I am still very new at this and having serious issues getting a descent looking finish around my decals/bare blank and really messed up a nice rod i built!

I have been experimenting with a broken blank i received in shipping and trying to get a descent looking finish on just the bare blank and really struggling. I haven't had issues with my guide wraps and have felt very good about how they have looked being new to the art! The results i get almost look like the rod is causing the epoxy to draw together and clump up and look spotty or streaky. i have tried a couple ways of applying with a small brush and both turn out the same, streaky, spotty or even spots where the blank looks like i never applied it.

Few questions:

Am i using the wrong product on the bare blank and decals since they are not thread?
Should i be applying a base coat to the rod before applying my decals?
Should i be putting something on the rod blank prior to applying epoxy to the blank?
If I am using some alcohol to clean up glues during handle assembly, is that getting on the blank and wrecking havoc? That said, this blank i am practicing on is fresh out of the bag and been wiped with nothing.

Last thing, the rod that i have that looks awful, is there any way to salvage it? I tried another coat and it looks just as bad. The area over a wrap i made looks pretty good, area over my decals and bare blank looks awful. I was hoping to sell this rod through a local bait shop and i won't let it out of my basement at this point!

Sorry for the long post, i have a couple really nice St. Croix blanks i am working up for a friend and his buddy and they are coming together great but I am terrified to hit them with the epoxy and ruin them!

Just as note I am using the ProKote from Mudhole.

By the way, i have read through the articles in the library and not really seeing anything to help me with what I am describing.

matt

Matt

Your description is sort of consistent with "fish eye" where the epoxy pulls away from a contamination such as silicone. The epoxy then cures leaving holes or gaps. It's a bad thing. I'm guessing the wrap finish looks OK as the wraps helped contain the worst of the contamination.

Random thoughts for you:

Use 90%+ rubbing alcohol to clean a blank, not de-natured alcohol ("DNA"). Sometimes the chemicals used to essentially poison DNA will not play pretty with epoxy. You're correct that adding another layer of epoxy does not cure the problem, but it can aide the fix. Clean the area with rubbing alcohol, apply another one or two coats, then, when cured, lightly, ever so lightly, sand the finish level, and lastly apply a final finish coat. Got to be really, really careful withe sanding so as to avoid sanding into the blank or the decal. The additional one or two coats of epoxy provides a tiny margin for sanding error.

ProKote medium viscosity is my go to finish and it can be done with ProKote.

Some water slide decals and the decals from Decal Connection work better when applied to a base coat of epoxy.

It is really, really important when finishing an area longer then the usual guide wrap to apply the epoxy as thinly as possible, then hand turn for 30 to 60 minutes looking for any excess on the bottom of the finished area and wick any excess away quickly. The temptation to glob on too much epoxy can be nearly overwhelming and will result in a wavy or hills and valleys finish.

Good luck.

So I can lightly sand down the rod that looks bad? Do I clean it up with 90%+ alcohol after I sand it? Not worried about that rod as much the next one! I have the right alcohol so I just need to make sure I clean the blank up really well?

Thank you for the guidance!

Some will advise against the use of alcohol. I use it, sparingly, with a clean gun patch (no nasty silicone) before sanding. Then sand. Blow the sanding dust away. Some advocate the use of painter's tape to remove the dust.

Do work slowly and carefully with the sanding. If you sand into the decal or the blank you create a bigger problem.

A quick wipe down of a new blank ought to be all that is needed. It's your hands and work area that are the more probable sources or contamination.

Matt,
1. #1 rule, wash your hands and face with soap and water before starting to work on a rod, and wash again every few hours. Some folks have oil on their skin that can build up over time. If you get this oil on the thread and rod, you can easily end up with fish eyes.

2. If you do wipe a blank down with alcohol, I suggest that you follow it with a wipe down of windex window cleaner. Windex does a great job of removing "things and solvents" that may have been left on the rod.

3. If you do any sanding of finish with very fine paper, do not use alcohol after. Rather use masking tape to tack off any dist or loose finish that might have accumulated.

Good luck