# Rod Building question....?



## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

just got into repairing and modifying my own rods this winter. made my wrapper, bought supplies, and just finished replacing/wrapping about 30 guides on various rods of my own and for a couple friends. one thing i forgot to get was the stuff you "Coat" the rod blank with. i thought you just used the same stuff as you use for the guides (flex-coat wrapping finish) but thankfully i found out that is not true right before i started mixing it up. rods have been sanded down to the paint on most of the rods due to moving and adding more guides. looking in the supply catalog i see "Rod Restorer", "Rod Varnish", "Rod Finish", "Permagloss", etc.... what exactly do i need to re-finish the rods?


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## fisherman5567 (Jan 3, 2007)

Well dink, to restore a rod you need to go to dicks, gander, bps, etc and pick out one you like and buy it! well, at least thats how i do it.  jj

Hey im glad to see you picked up a new hobby, let me know how it goes and ill keep any eye on the internet for any tips/tricks for ya!


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## 3xHebb (Nov 10, 2007)

Dinkbuster,check out jann's netcraft or mudhole these sites should have what your looking for.


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## billk (Feb 2, 2008)

Use U40 Permagloss.

I've rebuilt/restored quite a few rods, most of them offshore types that take WAY more of a beating.

Permagloss is the only way to go in my book, but refinishing a rod takes a steady hand and lots of practice/patience.

The best results I've obtained were as follows.

Chuck the rod up in your rotating, drying motor on slow speed (built mine from a BBQ rotisserie motor). Apply the Permagloss with a small foam brush (Home Depot stain brush), trimmed to about 3/8 inch width, from a hand fashioned tin foil cup. Don't leave the bottle open. Load the brush up and work in 12-15 inch sections using a firm, smooth stroke from the butt to the tip end.

One pass of the brush only. All of these rod refinishing laquers use xylene or naptha as the volatile that evaporates away VERY quickly. You need to totally coat a 6-7foot blank in about two minutes and walk away. This is the only way I've found to avoid bubbles. A second stoke of the brush will leave a tool mark. Keep the foam brush well loaded. It's really tough to apply too much finish with the foam brush since it tends to want to hold onto the laquer. Each coat is only a few thousandths of an inch thick. More than that runs and sags. Let the first coat dry and then LIGHTLY sand with 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper to dull the finish and make the second or third coat easier to see when you apply it. I also sand the blank in preparation in this manner and clean with denatured alcohol to remove any oils.

One word about Permagloss. Buy the small 1 oz bottle. When you apply the first coat, add BB's to the bottle to raise the fluid level into the neck of the bottle. ANY air in the bottle will cause the remaining fluid to thicken OVERNIGHT and eventually harden in a few more days.

This method may not be new by any means, but it works well for me. I've totally refinished old grungy fiberglass and UGLY stick offshore blanks. Some of the coolest rods I've refinished were painted with Testors hobby enamel metalflake spraypaint and sealed with Permagloss. (strip, 2 light coats primer, sand, metalflake spray enamel, 2 coats U40 Permagloss).

Get a trash rod to practice on and develop the hand at this before you have at it on one you really want to look good. You'll like the results.


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