Hey everyone. Just got some rod building gear and figured i would rebuild an old rod before i go full bore with a new blank etc. Ive stripped all the old guides off and ready for the next steps. Figured I would document the process and obviously use all of you for some help along the way and maybe at the end it can help another newbie like me.

Now that the guides are off I'm going to scrape off the rest of the clear coat/epoxy. Guess here comes the first question. I was going to sand the blank down and paint it before I start wrapping. Do I need to use a specific paint? Prime frist? Clear coat or epoxy before wrapping?

Thanks in advanced! Looking forward to getting deep into the hobby.

After scraping off the old finish, I wet sand the blank with 500 to 1000 grit wet dry sandpaper. This will remove all traces of the old finish, and only takes a few minutes to do. Because the sand paper is so fine it more like polishing the blank rather than sanding it. I’m not a big fan for painting a blank, it can be difficult for a beginner plus it adds unnecessary weight. So, after wiping the blank down with water and letting it dry, I will clear coat the rod by wiping on a couple of coats of PermaGloss. This is very easy to do and will give a very light, flexible, and durable finish which will make the blank look brand new. A gauze pad or even a coffee filter can be use to apply PermaGloss. To do this, I pour a small amount of PermaGloss into a small container and saturate the applicator in it. Wearing a pair of nitrile gloves, the applicator is firmly wrapped around the tip of the blank and pulled quickly down the length of the blank. It will squeegee the finish onto the blank and only takes a few seconds to do. The blank can then be propped up against the wall to allow the finish to cure. The coat is so thin it will not run. The blank can be recoated with an hour, with no problems.
Norm

But be sure to wear a good (MMM) mask rated for vapors - not dust.
Open windows.
PG will fry your brain cells.
Be aware of pets and other family members also.
Herb

ok great and thanks for the reply! this was a white rod. not sure if the blank is actually white or not. its quite old so want to remove any old blemishes. i guess you suggestion would be to sand through it all and then just add a couple coats of clear, then good to go with wrapping on guides.

Thanks Herb....good to know. I can hear my wife now....may need to do that outside. Appreciate the feedback!

If the paint has not chipped off anywhere and is still in good shape, you may not need to scrape the old paint off the blank. Just take a fine Scotch Brite pad (grey) or extra fine steel wool to take the shine off the finish. Then clear coat with PermaGloss. If the paint has chipped off revealing the underlying blank you may want to scrape the old paint off. I do this using a utility knife with the blade held perpendicular to the blank. The paint will come off in little curly cues. It easy to do but does take a little time to do the whole blank. If the color of the blank under the paint is black or grey it is probably a graphite or a composite blank, if the color is brown to amber it’s probably fiberglass. In addition, many fiberglass rods where not painted, but rather used a pigmented resin to make the blank. In this case, you can’t scrape the color off. So, just clean it up an clear coat if you wish.
Norm

scrapped it all off its an old fiberglass blank. think will just do two light coats of some black primer and then just epoxy the whole thing to give it the gloss. Any objections

Now i need to pick a design. i look for ideas online but always come out to see crazy complicated designs that someone spent 20 hours on lol. is the chevron the prettiest basic wrap to start with?

Welcome to rod building. I’ve been building since either the late 80’s or the earliest part of the 90’s, and I’ve never sanded down and repainted an entire blank. You’re starting at a deeper part of the pool, which is totally okay. The couple of really old fiberglass blanks I have are memories that I don’t wish to alter or use myself. I also don’t have a lot of interest in making this kind of dust or using a chemical as hot as Permagloss. My main point here is that if your results are less than perfect, don’t be dismayed about building rods. Custom refinishing and painting aren’t necessary parts of building great rods.

I would not coat the blank with epoxy.

So what do you normally do when you a rebuilding an old rod. the finish on it was beat from the sun and it needed a real start over.

also Lynn thanks for your comment but do you have a suggestion I could try. not sure if its easy to post pic on this forum but I think it needs paint. just want a good place to start so i can hopefully have a beautiful rod at the end. dont mind taking my time with it.

I also wouldn’t epoxy an entire rod. Not only is it relatively heavy but also difficult to get a nice thin smooth finish over the entire rod. Painting a rod is not the easiest thing to do as a beginner. However, people have had good success using flexible spray paints made for plastics or cars. You want something flexible that doesn’t crack or chip when the rod is bent. These type of spray paints go on thin, cover well, and dry quickly preventing sagging. They can be clear coated with an automotive spray clear coat if you want a more glossy finish. I’ve also used Permagloss to clear coat painted blanks, just make sure it doesn’t lift the paint. I personally don’t like painting blanks and prefer just clear coating them.
Norm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2023 09:12PM by Norman Miller.

paint came out pretty good. primed and sanded to 1000 grit. black paint sanded again at 1000 then a clearcoat and some compound. looks brand new. going to figure out how i can post pics and i can show you what i got so far

I just want to emphasize the importance of NOT applying epoxy to the whole rod. It is IMO impossible to get a smooth finish and it will make the blank so heavy that its response will be affected, slowing it down. This is not a subtle thing; epoxy will most likely ruin the rod.

Blanks don't have to be finished with anything, but if you want a nice glossy finish do as Norman suggests with Permagloss. Easy to get a good finish and it will not affect the response .