With gloom and doom weather here, I deceided today to try the latest craze of Marbleizing a section of rod. For those who havent seen or know of this effect it is quite a striking effect used as a butt wrap or guide wrap. It can also be applied to a reel seat to create some unque features. This is one of those “you either like it or hate it” things.
I took an old section of blank and following directions I had , applied the concoction to the blank. I never mixed anything with epoxy rod finish before, so I’m anxious to see how it dries. I will update this as things progress. Right now the blank is on the rod dryer.
Please do Smern, anxious to see. 
OK…I stopped the rotation of the dryer, and the epoxy at this point will not sag. It still needs to dry overnight, but this will give you an idea of the effects. After totally dry, it will need a second “clear coat” applied. Like I said this is my first attemp at this, and I used 3 different colors. Green for a base coat, then added white and black. The wrap is just an old one left on the blank from before and if I did this for real I’d of chose a dark green or black wrap. But this one is just for practice so,… If everything turns out OK, I’ll try a few more. I’ll continue to update as I go along. Like the directions said , the colors and effects can be endless.
You know with a little perfecting color change? Could make a nice
reel seat… I thinking brown with ivory ??
Looking forward to seeing your finished product…
Steve
Holy-cow… A whole new world. Fascinating. Thanks; stick with it.
Kewl!!
Where’d you get the paints? Directions? Looks like a lot of fun. I appear to be in the group of “like it”.
Glad you like it Betty. Like I said its a yea or na thing. I just made my 2nd attempt (unfinished with the final clear coat) using some different colors. Picture this on a blue blank as a butt wrap? One thing I have learned so far is that I think the effects will be even greater if I let the epoxy thicken (almost set) before applying the next color after the base coat is applied. (which I havent done yet, but will do on the next attempt). After I feel comfortable with the proceedures, I’ll post some directions and materials used…till then …here’s my 2nd attempt.
Ed -
The fact that I am in the “na” group, which probably doesn’t surprise you, does not for a second diminish my admiration for your creativity and the raw beauty of the marbelized blanks you’ve shown us.
Keep after it, and give the “yea” group something to drool over. I’ll just keep admiring the art and craft involved.
John
Material: Rod Turner
Testors (model paint)
Flex Coat Epoxy
Mixing Cup
Tin Foil
Toothpicks
Brush
First figure out what colors you want and have them ready. Mix up a batch of epoxy, and pour small amounts from the cup onto a piece of Tin Foil for each color you plan to use.
The main or base coat, leave in the mixing cup. Using a toohpick add tiny amounts of color to each batch of epoxy. First apply the base coat to the area intended. Let the rod turn a few minutes so it levels out. Next, using a toothpick start adding small dabs of the next color using the toothpick to draw the color through the basecoat, creating swirl patterns.
Repeat this proceedure for every color until you get the desired effect. You may prefer to let the finish between coats set up a bit, so the colors do not all run together. After it has turned for awhile you can apply a “little heat” to get a more blended effect if you choose.
The patterns and effects are endless. After your done being artistic, let it set for 24hrs., then apply a second coat of clear finish over your work. That’s pretty much it, except one
NOTE: If you notice you have any high spots and before you apply the final clear coat, you can simply sand then down (as you would do normally) just like regular finish. …Experiment and have fun…Ed
Nicely done. I’m planning on building a couple rods this winter, and just HAVE to try that out. Thanks for posting the info.
Diamondite finish can be bought as a kit with everything you need to play with.
is this supposed to be on the wraps or just the rod itself ? i like it myself & it would look great on a reel seat done in a mother of pearl type design…
There is another tutorial here. The site also has some other good articles and some pictures if you explore a little. It’s a pretty good resource for rodbuilders.
http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/marble.html
I’ve got to see this guy marbleizing in person a few years back. He’s done everything from rods to pens to reels (and even some lightswitch plates in his house! ). There are some terrific applications for the process. This is his gallery.
http://www.fishingphotos.net/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=613
I’m in the YEA group. That is really cool!
I agree that this would look great on a reel seat. Heck, I’d be interested in doing this to some of my favorite rods, to give them that “handcrafted/personalized rod” look.
I should NEVER, EVER have clicked on this post!!! Nope, not good. Way too much free time on my hands this winter.
To address some of the comments on this post…hey I’m not the first guy to do this and I sure didnt originate it. All my instructions were simply Mark’s version condensed. Just thought some would like to know how simple it is to do and what it possibly could look like. As for its applications…just about anything including, reel seats,rods, wraps, reels, lamps, and God knows what else. As for Betty,I figured she needed something to occupy some of that free time she has…lol. …Ed
That looks really nice. Great way to personalize a rod, no two would be alike.
But, something that pretty, in my hand, would spook the fish. Another excuse for not catching fish.
I love to see you do a reel and matching seat. Randy’s stuff that I referenced only went in for baitcasters and such, but a marbled fly reel and seat would be pretty cool, IMO.
In fact, I might have an extra seat and cheap reel that I would donate to the experiment if you feel inclined to play a bit.
Ya know Ol’ Blue…I was thinking the other night about how neat a fly reel would look with a matching reel seat…I’m not sure I’m ready for that challenge yet…but I’ll think about it…
And solomon…if you like it and are worried about spooking fish (as you said another excuse) you could always do a camo pattern…lol
Could you do the handle of the reel too, to match???