I might try another layer again tonight, not sure yet. It looks pretty good as it is now. Not perfect but a bit better than it was before. I thinned the epoxy because I didn't want to sand the excess off just to add too much again :(
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I second the usage of U-40 . No issues whatsoever with saltwater rod. Only one application, good to go.
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Well, you left this topic pretty wide open :) First you have to see how much the client is willing to spend. For a cheap build, I would go with a gator blank or an e-glass blank. The grips depend on the size of the blank. I am currently building on a 6'9" blank with a 14" rear grip and 6" foregrip. I am using a 20mm real seat. I haven't finalized the guides yet but I will pro
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In terms of guide alignment, my first build was visibly off after I completed it. I have used the rod several times with no issues getting nice distance on the casts. Visually speaking, it wont look 'perfect' but it works for me. Now if I was building for someone else, then I would ensure that everything is perfectly straight.
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Well last night I added a 2nd coat with thinned epoxy and it worked great! Its not final yet as I do see some slightly wavy spots yet. I think Im gonna add another thin layer tonight and see if that gets the final spots leveled off. I want to avoid using sandpaper if I can just because I have read horror stories where someone used to much and it adversely affected the existing finish. I have
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Thanks for all the awesome help guys! Based on what I read, I will be adding some more epoxy to see how it goes without touching the current application. Ill post pics once I get it to where I want it :)
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I added my first application of epoxy to my butt wrap last night. As the usual case with me, I have some high spots in the finish due to areas where the thread is higher than other areas. Previously, I just let it go as it worked fine just had a 'wobbly' look to the finish. This time around I want to try to make the finish as glass-like as possible. What would be the best way to make sure t
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Thanks for all the response. I thought for sure I read here previously that mineral spirits was ok. That is appearently NOT the case.
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Wow, ok, good thing I asked. I do have a blank I want to strip down and start over with. Would it be ok to use the mineral spirts on that after I take off the excess epoxy?
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I just finished up my butt wrap where I added some CP to it. I would like to wipe it down with some mineral spirits before applying the epoxy. Ive never used mineral spirits before, so I wanted to check with the experts before I mess up my thread work. Will wiping down the rod mess up the CP? Is there such a thing as 'too much' when it comes to mineral spirits that might not dry which the
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8 axis optical wrap? That just sounds time consuming. I have about 8 hours into the wrap at this point. I have a couple different shades of blue, green, white, and silver metallic running through it. I only have 1 thread for the metallic that I started the wrap off with. I have been alternating between the 2 blues with 2 passes each with a white between, then a green between. Its very time
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I am in the middle of a diamond wrap that I am doing pretty much by sight. Its not perfect by any means but I think its gonna look awesome when its done. Ill post pics once I get it done. This will be my first full diamond wrap. I have done partial diamonds (blank still shown) and they came out ok.
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Carefully use a razor blade and cut it back a bit. You should be able to pull it down and cut away as necessary.
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I have only build ultra light rods up to this point so the amount of sanding needed has been minimal. I am guessing that will change once I get to a point that Im ready to wrap the guides on my Striper rod. Using double foot guides up to 40 im sure will need more prep done to them.
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My guess is that the spine wasn't even attempted to be found. When I wrap, I usually will roll the blank on a flat surface to find the spine. Havent had any real issues with the spine. I would suppose its more important with big game fish.
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I am starting to work on a Striper rod and want to create a nice decorative butt wrap on it. I was looking to possibly create a wrap with like 4-6 diff colors. I was thinking of a diamond wrap without any unwrapped areas. I have done diamond wraps before but where the blank was not fully covered. I don't have any special tools for wraps. Just looking for suggestions on the best way to align
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Am I the only one here that just uses sandpaper? I just use it enough to get rid of the paint and to rough it up a bit.
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My first rod was a CRB blank from mudhole. They are pretty cheap and a good fit for a first time rod builder. I think mine was $30 if I remember correctly. Now, where you can really rack up the $$ is the components (reel seat, guides, epoxy, thread, etc). I just got a shipment of just those types of things and spent over $200. You can make a complete rod for under $80 with the basic stuff.
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Thanks Tom. It seems fairly dry now, about 12 hours later. It is tacky is some spots but pretty dry otherwise.
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Sweet..Michael, thanks. I knew it dried fast, just wanted to make sure it dried outside due to the horrible fumes. Ill check on it in a bit.
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Im sure this topic is out there but I couldn't find it. How long does it take the u-40 perma gloss to dry? I did it outside, just trying to figure out when it would be safe to bring back in the house.
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I purchased some blanks from Mudhole when they had their grab bag section open. This was a great way for me to get some inexpensive blanks to build some rods for myself. Does anyone know another supplier that does this or when Mudhole might have the grab bag again?
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I utilized the fiber tape method where you use the tape used for wall patches. I then wrapped metallic over it. Easy way out, but looks pretty good.
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I had the same thing happen. I was in a rush to get a rod done and the CP didnt fully cover the threads. Looks funky but still functions fine.
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Ok, cool thanks. I wasnt sure if I was looking at it wrong or not.
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I have done marbling on my rods I have made but nothing nearly that large of a section. Some of them came out quite well, while others not so much. Mixing the pigment with epoxy is the way to go. Wait at least a day after marbling to then add a pigment free layer of epoxy afterwards.
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I received my grab bag rods last week from Mudhole and was curious about them. They seem like they could be gator blanks based on the rough overlapping edges I see on the blank. It seems like the rods weren't sanded down. One of the blanks has a bend in it, which i am not surprised about because Mudhole said some might need some help. So I sanded down the bottom part to see what the result wa
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Thanks Phil. Will have to check out the fiberglass poles. Been meaning to check yardsales, but just havent gotten around to it yet.
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Ive noticed the same softness with ProKote as well. I just let it sit at least 2 days before doing anything with it. I havent seen any issues after that.
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Glad to hear!
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