The good news is that the scratches are quite shallow and appear to be only on the surface of the finish. I'm hoping that means it won't weaken the rod. It's about 3/4 of the way from the grip to first stripping guide so my best idea is to put my signature section that far up the rod so it can be covered with wrapping. It's just a little more forward than I like for that. Other good news: I'm making the rod for myself so even if I leave the scratches I'm the only one they really bother.

Just one of those things I wish I could blame on someone else. I put some padding on my drying stand in order to not have to wrap my rods with tape, etc, to prevent damage while turning. It has worked for several years but somehow it seems I got a piece of sand or something lodged on the padding. I'm sure there is someone to blame, I just need to use a little imagination to identify the guilty party.
Barrys- how many inches from the end of the butt section? Put an inch marker there, if it's not in your regular sig section.

RTJ