I was wondering if anyone had some experience finishing a matte rod with varnish or a rod finish. I'm thinking about doing this before I put anything onto the blank itself. Are there any inherent problems with this line of thinking? I've heard that if I do this I can't use color preserver or epoxy.
Thanks,
Troy

Not as a rod blank coating you can't, but you can sure use them to finish your wraps. The best thing for coating the blank if you are going to do that is some type urethane. Many people swear by Permagloss. I have used a spray on clear gloss urethane for exterior use. Got it at the local home hardware store. I used it on some saltwater rods that I was restoring and it has help up pretty well. The rods are 3 years old now and have seen some use. I don't think you can get anything on there yourself that will hold up like the factory finish unless you take it to an automotive body shop and have them spray it with some kind of heavy duty urethane.

Wrap rod first then use bowling alley wax, but wait a couple of weeks so the finish on wraps cure.. Thanks Davesrods