I was quite lucky when I started rod building. There was a do-it-your-self shop in town. The owner would sell you the components and provide the usage of the shop, consumables, and coaching to complete the rods. He is good enough to build a rod a day from start to finish. One of his tricks was to rub the epoxy residue vigorously with a cork ring. The friction would roll-up the epoxy. An alcohol wipe would take care of the rest.