has anyone tried adding color to rod guide epoxy. just a thought, pros and cons please

Yes and there are tons of posts on how to do it (and what not to do) in the search archives of this forum. Typically you're tinting or coloring the epoxy with a pigment that can run the gamut from the solids out of the bottom of a jar of Testor's paint, to powered chalk or even speciality coloring pigments.

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I did a lot of crazy stuff when I made my girls rods, like Swarovski crystals inlaid on the dimpled winding checks. Tom is correct about Testers model paint. Let the pigment settle in the bottle and drain out the thinner down to the pigment level. A little bit will be translucent added to epoxy and a lot will make it solid. You can also go to Hobby Lobby or other craft type stores and they have pigments and powders with fine glitter in different colors in the jewelry making section. You can get the Testers paint there also. Experiment with it on old broken rods or wooden dowels because it will set differently than regular guide epoxy when you add it to it.

Mudhole sells CRB marbling pigment in several colors....other sponsors on this site may very well do the same...I have used CRB Marbling pigment with success. A single 1 ounce jar might be a lifetime supply !! You must use sparingly, a little bit goes a long way. In one of Mudhole"s Facebook Live Videos ( I believe the video on Marbling) they spend some time using the marbling pigments.

You sure can. I used the powdered pigment from CRB that Mud Hole sells for marbling. I re wrapped the guides on an old G Loomis GL2 casting rod. The Old Silver color matched the color of the blank almost perfectly. It made it look as if the guides were just sticking out of the blank. Very cool looking.

I gave the rod to a fishing buddy. It's looking just as good as the day I gave it to him. That was about 3 years ago.

Casey from VooDoo Rods, a sponsor on the left, has a quick video on YouTube with marbling. They sell powdered pigments what work great

Hello Don.

Here is a shot of one I did.

[www.rodbuilding.org]


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Thanks for the advice guys, I really appreciate it. Now I feel like I got a whole new jar of marbles to play with.
Don,
Saraland Al.
On the banks of beautiful Bayou Sara.

Like has been said, there are a lot of ways to color epoxy finish. I've used powdered jig paint and even different colors of the same product can require different mix ratios, so be sure that you mix a test batch or so with the finish that you use.to make certain that you get the color you want, AND a workable consistency. I also use a scale to measure the pigment so that i can repeat a color mix exactly. Good luck!

VooDoo powdered pigments are awesome.