New to this but I'm learning.Finished a Batson Rainshadow RX 8. Was very pleased until I fished it a week at the coast.The rod is AWESOME but I had used metallic thread and now it appears a lot of the color is "gone" showing
a lot of the silver.Had used a deep blue color.What happened ?

You used a deep blue metallic thread, coated with wrapping epoxy, and now it's not very blue but is mostly silver? Do I have that right? Brand of deep blue metallic thread? What did you use for finishing the wraps?

I'm not sure what you did wrong, if anything. I have heard that metallic colors fade fast, but this is way beyond what I interpreted the comments as being "fast." I have used metallic purple, red, pewter, and black as trim, plus silver and gold, but have not noticed a color change.

I expect those with more experience than I will chime in, and the details i asked for will help them.

Note that color preservative really has no effect on metallics; they don't need it and don't respond to its application.

Yes..it was Pro Wrap Metallic ..finished with Pro Kote.Only applied 1 heavy coat.I'm thinking this might have been a factor...but I don't know.

Yes..it was Pro Wrap Metallic ..finished with Pro Kote.Only applied 1 heavy coat.I'm thinking this might have been a factor...but I don't know.

Reggie,
It certainly doesn't sound like you did anything wrong.

As long as you have more thread, take an old blank and just do some test wraps and use a couple different methods to finish and see if the problem happens again with your test wraps.

p.s. To have early information on the final color of thread after wrapping, just use a brush to completely wet out the thread with denatured alcohol. The color you see when the thread has been fully wetted with denatured alcohol will be pretty close to the final color after you apply finish.

Be safe

Hi Reggie,

I haven't used the thread you mentioned, but I had a situation happen where some of the coloring was worn away from my metallic thread, by a thread tensioner. I did not notice it until I brought the rod out into the sun. Many people tension their spools, to avoid problems like I had. I didn't at the time...

But my point is, it could be something wearing the color off or a faulty spool of thread. Some things for you to check.

Take care,

Chris

A couple of years ago there was a thread regarding the fading of metallic threads. I made a test wrap of several metallic wraps and coated them with a couple of coats of PermaGloss. The PermaGloss is transparent to sunlight and UV.

After a couple of weeks in the summer sun many of the metallic colors had faded. I hope this helps.

Mike Blomme

For what it is worth, doesn't sound like you did anything wrong. You are not the only person I am reading about that had this happen with ProWrap Metallic. Specifically, the blue you are referring to.

Reggie,

I too have had a problem with the ProWrap Metallic Deep Blue #9460 Thread. I pretty much use ProWrap Metallic thread and the blue is the only color with which I have had this problem. I wrapped a St. Croix SC IV Flipping stick for my personal use and the blue metallic faded in less than 6 months time. It is now just a very light purplish color on the side which facing up into the sun. The only time the rod is in the sun is when I am fishing in my boat, which is 2 or 3 times a month. The rest of the time the boat & rod are stored out of the sun light, (in the garage).

I sent an email to Mudhole in Feb., 2013 and Bob McKamey was kind enough to send a prompt reply. My email was an inquired as to whether they were aware of the problem with the thread or perhaps was this just a bad color lot. Here is Bob's email reply at that time:

Hello Don – Thank You for passing this info to us at Mud Hole Custom Tackle. I have forwarded this message to our product development tech and also our purchasing agent. They will be looking into the situation and evaluate this situation and let us know what is coming of this. Thank You & Best Regards – Bob

I do not know if they have been able to resolve the problem with the blue thread. I suspect it has to do something with the way the blue color absorbs the sunlight. I have not had a problem with any other color of ProWrap Metallic Thread.

I do not use a mechanical thread tensioner and I am sure the fading problem was directly related to the sun light on the thread.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Thanks Don..I used a hand wrapper.It a personal rod so I guess it really doesn't matter.BUT if Ihad purchased it from a builder...I wouldn't be happy.I'm only talking 8 days in the sun.It looked great before I used it.Did a surf rod with the same thread....almost dread using it.Time will tell but I think I won't be using that color again !

Thanks to all for your responses. I too do not believe you did anything wrong. I just remembered when the comment above stated that a person had trouble only with blue: In my experience with flags that are in the sun much of the time, blue is the color that fades the most. Searching the internet for a reason for this leads to disagreement with my observations. The "party line" is the red is the fastest fading color. But, all this leads me to the conclusion that I wouldn't do that rod over with the same color scheme.

I should say that my experience with the colored metallics is as a trim color, just a few wraps, so if mine did fade it wouldn't be as big of a deal.

In another string I talked about the fading of non-OEM inkjet decals; the colors I had trouble with there were gray and black.

Reggie, I would lightly scuff the wraps with scotchbrite, mix some blue metallic marbling pigment in a new batch of finish (a very little goes a long way) and recoat the wraps. Look at various brands of pigment as all do not show up on this forum. You might be able to save it ,and if not you don't lose much. Lynn

Don't know if this will work - But _ next time put a coat or two of CP over the metallic thread It does not need it but maybe it will help to HOLD the color Some builders use it just to get the air out of between the threads

Bill - willierods.com

There is nothing that you did wrong but I have used metallic on a few of my larger bait casting rods and I have found that colors like Gold metallic tends to fade after a bit of use in the sun but a few times is like 10 or more trips out in the sun. The next time that you use metallic thread on your wraps you my want to put a few coats of CP on the Metallic thread even if some people will say it is not needed on metallics. By using CP it will do a few things and one of those things is it will help from fading on nylon thread and two it will put a UV protective coating on the metallic thread so to help it from fading.

Glenn McMurrian

Glenn McMurrian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> two it will put a UV protective coating on
> the metallic thread so to help it from fading.

Can someone show me the data?

I've never heard this about CP having this kind of property before, but it might have, I'm just saying that I've not read this or heard about it before.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2014 03:38PM by Chester Kiekhafer.

Does anyone have further insight on metallic thread fading? From all I've found in my research, it just seems to be a problem in general. I've used ProWrap metallic exclusively so far and the purple and blues have faded terribly in a very short amount of time (4-5 months). Haven't seen any of my customer's rods that I did in other colors, so I can't say how reds, golds, greens, and the like are holding up. Anybody used another brand that seems to hold up to the sun or do you have a secret protectant to suggest?