So I'm in Florida right now, and when I go back to Cali on Friday, I'll have a brand spankin' new Seeker blank to turn into a spinning rod! I was thinking about painting it up to either the first or second guide in white. I would have the transition under the guide's underwrap. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON PAINTING BLANKS!!! I have that part down. Just wondering what your thoughts are on how it would look. The thread I have for the underwrap will have to be finished without CP to darken it to the shade of blue I want. I tested the thread with no CP on a dowel rod, and it looks great after it darkens with the gold trim to match the gold seat hood and gimbal.

So, my questions here:

1. How do you think it would look? I couldn't find any Google images to give me an idea.
2. Will the underwraps look too different with one or two being over white and the rest over black and no CP?

where the white is it might be a bit lighter than on the black

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

Start your wrap right at the edge of the color transition, then your wrap will be over only one color.
Norm

Yeah, that's kinda what I was planning, but I'd still have 4 or 5 guides left over the black part of the blank. Or do you think the difference would be negligible? Of course this is assuming I transition at the second guide. I'm not sure what the spacing will look like yet.

I could always paint the whole blank, or not at all...just thought this may give a unique look.

Edit...I think you were commenting based on transitioning at the first guide. Yes that would be an option!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2017 12:58AM by Randy Weakley.

Randy,
Nice thought, but I will admit that I personally would not do it.

But, that is the wonder and fulfillment of custom rod building. You can build a rod in any way that pleases YOU. You don't have to please anyone else. If you want to do it and if you like it, then by all means do it.

Good luck

Thanks Roger! I sure wish I could find a picture of one! I searched Rod Geeks, because I know they have two tone blanks, but all I could find was pics of blanks, not finished rods.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2017 01:29AM by Randy Weakley.

Hey Randy, shoot me an email and I'll send you a few pictures of rods I've done with white painted tips

I have done two green/white Rodgeeks blanks with about a 12 inch decorative wrap over the transition, which is a "soft" transition. One has CP protected Pro Wrap evergreen for the wrap, the other has Madeira rayon in forest green without CP. In neither case is there a problem with seeing the transition through the wrap. For what it's worth. On the Rodgeeks blanks, lower 1/3 in green, upper 2/3 in white, all the guide wraps are over the white part of the blank.

If I were worried about it I would do a simple test wrap over the colors involved. I predict it will look fine. But you will want to be sure to really pack your wraps over the white because the white will show through any gaps. Simulate how it will look with isopropyl alcohol.

With weight not really being a factor, I would paint it to wherever you wanted to and put a black wrap and a very light coat of finish underneath where you want your blue under wraps. You'll end up with 3 layers of thread on the first one or two guides.

I vote go for it And if it works with your color scheme, maybe a tri-color.

No CP is probably not going to work for you without under wraps as suggested above. Only way to know for sure are test wraps.

Have you tried some of the rod building forums in the east and south to see if anyone has posted pics there, many also have Facebook sites.

Would it be an option to tape of the areas of the underwrap so that the blank is not painted white in those areas? That would allow for a consistent base to utilize thread without color preserver.

Yeah I suppose that's a valid COA. I'd just have to plan out my underwraps before hand.

I paint under wraps all the time particularly with gold or silver paint. It really makes the colors pop. Using the same theory, you could either paint the bottom half of the rod white and then paint under where the other guides go up the blank, so they are all wrapped over white. The easier way would be to tape the area under the butt wrap and the first guide before you paint the blank, then after you remove the tape you would be wrapping over an unpainted section of the blank. The transition wrap could just cover the end of the painted section with the wrap actually being over the blank. I use a metallic or NCP trim band to cover any uneven edges on the paint.

Or you just could take a permanent marker and cover the white part where the wrap would be and leave the rest white as versed doing an under wrap and that would make the wraps all the same after finishing them

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

Thanks for all the comments...I'm trying to imagine in my head how this would look. I may steal some pictures off here or google and edit them in Photoshop to make the lower half of the blank white to get an idea of what it would look like!

I recently test wrapped shades of red, blue, yellow, and green samples on a white blank with no CP while planning colors for a tartan style wrap. I was surprised how most of the colors were much brighter over white than they are over a dark blank. Using no CP doesn't always mean darker.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

Good to know. I have some silver leaf paint I got from Michaels. I may lay that down under the underwraps. I could even do this over the white to maintain consistency.