I noticed on commercial built rods that manufacturers extended epoxy pass the start of their thread wraps so it sort of ramps down onto the blank. I like the looks of squared flat wraps so on my rods I always use the start of the thread wrap as sort of a straight edge and never go pass the thread wraps EXCEPT for where the guide feet and tunnels are. (I don’t have a high rpm turner for applying finish so I turned by hand when applying and then put on a slow turner)
I guess my question would be is this okay? All of my rods have held up so far but I wasn’t sure if I needed to start applying epoxy just before the start of my thread wraps onto the blank and ramp up to the thread.

I think you are at risk of water entry. I had a rod wrap turn white/cloudy when I did not fill the tunnel ends properly. It would be clear/colored when dry, but when exposed to rainy conditions would turn cloudy/whiteish. I think you should seal the thread wrap to avoid this possibility. Going a little past the end assures that the wrap is sealed. Ending right at the edge would not assure sealing in all cases. It can get worse than a cloudy look as it could lead to corrosion of the guide foot, especially if you grind them.

I leave a nice straight edge about 1/16" past the thread to make sure it is sealed.
[www.rodbuilding.org]

Michael Danek Wrote:
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> I think you are at risk of water entry. I had a
> rod wrap turn white/cloudy when I did not fill the
> tunnel ends properly. It would be clear/colored
> when dry, but when exposed to rainy conditions
> would turn cloudy/whiteish. I think you should
> seal the thread wrap to avoid this possibility.
> Going a little past the end assures that the wrap
> is sealed. Ending right at the edge would not
> assure sealing in all cases. It can get worse than
> a cloudy look as it could lead to corrosion of the
> guide foot, especially if you grind them.

I’m more so talking about the beginning of the thread wrap not the end where it meets the guide feet. I always seal the tunnels

Aaron Petersen Wrote:
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> I leave a nice straight edge about 1/16" past the
> thread to make sure it is sealed.
> [www.rodbuilding.org]
> p/photo/21949/title/4-piece-5-23-nfc/cat/506


Nice looking build!

I go over the edge to seal and make a transition that won't get caught and peeled back by going in out of a rod tube or something else scraping it. You can do it anyway you want but if something can go wrong, it will.

I’m more so talking about the beginning of the thread wrap not the end where it meets the guide feet. I always seal the tunnels

Whether the water gets in at the tunnel end or the other end, the effect is the same. It is my opinion that if you want to avoid moisture problems you will apply epoxy a little beyond the end of the wraps.

Michael Danek Wrote:
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> I’m more so talking about the beginning of the
> thread wrap not the end where it meets the guide
> feet. I always seal the tunnels
>
> Whether the water gets in at the tunnel end or the
> other end, the effect is the same. It is my
> opinion that if you want to avoid moisture
> problems you will apply epoxy a little beyond the
> end of the wraps.

Oh okay sorry I was just clarifying. Thanks for the thought to consider though I guess I’ll start extending past the thread

Al purvis Wrote:
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> I noticed on commercial built rods that
> manufacturers extended epoxy pass the start of
> their thread wraps so it sort of ramps down onto
> the blank. I like the looks of squared flat wraps
> so on my rods I always use the start of the thread
> wrap as sort of a straight edge and never go pass
> the thread wraps EXCEPT for where the guide feet
> and tunnels are. (I don’t have a high rpm turner
> for applying finish so I turned by hand when
> applying and then put on a slow turner)
> I guess my question would be is this okay? All of
> my rods have held up so far but I wasn’t sure if
> I needed to start applying epoxy just before the
> start of my thread wraps onto the blank and ramp
> up to the thread.


for sure beyond any color preserver.

1/8th inch past the start and end of the wraps and the guide foot.
Insure a perfect water seal.

I've never measured, but I'd guess I go probably about an 1/8th" past the end of the thread wrap. As the others have stated, it's very important to get a good seal on both ends of the wrap to avoid water seeping through .

Hey Al,
For years I did exactly how you do. I also like the look of finish ending at the last thread of the guide wrap,
But over time I noticed that the first thread in the wrap would get frayed.
So, I now go over the wrap onto the blank - but minimally.
Herb
CTS

I think about 1/8 inch past the thread is sufficient. Some OEM rods, i my opinion, put on too much epoxy and ramp it down the blank 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the last thread wrap. Not necessary. As indicated above, it need only be long enough to prevent moisture from seeping into the threads, which you will immediately notice as the thread will turn a bit milky, and then after some hours or a day or so will dry out and return to normal. If this happens, you can fix by adding another thin coat and extend the cover of the epoxy, and especially ensure the tunnel is filled.

The white/cloudy look is Amine blush caused by the epoxy reaction to moisture. The blush can also be caused on well sealed wraps if the rod is stored wet. It is generally on the surface and can be removed by washing with soap and water our using a hairdyer to warm the wraps.