod Maker
> magazines were some of the best..

just to add, the epoxy finishes love flex coat and U40 color preservers and level very well, better than without CP, but rod dancer CP has a leveling problem at least for me..

I don't see how a CP product can affect epoxy leveling. More detail would be appreciated.

Ben it's interesting you say you had issues with rod dancer cp. I took a long break from building. Been back in the game a little over a year. I always used to use U 40 color preserver and some finish that are not longer available. I was unable to get U 40 CP so got the rod dancer. I have had a ll kinds of trouble with leveling my finish. Thought it was me and getting used to new finish. Which I am sure accounts for some of the issues. Now you got me wondering if the CP could be a contributing factor. I will be certain to use U 40 on my next build and see it things are any better.

Giving it some thought, in theory I can see how it could cause problems. If the the CP soaks into the thread inconsistently you could have an uneven surface under the epoxy or the epoxy is soaking in slightly causing dips and valleys. Or perhaps the CP creates such a protective coating the epoxy cannot get any kind of hold causing it want to sag and run. I have encountered both. A wet finish that will look glasslike on the wraps with have sags or dips once dry. Just rambling some thoughts out loud. But I have found in various pursuits that sometimes the tiniest thing can cause a issue you never thought possible.

Michael, i don,t know why U40 was a problem..it coated and dried like flex coat but when the epoxy was applied it would slowly move from the edges of the wrap and pile up in the middle of the wrap forming a football..i cleaned it off and coated with flex coat Cp and everything worked fine, no footballs at all..i got a freh bottle of U40 and went through the same hing again..that was the end of that..lol..i really liked how well it retained thread color and figured i could put flexcoat over it to get the best of two worlds but i just stayed with flex coat and didn,t play with it any more..Michael D., the best example i can give is that when flocking urethane foam grips i would coat the grip with epoxy and had problems with thin spots some very thin but after coating the urethane with CP then applied the epoxy it layed out like glass, no thin spots and a more uniform coating of flock..i just figured that it probably benefitted thread wraps also..i never tried applying epoxy on bare thread but have often heard people on this site complain about their problems with applying epoxy on bare thread..the epoxy would not level and they had to use two or three coats of epoxy to do so..they ended up with way more heavy wraps..if the first coat was CP only one application of epoxy would have been needed, thick or thin as they wanted..

Ok...that was my worry. I had heard from an employee of a well known fishing store that color preserver made it harder to get a good finish on the wraps. Maybe that is exactly what he was talking about. That was a few years back so I have totally stayed away. I will look for some of the U40 and do a test. Thanks again!

Wow. Thanks for the detail. I just finished two rods with Rodancer 2, 2 coats, Hitena epoxy, and it leveled like glass. Interesting.

ben belote Wrote:
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> Michael, i don,t know why U40 was a problem..it
> coated and dried like flex coat but when the epoxy
> was applied it would slowly move from the edges of
> the wrap and pile up in the middle of the wrap
> forming a football..i cleaned it off and coated
> with flex coat Cp and everything worked fine, no
> footballs at all..i got a freh bottle of U40 and
> went through the same hing again..that was the end
> of that..lol..i really liked how well it retained
> thread color and figured i could put flexcoat over
> it to get the best of two worlds but i just stayed
> with flex coat and didn,t play with it any
> more..Michael D., the best example i can give is
> that when flocking urethane foam grips i would
> coat the grip with epoxy and had problems with
> thin spots some very thin but after coating the
> urethane with CP then applied the epoxy it layed
> out like glass, no thin spots and a more uniform
> coating of flock..i just figured that it probably
> benefitted thread wraps also..i never tried
> applying epoxy on bare thread but have often heard
> people on this site complain about their problems
> with applying epoxy on bare thread..the epoxy
> would not level and they had to use two or three
> coats of epoxy to do so..they ended up with way
> more heavy wraps..if the first coat was CP only
> one application of epoxy would have been needed,
> thick or thin as they wanted..

in the above i meant Rod Dancer CP not U40..don,t get old..lol.

Michael Danek Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow. Thanks for the detail. I just finished two
> rods with Rodancer 2, 2 coats, Hitena epoxy, and
> it leveled like glass. Interesting.


what is rodancer 2? is that still chromaseal..just curious but why did you need two coats..

Todd, please note my correction above..my problem was not U40 but Rod Dancer chromaseal CP...

Ben, yes, an old bottle of Chromaseal 2 by Roddancer. I always use two coats. I put it on liberally, then blot the excess after a minute or so. I have done two coats since a bad experience with a solvent based CP many years ago. May not be necessary to do two, but it works so I'm keeping it up. I used this CP for two feather inlays, too, and no problems with the epoxy over it. I'll just use it until a place an order for my usual, Flex Coat.

Ben, the majority of the problems I had were exactly like you describe. Everything would look great then once cured I would have a football in the middle of the wrap. I have had to go super thin multiple coats to get a level but in the end thicker coat than I want.

MD, it,s interesting that Hitena works just fine but the flex coat epoxy that i used didn,t until i used flex coat CP..let us know how it goes when you try the flex coat epoxy..MS, the main reason i use CP is that it allows me to use just one coat of epoxy to keep rod tip weight low..i don,t like to saturate the guide wraps with epoxy, just too much added weight, CP weighs almost nothing after drying..strength wise, Tom Kirkman has mentioned that his 130# class trolling rods have CP wraps and he has had no issues

Thanks Ben! Im old too! Too many head injuries as a stupid kid....I'm paying now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2020 05:58PM by Todd Andrizzi.

your welcome Todd..i noticed that Rod Dancer chromaseal is now called Thread Master chromaseal..i wonder if the formulation was changed also..i liked it,s color retention but not it,s epoxy leveling..i just may give it another try..

I used the current threadmaster chromoseal and had my problems.