I have an old spin rod on which the original Flex Coat finish is cracked and in places chipped a bit on the edges. Is it possible to recoat the old finish with epoxy and get a "reasonable" finish, or do I need to strip it down and start over with new wraps, etc.?

Michael,
I would try and sand the old epoxy as much as possible to blend in the rough edges, then clean well with ISO alcohol and apply new finish.

Jon Hood

If you're simply trying to get a couple/three more seasons out of the rod, you can clean what you have and overcoat with some fresh epoxy. It'll work reasonably well, for awhile. If you want a top notch refurbishment intended to last for many years, I'd start over.

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

you can patch it up an will last a couple of seasons, but to do it correctly R & R the old an start over

William Sidney
AK

Scuff the old wraps with scotchbrite and recoat. If it holds up for you o.k., if not you can strip it then and all you lost is a coat of finish.

I have done this with epoxy and had a mess. It's too thick, doesn't give a smooth finish. I've also done it by smoothing as much as possible the old finish and replacing it with a coat of Permagloss. In my opinion the latter is superior to the former.

Thanks guys for the insights. Guess I'll do it right and clean it off down to the blank and start over. The blank is a classic Fenwick SP-902F fiberglass from the 80's. Don't want to screw it up.

If you're taking it right down to the blank, removing and replacing guides, then before you wrap the guides use Lumiseal or Permagloss instead of epoxy. I'm really surprised there are not more people here cautioning you about using epoxy to finish a blank.

It could be that glass doesn't need anything on it. Anyone know? But if you want it to be glossy, then a finish is certainly required, and I don't think the right one is epoxy.

If you are going to use Lumiseal or Permagloss then find some "how to" info before you start. This material dries fast, has a lot of fumes, and there are special ways to handle it that are different from epoxy. I expect you can find info on this forum. I know it has been in the magazine.

If you're taking it right down to the blank, removing and replacing guides, then before you wrap the guides use Lumiseal or Permagloss instead of epoxy. I'm really surprised there are not more people here cautioning you about using epoxy to finish a blank.

It could be that glass doesn't need anything on it. Anyone know? But if you want it to be glossy, then a finish is certainly required, and I don't think the right one is epoxy.

If you are going to use Lumiseal or Permagloss then find some "how to" info before you start. This material dries fast, has a lot of fumes, and there are special ways to handle it that are different from epoxy. I expect you can find info on this forum. I know it has been in the magazine.

If I were doing it, I would strip the blank to the bare material and do a final wet and dry =- sanded wet using 600 or finer paper.

Then, I would tie on the new guides and apply the guide finish.

The result will be a nice matt finish as many of the high end rod blank manufacturers have used in the past as well as currently. A big advantage is that with no finish of any kind of the bare blank, the rod will be lighter than it ever was before.

Be safe