Part 4: Finishing Your Custom Rod

We are now ready to start the finishing process. After building rods for more than thirty years, this is probably the one subject I get the most questions on. There are many opinions about color sealants and finishes to use. Each has their supporters that swear by it. Once you use a finish and are happy with the results, stick with it.

Follow these steps and you will get a professional looking finish:

-    Apply two thin coats of color sealant to under wraps and allow to completely dry for 24 hours.

- After you have mixed your finish, pour the finish on to a piece of aluminum foil and let the finish spread out. This will increase your working time and remove a lot of the bubbles.

-   Apply one thin coat of HIGH-BUILD finish to the under wraps. Wick off any excess finish with your brush that you squeezed dry with a paper towel. The threads should only be tacky to the touch.

-   While the finish is still tacky and the rod is turning on a rod drying motor, moisten a piece of paper towel with alcohol and carefully clean up the edges of the wraps to remove any finish that ran over onto the blank.

-   Let the finish on the under wraps dry for 48 hours.

- Wrap on guides and burnish wraps.

-   Apply a thin coat of finish to entire guide wrap while the rod is turning on slow-turning motor. Make sure you work the finish under the guide foot to fill in the tunnel. Remove excess finish as discussed above. Pay particular attention around the base of the guide foot. Again, the finish should just be tacky. Let dry overnight.

-     Repeat the same finishing steps as above. Let dry for 48 hours.

-    Carefully inspect the wraps for any lumps and fuzzies and cut them off with a new single edge razor blade.

-    Apply a final coat of finish to guide wraps with a full brush. While rod is turning brush the guide wraps lengthwise to level the finish.

- Moisten a paper towel with alcohol and clean up the edges off the wraps.

-   Use an alcohol lamp and gently pass the flame under the guide wraps as the rod is turning. The warmth of the flame will break the surface tension, further smooth out the surface and remove any remaining bubbles in the finish. Keep the flame about 6-8 inches below the wraps constantly moving the flame. Do not use a butane lighter or candle since they do not have a clean flame.

-   Let dry overnight.

The finished rod should rest for at least a week, preferably longer, to allow the finish to fully cure. This will also slow down the process of cracking at the guide feet.

Some Final Thoughts

That completes this series on Rod Building. This hobby can become a real addiction, as my wife and some of the elite members of the Board can attest.

If you really want to pursue rod building, I strongly recommend that you attend one of the Rodcrafter seminars or Rod Guild Conclaves on rod building. You will learn more in a weekend on rod building then you would in five years on your own. If you would like more information on these rod building events please contact me at rodprof@bestweb.net or check into the forum that I host on SurfTalk for any upcoming events.

Happy Wrapping,

Al Goldberg