Spar varnish?

[Crow99]

Hello. I'm new here but have been lurking for a while.. I'm starting again (after a 20 year hiatus) to get interested in rod building. Would anyone have an opinion on using spar varnish (as opposed to epoxy) for finishing the guide wraps? I realize durability probably isn't as good but could live with that. Any favorite brands or types?
Thanks.

[AgMD]

I prefer to use spar on bamboo but for graphite I believe epoxy is the best choice. The epoxy will last forever but is nasty to remove. Spar will need touching up every decade or so and maybe even a re wrap every 50 to 100 years. Spar re coats easy and strips easier. Good qualities for bamboo but maybe not for graphite.
AgMD

[Crow99]

AgMD, sounds like you like spar and see its disadvantages as rather minimal. Retouching every decade.... rewrap every 50 to 100 years... I don't know, it sounds pretty weak to me
So would you have a preferred brand?

[Bugsy]

redacted.....

[Crow99]

The more conservative look IS what I'm after. I really don't care for the plastic footballs. As AgMD mentioned above, the ability to easily repair the work is important too. One of my concerns about using the epoxy was that if it became necessary to replace the guides or the wraps, removing the epoxy might damage the rod blank. It looks like I will be more comfortable using the varnish...

[dleo6446]

Crow, you may want to have a look see at Perma Gloss for what you are wanting to do. I use it quite often for a high gloss low build finish on fiberglass and graphite, as well as on some bamboo.

[AgMD]

For spar varnish I use Man-O-War.
AgMD

[Crow99]

dleo6446: Yes... I see that Perma gloss is a U40 product. Looks like I will want to try that as well. Thanks.

AgMD: Man O War. It's from Valspar I think? Sounds good.

Thanks both. At least it seems there are good alternatives besides epoxy....

[cholcomb13]

crow99...take a look at this linkhttp://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/v...ic.php?t=14826

[Crow99]

Yes, I had read that thread, which is excellent. I wanted to take it a bit farther and see what you guys thought about using varnish with glass and graphite as well. As I said in my first post, I haven't done any of this for the last 20 or so years and I realize materials have advanced considerably in that time. Apparently the brands have changed a bit and selections have widened, but there still seems to be room for the "traditional" finishes and materials. Seems to be a factor of whether you want to take the pains and time or not... and I really don't feel like investing in the "rotisserie" to use with epoxy.. but I don't mind using several coats. And if I have to touch it up every ten years or so, that's OK too.
I've got a couple of rods to do this winter. I guess I'll try some test wraps on the butt sections first with Perma Gloss and some with spar varnish to see how they each behave, and then pick the one I like the best.
You're all very helpful, and I think I'm going to like it here.