So I tried silk first time and I'm hoping the white blends in better as epoxy cures. I actually wore gloves tonight thinking I need to do everything I can to keep the thread clean. But I'm thinking I may have introduced some dirt.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2023 04:21PM by Robert Parbus.

What are you going for? Clear wraps? If so, clear wraps on a white blank is very difficult. Did you use white color or natural color silk? What finish did you use? If you are going for clear wraps how and how much did you thin the finish?

If you are going for white wraps you need to use a color preserver such as Al's Color Rite before applying finish.

The epoxy finish will have a yellowish cast to it, and will yellow more as it ages. As Donald mentioned, it is very difficult to get a colorless finish on a white blank. I have no idea how Permagloss would work with silk. Permagloss is crystal clear and will never yellow, but it would require multiple coats.
Norm

Clean hands are a must but gloves are really not needed. Just wash your hands well and repeat every half hour or so and it will be fine.

If you are using water to help the first two or three turns of silk "grip" the smooth painted blank be sure to use distilled water which will dry leaving no residue or stain.

A final thought for you. Next time try a very light pastel silk - maybe light yellow or green - finished without color preserver ought to make attractive translucent wraps on a white blank.

Looks OK to me. As discussed above, it's tough on a white blank, but I think you got the contrast you wanted. It will yellow a bit more, but then your blank will get a bit nicked up as well. No one will notice but you. The casual looker will think your black guides are magically attached to the blank.

Here are some tips based on my experiences with silk and nylon when I was looking to get the thread wraps to disappear or as some call the “ghost wraps”:
Thread tension, you need to set your wrapping tension slightly less than what you would think normal tension is, you know you have it right if you can move a guide around a tad bit easier. This will help with two things, wrap finish penetrating the thread evenly and packing the thread tightly so it is evenly packed around the blank.

Experiment with several shades of color. Now, I have never attempted the ghost wraps with a solid color white blank, but on the translucent “clear” or what some refer to as a “white” fiberglass blank I have had the best look with Clover White Silk. That color and brand went totally clear against the blank. It all reverts to the base color of the blank. I’m not sure how that would work on a solid color white blank like you have. My gut says if the shade of white Silk is lighter than the blank it should work, but you need to buy several brands of Silk in white and do some test wraps. I’ve also used Gudebrod and Fishhawk white Nylon on these same translucent white fiberglass blanks, that will go almost “clear”. It’s a different look than silk, sort of a slight white to white contrast. This actually might be your best option since that blank you have is solid color and white. It goes back to that base color of your blank, that base color of your blank is so white that it may be really tough to get a ghost wrap in the first place. When blanks have had some color to them other than translucent clear white, I’ve had to use Natural color Silk, that shade has a slight “tan” to it. On blanks that would be referred to as “yellow glass” it went totally ghost, thread totally disappeared. But when I experimented with Natural Silk on a white translucent blank, it sort of gave a slightly more pronounced darker look, sort of like what you have, but more contrast. Take away, got to Experiment with several brands.

Wrap epoxy, I don’t thin my 2 part epoxy thread finishes ever, no need to. Even a high viscosity finish will penetrate if your thread tension is correct. Gen 4 has a very “clear” look to it compared to other brands I have used. I think that also makes a difference, especially on very light colored blanks, white translucent for sure. Now Gen 4 is new, so I have no idea what the long term results are going to be. Will it “yellow “ over time? We’ll see.
Spar varnish will not work in this case, that will only work on darker blanks, works awesome on Bamboo. I’ve never used Permagloss, so I cannot offer an opinion there.

Good luck with that solid color white blank, you might be between a rock and a hard place with getting those “perfect” ghost wraps due to that solid color. Your best option may be to try White Nylon without color preserver and have a white to white slight contrast. You’ll still be able to see the guide feet, just a bit less visible, but I would suspect that you may not see those imperfection variations you have with the Silk due to the base color of your blank.

Hope this helps you out.

Thanks everyone. Sorry so late getting back to the party. Did one in black tonight.
May have to lighten tension even more. Not bad but a few spots VooDoo epoxy didn't seem to soak through completely.

PermaGloss works well with silk and in fact was designed for silk (and bamboo rod blanks). But it'll never be quite as smooth as epoxy. Looks more like varnish but will outlast varnish by decades.

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