Hope this is ok......

I am looking for 4 4' sections of rod blank to use to do an extensive finish and CP comparison.
I am going to e getting all the major rod finishes and CP's and putting them all through testing to compare each one.

I do not have any broken blanks laying around so I am wondering if anyone out there does?
I am looking to get 2 in gloss and 2 in slate/matte finishes all about 4' long to compare on different blank finishes.

The finishes I plan on getting are
ProKote
ProGlu
Threadmaster Lite
U-40 Dura Gloss LS Supreme
AFTCOTE
Flex Coat Lite with Ultra V

The color preserver I will be using are
U-40
Flex Coat
Chromaseal

If you would like to see any others added to the list let me know.
Thanks



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2016 08:39PM by Tom Kirkman.

Where are you located?

I have about 40 blank cut offs that are about 3 feet long.

Where are you located?

I have about 40 blank cut offs that are about 3 feet long.

The Flex Coat and U40 CPs are the same product, if you want to curtail some of your "testing."

.............

But the U 40 costs more -- go figure

Bill - willierods.com

I am in Siren, WI. 3' sections would work also

I did not know that Flex Coat and U-40 CP's are the same but I will test with both to be fair LOL

Put some on white blanks to see how fast they turn yellow............

Ernie,
If you ever travel to Minneapolis, drop me an e-mail and you can swing by and pick up as many of the blanks as you wish.

hflier@comcast.net

Roger

if you don't get some go to your salvation Army 2nd hand store or a local church 2nd hand store an talk to them
they get lots of broken rods in ask it will not hurt

William Sidney
AK

Run over to St Croix and get some of their tip sections. I don't recall how much they are but it isn't much. It's worth the trip if you haven't been there either way. It's maybe an hour east of you just north of 70.

Goodwill is a good option.

I did this using old broken rods goodwill buys, garage sale finds etc
. Some have been laying outside for over 5 maybe 6 years now.
You will want to put various thread makes and colors under the coatings with and without CP to try out.
Also just leave some in the shade to see what happens.
What you are doing is going to teach you a bunch about what works and whats marketing hype.
BTW- wrap the thread over some spare guides, dressed feet and undressed feet.
Check which ones hold better and do not corrode after time.

so far my findings:
None are squirrel proof and no epoxy can take the sun without yellowing and even in shade also go yellow.
fast. Way faster than you would think.
But its best to test in your neck of the woods, more ice etc may give you different results.
I now use makoi thread.
If i use CP its the old flexcoat nothing worked better for me, most were worse.
ymmv.
Permagloss on all own rods.
TM lite if customer wants that blob-by epoxy look because that what his mates have and he grew up with.
Epoxy is good for rail rods etc, but most folks just want it because thats what they are used to seeing.

enjoy the experience and seriously watch out for those dang squirrels.

A couple of questions:

Isn't ProGlu an adhesive, not a coating epoxy?

Lou; what have the squirrels been after, the finish, the thread, the blank? It sounds like you live in a tough neighborhood!

Do you think you can post pictures of it after you're done? I'd surely appreciate it.

Thanks all for the tips, Anglers Workshop and Get Bit are hooking me up with the blanks for this project.
I will be doing a big write-up and lots of photos.

There are many variables and in all reality the write-up will be an on going thing as these test need to be long term. I will be doing updates through out the year.
I am going to be doing flex tests also to see what ones stay adhered to the blank after multiple bends through out the year and temp changes.

I will be adding perma gloss to the list but I personally have never used anything other than a finish epoxy so it should be interesting.

This is just a test on epoxy and CP, I will be wrapping white thread (Fuji) around the blanks and comparing different CP's and different coats of each and also how well the epoxy
adheres to the CP and to the rod through the CP. I might cut a bunch of guides of old rods to have wrapped then I can pry and pull on the guide to see if there is any failure.

I should be able to start this project very soon. I need to order all the different finishes and CP's and once I have everything then I can start.
The first stage of the project is going to be all about mixing, how the bubbles disappear, and how it applies on the rod. then of course how well the bubbles pop after application.
The second stage will be dry time to being tacky, dry to the touch, cured, and how each take a fingernail indentation and if they go away.

Another thought is play with Auto Paints and primers and clears which are fully adjustable on there thickness and drying time Heck if you are going for broke might do it all I have never seen a white car -- turn yellow or a car in a wreak where the paint on the bent metal crack

Bill - willierods.com

Another thing you may want to consider, is to mix up the various finishes and pour ithem out onto a piece of wax paper. The cured epoxy will not stick to the wax paper so you can peel it off and have a multiple little circles of cured epoxy for comparisons. You can check for bubble release, clarity, brittleness, and yellowing when placed in the sun or inside. Possibily other things also. This is not my idea I saw it somewhere (can not remember where) and thought it was a great idea. Does not require wrapping a blank to get some useful information,
Norm

Sounds fun.
I have been trying various 'light cure' finishes from lure building and the dentistry industry as means of protecting thread wraps or even seating the guide as is without thread.
Looks good but very brittle which is not good on a flexible thing like a rod blank.
Squirrels will chew on them too but that is true about most things ..

Ernie, I did that same thing when I started building 3 years ago. I went to garage sales and @#$%& to get cheap rods and stripped them. I also use them to wrap samples of thread so I can see the real color with & without CP, with epoxy coating. A couple I painted white and do thread samples without CP, with epoxy to test colors for plaid (tartan) wraps that I'm experimenting with now.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

Oh wow. Thanks, Sid, for the Goodwill option! Never would have thought of that. I just got my first "scrap" blank when I had a tip break off of a factory Falcon rod. They just needed the decal section cut off and mailed in for replacement, so I get the top part of the blank to experiment with. But I bet I can find a great deal at Goodwill for experimental blanks. Plus it will give me a chance to gain some experience stripping and rebuilding rods.