In my short stint as a rod builder, the word is getting out that I can restore old surf rods and I am now on my forth surf rod restoration project. this one is a doozy. It's a 13 foot fiberglass Lamiglas, it's warped and it looks as if it was outdoors laying on it's side in the sun for a long time. The finish is gone on the side that faced the sun and the weave is exposed. We took it fishing to test it it and it still stood up to any fish we caught that day and heavy casting so, structurally it is good. First the warp, it's going about 3-4 inches to the left, about 2/3 up the rod. I'm thinking soft heat on that one, or whatever it takes but beginning with low heat. As for the exposed weave, I am thinking maybe a few coats of Permagloss will build it back up? The customer told me the warp is the main concern, and if the rod breaks on him, no loss. It's very ugly in the condition it is in now.

I have nothing to offer regarding the warp but I have had great success restoring the finish on some Honey Lamiglas blanks from the early '70s with a very light (400 grit) sanding and permagloss.

Joseph Willsen Wrote:
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> I have nothing to offer regarding the warp but I
> have had great success restoring the finish on
> some Honey Lamiglas blanks from the early '70s
> with a very light (400 grit) sanding and
> permagloss.

I did a honey Lami for myself back in January and it turned out beautiful, although there was no weave exposed. This one is a black Lami and the weave is so exposed you can feel it, and it's turned white.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2021 01:02PM by Fred Zimmermann.

Fred,
You have a real DOOZY of a repair, actually a rebuild of the blank itself!!! The first thing to determine is if it is actually worth all the effort only to discover your attempts do not work in the end. Unless you are a glutton-for-punishment, have too much time on your hands or are compelled to tackle the seemingly impossible, consider passing on this one. It is bad enough there is such a pronounced warp in the blank, but with deteriorated polyester resin / exposed FG weave down the length of one side, the blank will probably always be lop-sided in strength, flexibility and frequency. Sanding the exposed FG will accentuate the issue.
But if you are @#$%&-bent on trying, consider this. Natural FG cloth is white in appearance; it did not turn white all those years exposed in the sun (UV). FG (glass) is fairly UV resistant. The resin was tinted (black) which deteriorated, turned to dust and fell off the blank from prolonged UV exposure. Carefully, as in gently, apply polyester resin, tinted black, to just the exposed / damaged side of the blank, just enough to encapsulate the exposed weave. If it is possible, and before applying the resin, put a bend in the blank OPPOSITE TO THE PRESENT WARP; if it is 4in off to the left, bend it 4in to the right (just a guess as to how much bend to induce). Let it cure for a minimum of 3 days; 1 week would be better (at 70*F +). Ultimately, post curing it at a consistent 150*F for 12 hours would be best, but that is probably impractical for you.
I am always intrigued by a challenge, but I think this project may be pushing the limits of what is possible, at least feasible. Nonetheless, I am VERY interested in what you decide and how it turns out = please keep me posted.

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

Mark Talmo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Fred,
> You have a real DOOZY of a repair, actually a
> rebuild of the blank itself!!! The first thing to
> determine is if it is actually worth all the
> effort only to discover your attempts do not work
> in the end. Unless you are a
> glutton-for-punishment, have too much time on your
> hands or are compelled to tackle the seemingly
> impossible, consider passing on this one. It is
> bad enough there is such a pronounced warp in the
> blank, but with deteriorated polyester resin /
> exposed FG weave down the length of one side, the
> blank will probably always be lop-sided in
> strength, flexibility and frequency. Sanding the
> exposed FG will accentuate the issue.
> But if you are @#$%&-bent on trying, consider
> this. Natural FG cloth is white in appearance; it
> did not turn white all those years exposed in the
> sun (UV). FG (glass) is fairly UV resistant. The
> resin was tinted (black) which deteriorated,
> turned to dust and fell off the blank from
> prolonged UV exposure. Carefully, as in gently,
> apply polyester resin, tinted black, to just the
> exposed / damaged side of the blank, just enough
> to encapsulate the exposed weave. If it is
> possible, and before applying the resin, put a
> bend in the blank OPPOSITE TO THE PRESENT WARP; if
> it is 4in off to the left, bend it 4in to the
> right (just a guess as to how much bend to
> induce). Let it cure for a minimum of 3 days; 1
> week would be better (at 70*F +). Ultimately, post
> curing it at a consistent 150*F for 12 hours would
> be best, but that is probably impractical for
> you.
> I am always intrigued by a challenge, but I think
> this project may be pushing the limits of what is
> possible, at least feasible. Nonetheless, I am
> VERY interested in what you decide and how it
> turns out = please keep me posted.

I like that plan. I have made a couple surfboards out of both resin and epoxy so I have played around withe stuff quite a bit. I can get very small quantities from a small surf glassing place right up the road, as I wont need much.

Fred,
GOOD LUCK!!!!!! I’ll be waiting for “news at 11:00”.

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