Thanks for all your help.

[jw healy]

Well - it's done. My first fly rod, an 8'6" 3wt 4pc built on a Rainshadow RX7 graphite blank. The final coats of epoxy cured last night and this morning I took it out to the back yard to see how well it casts. Wow! 60 ft straight as an arrow, 20 ft soft and gentile. It casts and shoots line better than either of my store bought rods (an Orvis 9? 5 wt 7pc travel rod and a BPS Classic 6?3? 3 wt 3 pc) both of which I like a lot.

I couldn't have done it without all of the helpful advice I received from this group. I really appreciate your help with securing the reel seat, handling metalic accent thread, and fixing epoxy finishing errors. This information was not available or was incomplete in all of the literature or videos I studied before beginning the project and your quick responses allowed me to keep going and end up with a real gem.

I am already planning my next rod and have a couple of new questions. The epoxy I intended to put on this rod was supposed to be "lite" but appears to have been "one coat". I like the "old school" look and would like the thread wraps to show a bit of their texture through the finish like the 55 yr old Philipson my dad gave me when I was a kid. Are there any finishing materials that would work on a graphite blank that are thinner than Flex-Coat? I want to put alignment dots on the segments and plan on using auto retouch paint. Will that damage the graphite? I also want to inscribe the rod and thought about using Sally Hansen to clear coar the inscription. Will that work or is it likely to peel off or damage the graphite?

Thanks again for all of your help.

[MontanaMoose]

Hello JW, glad the first build came out so well and casts so good and that you're already looking to build another. I don't have an answer for the finish, though i was thinking about trying varnish instead of epoxy on a build one of these times. I will respond to the inscribing part though and i'm pretty sure that everyone will agree that may not be a good idea but let's see what others have to say on that. Just seems to me inscribing might be asking for a fracture at that spot.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[Buddy Sanders]

JW,

Gudebrod makes a 'one part' finish that is very light. Perma Gloss, a water curing urethane, is the finest finish availble as far as durability is concerned (it's stronger than the rod). It's a bit thicker than water, is a 'one part' finish, and requires several coats to get to a smooth finish. If you only put on a coat or two, you'll still have the thread texture you want. Helmsman Spar Urethane is also a very thin, very strong, finish, but it does darken thread colors so 'test' it before you decide to use it.

That being said, even with the 'high build' epoxies, you can (and should) control how much of it you put on. If you brush on a full coat to the guide wraps (this makes sure the threads are covered properly), THEN use the brush to take off as much of the finish as you can you will achieve a very thin coating without losing the 'thread texture' it sounds like you want.

There are some disadvantages to NOT finishing your wraps to smooth, however. 'Texture' of any kind on a rod can trap dirt and debris. Thus it's harder to clean and keep clean. Up to you, of course, just something to be aware of.

What I always strive for is to have the thread wraps look like very thin, smooth tape when I'm done.

As far as covering any inscription on the rod, use the same epoxy rod warp finish stuff you put over the guide wraps. Sally Hansens isn't permanent enough for this purpose, it's solvent based and can cause lettering to run or bleed. Epoxies are non reactive and won't cause the printing to run. You can print a lable with your computer, have a decal lable made for your rod (several compaines offer this service), or use paint or ink and a lettering pen to hand inscribe it. Anything you use will need a coat of finish to protect it.

You can use any kind of paint for your alignment marks, but make sure you also cover these with a coat of finish.

Buddy

[Midwest Custom Fly Rods]

Congrats on your first rod. Your gonna be VERY happy when you land the first fish on something you built yourself


I was going to reply to your questions...but "Buddy" in the above post took the words right out of my mouth with his reply. Good advice above.

Steve

[TampaJim]

The epoxy I intended to put on this rod was supposed to be "lite" but appears to have been "one coat". I like the "old school" look and would like the thread wraps to show a bit of their texture through the finish like the 55 yr old Philipson my dad gave me when I was a kid. Are there any finishing materials that would work on a graphite blank that are thinner than Flex-Coat?

I want to put alignment dots on the segments and plan on using auto retouch paint. Will that damage the graphite?

I also want to inscribe the rod and thought about using Sally Hansen to clear coar the inscription. Will that work or is it likely to peel off or damage the graphite?

I suggest staying with a two part epoxy. Aftcote is the thinnest followed closely by Threadmaster Lite. The latter has a very beautiful and clear final result with little UV degradation over the years ... I recommend it.

Alignment dots - consider buying decals from Decal Connection (just Google them). After you REALLY spread your wings, feathers make for great marks.

I prefer nice labels (Decal Connection again) in script covered with epoxy. However, a good inscription pen will work fine, cover with epoxy just like wraps. Give the nail polish back to the wife ... LOL.

TJ -

[Gypsy]

Congratulations on your 1st rod. The RX7 blanks are nice! Like Buddy said you can achieve "low build" finish work with any two part epoxy that is on the market. Lots of ways to achieve low build finish work; I like to use several coats of FC high build for my finish work and don't have any problem with football shaped epoxy work or sags/runs. Lots of guys I know making fiberglass rods use varnish and they love it. Looks nice. I don't care for it because you need to put on 5-7 coats and I don't have the time for that.

How about some pics of your new rod?

[ol' blue]

I want to put alignment dots on the segments and plan on using auto retouch paint. Will that damage the graphite? I also want to inscribe the rod and thought about using Sally Hansen to clear coar the inscription. Will that work or is it likely to peel off or damage the graphite?

Thanks again for all of your help.

Paint will not be a problem for the dots. Decal connection sells decals for the same purpose if you want another option.
I don't see any problem with inscribing the rod and it certainly won't cause a break point. Unless you are engraving the inscription. Then, I agree, it would be bad . Again, the paint will work, or you can custom order a decal. Janns also sells pens and ink for that purpose. I use Krylon Krystal Klear over my signatures before I put on finish. It seals on the paint/ink and keeps the finish from lifting it up.