Good evening all,

I'm very excited to register on the site after lurking for about a month now. Getting into rod building has been something I've been considering for a while now and I've spent that last few months becoming a student of the game so to say, reading as much as I can on this site and through the great resources on YouTube. The pages and pages here in the vault at rodbuilding.org are loaded with great information and this seems like a great group of passionate people to be a part of.

I'm a Midwest guy through and through, pursuing walleye, musky and panfish primarily, with the sprinkled in brook trout days mixed in here and there. My motivation to begin this adventure is strictly personal: to build high quality rods customized to my wants/needs and to further my fishing passion. If I become skilled enough at it, I'd love to help friends and family out as well. Spinning rods will be my primary focus.

Having now received my tools, materials and finally first blank today, I'm ready to dive in head first and and am excited to do so. While I feel ready to begin, I have one question that I'm hoping to get clarification on. My thought is to really take my time on my first few builds and not rush anything. Having a busy work life and family life may only find me able to work on things slowly and I'm wondering if I can let my guide wraps sit for any length of time before applying the thread finish on them. I envision guide wrapping to go over the course of a few days and just have this little worry in the back of my head that leaving them sit for a few days before applying finish could be bad. But not finding any information or concern on this from other, maybe I'm totally overthinking this.

I appreciate any feedback!

Ryan

Having the rod sit indefinitely before finishing is not a problem as long it is in a relatively clean and dust free area. Take all the time you need and enjoy the learning experience and be satisfied with the guide alignment and appearance before putting on the finish.

Wrap all your guides first, they can sit a while, you may have to blow some dust off or whatever gets on them. You can also adjust the straightness of your wrapped guides before epoxying. Just be careful not to let the wrap unravel. You can also repack the thread with a burnishing tool if you get gaps when adjusting the guides. After adjusting and repacking / burnishing, I will apply any color protector if I am going to use it. This will help set the guides from moving when you do apply the wrapping epoxy. You got this, there are far more harder things.

If you still have blank packaging, carefully slip it back into the protective plastic sleeve to keep the dust off of it until you’re ready to apply the epoxy.

Welcome to the forum Ryan.
You've already received excellent advice . All that I might add is that I hope you're able to take your time and not rush on more than your first few builds :) This is way too enjoyable to do otherwise .
Glad you're on board .
Ron

Ryan,

Great tip from Daryl right there!

I also save the little rod card that is attached to the top of the bag, write the rod specs on it, and carefully staple or tape the decal inside of it. (I have lost track of a few decals before; having it inside the rod card makes it easier to see.)

Savor the moments! Work at your own pace! It's exciting!

Thanks for the great feedback from all! As the grip and reel seat are curing now, I've saved the sleeve for when I begin wrapping guides next week.

It's already looking beautiful and I can see how this can become an addiction.

Addictive. You got that right!

If you haven't already, school yourself on the Common Cents System (CCS) and all the tutorial videos and calculators on the Angler's Resource site. Both links are in the left hand margin of the forum.

These sites broadened my mental framework around the cutting edges of the rod-building craft.

Hope to see you around the forum!

Ryan,
Simply put, if leaving your work for a short or a long time, simply cover your work with a plastic or other covering as needed to keep your work free of contamination. You can leave the work for 10 or 20 years if you like and pick it up when you have time available to finish the job.

Take care

I'm new too Ryan so wait for one of the experienced builders to confirm this, but when you decide to apply the epoxy finish make sure you have plenty of time to finish the job completely. I'm pretty certain I read that if you wait too long in between coats, the second coat won't bond (or, perhaps blend is the better term) with the first coat. In other words, don't put do your first coat and then put the rod away for a week before you do the second coat.

I think Daryl is right about applying the second coat of thread epoxy within 48 hours of the first coat. Epoxy takes some time to fully cure so a second coat can still chemically bond with the first coat if applied within approx. 48 hours.

If I have no other choice but to wait longer, I use a Scotchbrite pad to rough-up the existing, cured epoxy before the second coat is applied.

If you even need a second coat. I currently use high build formula wrap finish, so one coat is an accepted practice with high build finish. But, when I first started building rods I use a standard build epoxy where in their instructions, they suggested using two coats. Well, I have two rods that I only used one coat of the epoxy that recommended using two coats, and those rods are just fine. One of them is even a high powered rod that I use for flipping and pitching to heavy cover.

As long as you have good coverage on your wraps, I don't see why you'd even need a second coat of any kind of epoxy. The epoxy is just more or less there to protect the thread from damage. And while the first coat may add a bit of strength from the epoxy bonding with the blank's surface, a second coat is only going to bond to the first coat.

So if you're happy with your wraps after one coat. I don't see a reason for a second coat. Unless of course you're using it to build visual depth to a wrap.

David Baylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you even need a second coat. I currently use
> high build formula wrap finish, so one coat is an
> accepted practice with high build finish. But,
> when I first started building rods I use a
> standard build epoxy where in their instructions,
> they suggested using two coats. Well, I have two
> rods that I only used one coat of the epoxy that
> recommended using two coats, and those rods are
> just fine. One of them is even a high powered rod
> that I use for flipping and pitching to heavy
> cover.
>
> As long as you have good coverage on your wraps, I
> don't see why you'd even need a second coat of any
> kind of epoxy. The epoxy is just more or less
> there to protect the thread from damage. And while
> the first coat may add a bit of strength from the
> epoxy bonding with the blank's surface, a second
> coat is only going to bond to the first coat.
>
> So if you're happy with your wraps after one coat.
> I don't see a reason for a second coat. Unless of
> course you're using it to build visual depth to a
> wrap.

