Rod Coating?

[steelyslayer]

I just recieved a lami titanium blank 9'2 6-15lb in the mail, and the graphite does not have a gloss finish (much like an IMX) Is there anything that i can coat the entire blank in that will give me a bit more protection without losing much of the sensitiveness? I am not hard on rods but it just seems that it would be easy to chip this kind of graphite. Any tips?! Thanks!

-Michael

[Grady252]

I just recieved a lami titanium blank 9'2 6-15lb in the mail, and the graphite does not have a gloss finish (much like an IMX) Is there anything that i can coat the entire blank in that will give me a bit more protection without losing much of the sensitiveness? I am not hard on rods but it just seems that it would be easy to chip this kind of graphite. Any tips?! Thanks!

-Michael

Call Angler's Workshop in Woodland and they can send you some..... Permagloss, Threadmaster light, Flexcoat light, diamondite... most any of these will work.

You could even use hellsman spar varnish. That is all they used to use before all the nice finishes came available. There is a rodbuilder over in Bend who is allergic to Epoxy, so that is all he uses. He said he did a bunch of test wraps and left them out in the weather for a couple of years, and the spar varnish held up better than rod finish???

The biggest drawback to varnish is it might discolor over the years??

[The Mick]

Also check with Lamiglas. There probably a matte finish on the blank from the factory. It would be similar to what is om the IMX and protects the graphite without the glare.

[Dan Grbavac]

Nu Finish car polish works fast and adds little weight.
I had a Bass Pro Ultra light combo with a Stradic 100 and
the rod was matt dull till I cleaned it up with the polish.
No drying time.

[Tail Out Swingin]

The biggest drawback to varnish is it might discolor over the years??

I don't know how spar varnish would work as a rod finish, but it will yellow/amber over time. Even if (actually worse) it is sitting in a garage/shop not exposed to any uv light.

[KbarreraJ]

check your warranty you might be voiding it buy doing this...

[ORhunter]

I just tried some Tru-Oil gun stock finish on a blank that I'd completely stripped and sanded with 600 grit. Looks pretty nice. Probably sand again tomorrow and put on a second coat. This is a hand rubbed finish so the coats are very thin. Goes on really easy.

[Hookmiester]

I know less than nothing about rod building but, could the gun oil methods or spar react with any of the polymers or other additives they use in the rod construction itself??

[Grady252]

I know less than nothing about rod building but, could the gun oil methods or spar react with any of the polymers or other additives they use in the rod construction itself??


I do not know about gun oil method, but the spar varnish.... is and has been used longer than most of use have been alive....

Spar vanish was one of the original methods for sealing threads, and is still used by many rod builder today. I have used it myself on lighter rods. It will not react with th eord materials.

I am not as concerned with the discoloration, because I don't think it will be enough to notice over dark color and dark thread. I would not use it over a light color thread.

The ambering effect is what all oil based finishes do, on hardwoods in your house, on a rod, on a boat rail etc.... it is not worsened by being in the garage as stated above.... The light and time is what changes it..... The ambering is very slight and will likely not be noticed.... just like a backetball court as it ages is get's a slight amber tint.... would not likely be noticed on a dark rod.....

[ORhunter]

Hummm... It's not "gun oil." It's a urethane based wood finish.

[okie man]

maybe you can just get some epoxy finish made for rod blanks! yeah ,thats what i'd do.

[E. Harry]

:excited:
Steelykiller,
Probably the best product for what you have in mind is Permagloss. It goes on very thin and clear. I definitely would not use any regular epoxy or any of the epoxies like Threadmaster and Flex Coat that are formulated for use on guide wraps. Coating the entire rod with them would add significant weight and therefore reduce the sensitivity of your rod.
Carbon fiber is used for fishing rods because it has a high modulus of elasticity (stiffness) and low density (weight). Epoxy has a very low modulus of elasticity and high density.
Surface coatings are not used on some blanks and rods like yours and the original Loomis IMX to reduce the weight and increase the sensitivity.
I do not think that you have to worry about chipping the blank. If you do not like the appearance of the non-coated blank I would just use a good furniture polish on it or if you want a more permanent coating I would use Permaglass. Permagloss is a little tricky to apply properly so if you decide to use it I would go to their web site for directions.

