Built a full wells grip using red pine bark rings and finished with CA. I was told recently that CA is not a good finish for a rod grip because of moisture durability. Is this true and if it is, can I top coat with Permagloss?

Technically it is true. However, I have had Morris Schlesinger tell me that pens he's made and coated with CA seem to hold up for years on end. Granted, he's not using them in a harsh exterior environment, but I think if I were you I'd just use the rod grip as is and see what happens. If it were to wear or show problems down the line, you already know how to sand it off and recoat with something else. In other words, here's a great opportunity to find out if CA will work for you as an exterior grip and handle coating.

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Thanks Tom, I'll do that.

CA is a great finish for things that don't stay out in UV for any extended periods of time. I've done quite a few with CA and had most of them craze or crack to the point that you can't see the wood under the finish. I have quit using CA for that reason.

What are you using in place of the CA?

I do a considerable number of reel seat inserts and grips a year, and also found out as Mark did the downfall of using it, Initial outcome looks great, but ends up being very shor lived. CA is hard and brittle, subject to cracking with moisture seeping thru the cracks and ruining them. My process has gone to dipping with Marine spar urethane. It is both UV protectant and allows for enough flex, since all woods tend to expand and contract with the elements

Ron Weber

Would a few layers of Permagloss make a CA finished reel insert usable? I think I might have a couple of inserts finished with CA. Is there a way to salvage them?

I quit using it too, sometimes it worked and sometimes it turned to poo-poo. I've been using spar varnish too. If it's good enough for Ron, it's certainly good enough for me.

I use Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil; anywhere from 4 to 10 coats; hand rubbed then buffed lightly with steel wool in-between coats. Last coat I don't buff with the steel wool because I prefer a semi-gloss finish. Tru-Oil is used on gun stocks and really brings out the grain on cork handles, especially burl cork. Results in a nice warm, semi gloss on inlays,i.e, exotic woods, buffalo horn, copal amber, and other trim rings and spacer materials that are inlaid on handles. Holds up to moisture, doesn't crack or fade.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/2018 07:57PM by Eric Egee.

Ive used Lumiseal on a cherry handle and it seams to hold up. Any urathane with a uv will be fine. I might just try the spar urathane method as it seams like a good idea.

Gerald

Used CA once and never again.

Have build several pine grips and a bunch of faux wood and birch bark fly rod grips from cork for fly rods using Tru-Oil or stained bark and cork subsequently finished with Tru-Oil. Have found Tru-Oil to be durable (no peeling or cracking), is easily repaired if badly worn (takes a bunch of use to wear the finish), and the finish sheen from matte to gloss is easily obtained.

The Tru-Oil downside is that it requires time and multiple applications to build up the finish, usually 8 to 12 very thin coats, and usually 2 coats per day sanding between each application. Maybe 3 applications per day if the drying conditions are ideal. The process is similar to a French polish - minimal amount of Tr-Oil applied, allowed to cure, finish is leveled using 0000 steel wool or 400 paper, and then repeat.

Another attribute that can be either benefit or disadvantage is Tru-Oil, similar to long-oil spar varnish, has a very light amber color.