Is the high build you’re using from Flex Coat?

Daryl, yes, I currently use Flex Coat high build Ultra V. I've used it on my last 5 builds and like it a lot. Prior to switching to the Flex Coat I was using U40 LS Supreme. Both their standard build and their high build. It was the standard build version of LS Supreme I referenced using only one coat of, in my prior post.

They've all been really nice finishes to work with. The only reason I gave the Flex Coat a try is that I was hoping it would be less resistant to yellowing in the bottle. And it is. By quite a bit actually.

David Baylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Daryl, yes, I currently use Flex Coat high build
> Ultra V. I've used it on my last 5 builds and like
> it a lot. Prior to switching to the Flex Coat I
> was using U40 LS Supreme. Both their standard
> build and their high build. It was the standard
> build version of LS Supreme I referenced using
> only one coat of, in my prior post.
>
> They've all been really nice finishes to work
> with. The only reason I gave the Flex Coat a try
> is that I was hoping it would be less resistant to
> yellowing in the bottle. And it is. By quite a bit
> actually.

I don’t want to hijack the thread so maybe I’ll start another, but I’ve only used Pro Kote so far. I don’t have any real gripes, but wonder if it wouldn’t be better if it just a tiny bit thicker (easier to get a slightly thicker coat).

My biggest mistake I made when starting out was putting on too much finish. It is always better to put on 2 thin coats than to glop on one trying to get it perfect. One added advantage of 2 coats is if you have any blemishes or tags on guides...etc, you can trim or file them off and cover with another thin second coat to get them perfect.

Chuck

><))))">….><))))">….><))))">….Just Fish

Prior Lake Rod Building Guild
Instagram @pl_rod_building_guild

Chuck Brezen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My biggest mistake I made when starting out was
> putting on too much finish. It is always better
> to put on 2 thin coats than to glop on one trying
> to get it perfect. One added advantage of 2 coats
> is if you have any blemishes or tags on
> guides...etc, you can trim or file them off and
> cover with another thin second coat to get them
> perfect.
>
> Chuck

Yes, I had to file a couple of spots on my first rod. I used the fine side of an emery board and then just wiped it off good before doing the second coat. Filing a spot will leave it chalky looking, but that covers right up as soon as put the second coat on. You'd never find where I filed now that the rod is finished.

Glad you guys are finding what works for you, And that's what counts.

As for me, I am pretty much opposite of what you guys are doing. I started building, I tried to be too perfect with the amount of finish I put on as a first coat, and it caused me problems. The main one being that I was taking too long to get the finish on, and it was thickening quite a bit in the mixing cup.

I always start at the butt end of the rod and work my way towards the tip. By time I got to the tip the finish had thickened and the thicker finish actually made those wraps come out better. A lot of times I wouldn't even put a second coat on the running guides because they had good coverage, and looked good. Having that kind of result with a little thicker finish, is what caused me to give high build finish a try. I like it, so that's what I use now.

Daryl, I have never used Pro Kote, but I have seen others, on this site and other rod building related forums, that mention that Pro Kote is pretty thin. So maybe give some standard build or high build finish from a different manufacturer, and see if you like it. It's money well spent if it works for you.

David Baylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Glad you guys are finding what works for you, And
> that's what counts.
>
> As for me, I am pretty much opposite of what you
> guys are doing. I started building, I tried to be
> too perfect with the amount of finish I put on as
> a first coat, and it caused me problems. The main
> one being that I was taking too long to get the
> finish on, and it was thickening quite a bit in
> the mixing cup.
>
> I always start at the butt end of the rod and work
> my way towards the tip. By time I got to the tip
> the finish had thickened and the thicker finish
> actually made those wraps come out better. A lot
> of times I wouldn't even put a second coat on the
> running guides because they had good coverage, and
> looked good. Having that kind of result with a
> little thicker finish, is what caused me to give
> high build finish a try. I like it, so that's what
> I use now.
>
> Daryl, I have never used Pro Kote, but I have seen
> others, on this site and other rod building
> related forums, that mention that Pro Kote is
> pretty thin. So maybe give some standard build or
> high build finish from a different manufacturer,
> and see if you like it. It's money well spent if
> it works for you.


David, I ordered some of the Flex Coat High Build you mentioned in another post. I'm going to give it a try. I was going to get the UV, but they were out so I just got the original stuff. I'll report my thoughts as to how it compares to the ProKote. One tip I got from watching a video is to poor the finish onto aluminum foil. It's supposed to extend the pot life. Since it was my first rod, I don't know what normal is so I don't know if it extended it or not, but I did finish the entire rod and it was the same consistency from start to finish.

ProKote has a very long pot life compared to other finishes, and takes a long time to cure. Flex coat will have a shorter pot life and will cure faster. So, you should notice a difference between the two.
Norm