Trophy Fishing TN Forum - Caney Fork Trout Fly Fishing - Caney Fork Trout Guide
Holy Crap...Look at all these other forum sections! ~ "Gordie" => Rod Building => Topic started by: TimM on February 07, 2010, 01:02:14 PM
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I'm sure the pros already know this but I stumbled across something that has been pretty helpful for me so I thought I'd pass it along for other here that might not know it.
One of the things that I've battled with all of the rods I've built/rewrapped/rebuilt is getting an even, glossy finish on the wraps without bubbles. I've tried a bunch of different application and mixing techniques along with different brands and types of finish but it always seemed that I'd wind up with at least SOME bubbles somewhere in the finish and I really had to work at getting the finish level. However, I've used this "trick"on the last 2 or 3 rods I've worked on and it has really improved my results in terms of bubbles, general uniformity and it seems even gloss level.
While I've always warmed up the finish before applying it, and flame treated it after application, I decided to REALLY warm up the finish by bringing a small bowl of water to a boil in the microwave and then placing the bottles of finish in the bowl and covering it for a few minutes before I mix them. It reduces the viscosity of the components a lot and that seems to really promote release of any bubbles suspended in the mix as well as help level the finish real well after it's applied.