I just did a short butt wrap and when I put the second coat of epoxy on it I think I had the worst case of fish-eyes that I've ever had. As far as I know nothing changed from the way I normally apply finish. (I don't do many rods maybe 3-4 a year.) I used the same epoxy I used before, same thread, in the same area, same conditions, kept my hands and work area clean, etc. So this leads me to the questions below:

1. What are some of the contaminants or ways of introducing contaminants that are not readily apparent?

2. What is the best way to deal with the fish-eyes in the finish (assuming I try an save the wrap since it already had one coat of epoxy)? Can the finish be lightly sanded and wiped down? Do the fish eyes have to be completely sanded out? What can be used to wipe down the epoxy after it is sanded?

3. Even if I have to remove the wrap and start over, what can I use to wipe the rod down to help eliminate any contaminants?

Thanks, any suggestions appreciated.

Robert

Have only that 2 fish eye problems. No idea what caused the first, and am 99.99% certain the second was the result of the wife dusting a desk next to the work bench and the work bench top (it's laminated maple) using Pledge. The entire basement is now off limits to the wife's cleaning - I do it and without Pledge.

The way I dealt with the fish eyes was to apply 2 more coats of finish to build up an ugly mess which I then carefully sanded as level as I could, repeated the 2 coats of epoxy and sanding again, then, with the area finally level, applied a single finish coat. Applying 2 coats of epoxy gave me some margin of safety for sanding over a label without sanding into the label or the winding under the label. And yes, it took forever, or so it seemed.

If you sand you don't need to "wipe down" with a solvent. Blow the worst of the dust away and capture the rest by winding on tape then removing the tape.

Feel your pain!

If you did not have fish eyes with the first coat, something got onto it before you applied the second.