How To Do It
The reason that the commercial builders went to the catalyzed coatings was time. To get a translucent whipping on a guide is quite time consuming. First comes the the secret sauce, which can be as simple as varnish thinned 50/50 or thinner. Two coats of that to get maximum translucence and no shimmers, followed by 24 hours dry. Then comes 2 or three coats of full strength varnish at a4 hour recoat time, followed by 3 days dry time. Finally there is at least 2 more coats on a 4 hour recoat schedule, followed by 24 hours drying. Finally the wraps are leveled and the rod is finished. Once the finish has hardened for several days it is sanded with #2000 paper and polished. Its fine for a rod that commands a price af a couple of grand, but totally impractical for a production rod. The above works with the urethanes like Helmsman that has a 4 hour recoat time. A true solvent varnish like Ace Spar has a 48 hour recoat time, so the finish regimen would take proportionately longer. Most bamboo makers are finishing with either a dip tube or a drain tube setup. A rod dipped after the whippings are leveled has a barely perceptible transition in the level of the finish from the shaft to the tipping. Varnish on the guides is not generally a problem.
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