So I recently removed the guides on my first rod because the finish ended up having footballs and such. I re-wrapped the guides and put finish on the guides once again. There are some spots left on the blank from the previous attempt where scratches still exist on the blank, probably from my sanding job. I saw that maybe using clear nail polish would help to smooth over the scratches. All are superficial just cosmetic. Any suggestions?

Sounds strange, but I scratched up a blank when sanding a handle and I put mink boot oil on it. Once I applied that the scratches were invisible.

We have used furniture polish, "Armor-All", and WD40.
All seemed to work well depending on the blank finish and depth of scratch.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

I have some WD40 laying around..Ill give that a shot. Thanks!

Ken,
If you are going to do anything with the row with respect to wrapping or finish application - do not use WD40.

WD-40 is essentially very similar to mineral spirits - (oil) and will be very incompatible with any sort of rod or guide finish.

Good luck

p.s.
On a finished rod - for maintenance, I will use wd-40 in a fashion similar to wax to give more shine to the rod surface.

The rod is done, I just wanted to fix up the scratches left by the sandpaper. The WD40 seemed to do the job for the most part. There are a couple of outstanding spots, but nothing too bad. If I was to fix deeper abrasions, what would be the suggested fix?

Keep the "dry wall principle" in mind. It is: There comes a time in any project when all attempts to make it better will make it worse.

If you have a scrap glossy rod, scratch it similarly to the one you're trying to fix and try just a drop of Tru-Oil applied and rubbed with your fingers on it.

The problem with putting fingernail polish or other finish of that type is that it most likely will have too high a build, so the repair spot might show as a high spot. If you can find the right stuff that can be rubbed onto the scratch should get filled without building a high spot.

Hello All.

? could you just take a drop or two of finish and cover the scratches and then go over them with a paper towel right away, will that fill the scratch and still not be too high?

Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Robert, that process should work. I was thinking of something like that with the polyurethane finishes, but they dry so fast there might not be time to finesse it. Wrap finish should work. I'd test anything I was planning to do on a scrap rod.

I havent done anything with the rod lately since applying the WD40. It seemed to do the trick, for now. If I have some extra time, I might try applying some finish and wiping. That seems like it would be a good approach for the slightly deeper abrasions. I definitely dont want to create high spots. Thats what made me redo the rod in the first place. Its my rod and and completely aesthetic so Im not too concerned about it. I would pursue other options if I was building for someone else.