[nobrownline]

I used permagloss for this very thing. Its thin and cures when exposed to air. I used my air brush and sprayed it on. Warning Do not paint rod first or it will orange peel.

[StickFish]

I used permagloss for this very thing. Its thin and cures when exposed to air. I used my air brush and sprayed it on. Warning Do not paint rod first or it will orange peel.

So if you have a painted plank say bright pink - you wouldn't want to use permagloss over it?

Permagloss, paint, clearcoat, is that the recommendation?

[nobrownline]

So if you have a painted plank say bright pink - you wouldn't want to use permagloss over it?

Permagloss, paint, clearcoat, is that the recommendation?
You may try it in a small spot but the ones I have done (sanded down an old blank painted it black then permaglossed )all wrinkled up. I had to strip it all off. I still havent found the trick for doing a painted rod. But if anyone knows I am all ears.

[alaskan]

I may be wrong, but I think you can put pigment in the permagloss and paint and coat the rod in one step.

[E. Harry]

StickFish,
Nobrownline is correct. Permagloss will work great if put on a raw blank but it is pretty aggressive stuff and will raise heck with any finish that it is applied over. If you want the blank painted I would suggest that you use an exterior urethane to then coat it. The clear coating that you see on many blanks is usually a urethane. But this is going to add weight and reduce the performance of the finished rod.
If it were me I think that I would leave the blank uncoated. I think that your concern about chipping the blank is unwarranted. Rods are broken mainly by impact or by being over-stressed due to "high sticking".
Lamiglas with their popular 1000 Series of blanks and rods recently started building them without any coating. In the past they were clear coated. If that means anything to you.

[okie man]

ifyou go to seekerrods web site they show a video on how they make their rods and coat them with epoxy. this should help you out.

[StickFish]

StickFish,
Nobrownline is correct. Permagloss will work great if put on a raw blank but it is pretty aggressive stuff and will raise heck with any finish that it is applied over. If you want the blank painted I would suggest that you use an exterior urethane to then coat it. The clear coating that you see on many blanks is usually a urethane. But this is going to add weight and reduce the performance of the finished rod.
If it were me I think that I would leave the blank uncoated. I think that your concern about chipping the blank is unwarranted. Rods are broken mainly by impact or by being over-stressed due to "high sticking".
Lamiglas with their popular 1000 Series of blanks and rods recently started building them without any coating. In the past they were clear coated. If that means anything to you.

I only ask cause it seem I end up building some rods that some folks want painted Pink. I've not coated over any of them yet to try and protect. A couple guys at anglers suggested coating over the blank (this was a G1000 blank that we ordered from Lamiglas painted pink by them). Glad I didn't try, cause getting the smell of permagloss out of the house and my head takes a while. I frankly like the matte finish myself

[E. Harry]

StickFish,
Yes, Permagloss can be pretty nasty stuff. But it goes on very thin, adding very little weight, air drys and is very tough. I have watched both Lamiglas and Loomis apply coatings to blanks and it is normally done by dipping the blanks into a long PVC tube full of the coating, pulled out and then allowed to drip dry in an elevated temperature. Some specialty coatings at Lamiglas are applied by drawing the blank through a reservoir of the coating and then drawing it through a squeegee that wipes most of the coating off leaving only a very thin coat If the pink coating you have was put on by Lamiglas I would not worry about it. The pink coating, which I think is a water based urethane but I could be wrong, is tougher than any coating that you are likely to apply over it.
If you are still concerned I would go to THE recognized expert on epoxies and coatings for rod applications. His name is Ralph O'Quinn and he is the owner of U-40 Rod Building Products and the manufacturer of Permagloss and a number of other epoxies and coatings. They are in Eastern Wash. and their number is (360) 794-8250. If you call him do not be put off by his abrupt nature. He is a cranky old f--- but is the expert on questions like the one you have.

[StickFish]

I'm not too worried, but you never know - Old **** - heck Jack Carter of Trophy Bond bullets - we've had words - what an old coot- gotta love the guy though.

Thanks - I have so much to learn about this stuff - its really fun to get us all in one place to do it - thanks Jenn and the Mods