Rod Builders

[Klail]

Okay all those rod builders out there, I have a question. I bought a used custom rod and it was a beautiful rod when I received it. Fished all day in the rain on Saturday and Sunday there is what appears to be severe water spots especially on the guide wrap areas. It is a blue blank with maroon wraps and silver trim. (the wraps resemble the older All Star wraps.) Some places look almost white (milky over the maroon). It will not just wipe off but I can use a paste wax and buff it back shiny. What caused this? Never seen it before that I couldn't just wipe clean.

[George Roth]

I'm not sure what would have caused that milky appearance over the finish. I'm glad that it came off with the wax job. perhaps the wax will prevent it from happening again.

George

[Bassn81]

Keith,
The only thing I can think of is there may have been an area around the guide that was not filled in w/ epoxy, like around the guide foot. That could have let moisture in and turned it cloudy. Otherwise I have no idea....do you have any pictures of it?

[pd2fish]

I am with Scott. You have to have moisture getting in there somehow. Probably at the guide foot or the edges of the thread.

[Klail]

Here is a picture of one of the spots that did not clean off. 90% of all other places cleaned up after using some paste wax and polishing.

I understand about moisture getting under the finish but not waxing clearing it up. I really like this rod. It is on a Shikari blank and seems very sensitive. Only other customs I have are St Croix.

[Bassn81]

That really looks like moisture got in there. It's got to be around the guide foot. Although it is unsightly there is really nothing wrong with the rod. You can definately keep fishing it. Your other option would be to either contact the origonal builder for a repair, or have another builder fix it. Personally, if it was a rod I sold it would be covered under my warranty.

[Klail]

Thanks guys. As I stated I bought the rod second hand. For the price I paid and the way the rod handles I am not complaining. This is also my first rod with split rear grip and no foregrip. I was just curious as to what was going on as I had not seen this before.

[Shockwave]

Keith

I've seen this several times when a rod stays wet for several hours. If it lays on wet carpet or is submerged for a period of time then the epoxy either oxidizes or precipitates something from the water.

There is really no problem with it. If it gets under the epoxy then you will have the spot but there will be no issues.

Best easy solution when this happens is just plain ole soap and water.

I had a rod overboard for about 12 hours once and it was completely covered with the oxidization. Washed it off and it's been going strong ever since

[mhr650]

I built those rods, and I know exactly what happened. The thread finish is Diamondite, which is not an epoxy it is a high tech co-polymer coating. I like the Diamondite finish a lot, it is very hard and durable, but for the first couple of weeks it is susceptible to moisture, after that it is pretty much indestructible. I had the exact thing happen on 2 of my own rods that got rained on, I should have included instructions.

It will eventually get better, the water will evaporate, try to keep them in a warm dry place.

If you want I will be glad to redo the finish, just pop them back in the tube and send them back and I will turn them around as soon as I get them.

[George Roth]

Mike....

It is great to have you chime in here. I have never used the Diamondlite finish before. It is interesting that you have that problem. Have you used the Threadmaster finish yet? If not, I'd encourage you to give it a shot. I've never had any problems with the finish spotting like that.

BTW...thanks for getting the weight system to me. I plan to build a Batson flipper and may use it on that rod. It is my opinion that most any flipper will benefit from a weight system. I'll be sure and let you know how it turns out.

Take care and good luck.....George

[Klail]

Thanks for the info Mike. I am just fine with them the way they are. I had seen finishes water spot but nothing quite like this and was curious. I could tell it was only cosmetic as it cleaned right back up. I can say I am very impressed with these rods. When funds become available I may want to talk with you about a couple more.

[mhr650]

I really like the Diamondite finish. It is easy to mix and apply, I can mix batches as small as .6cc easily and get prefect results every time. It has a long 1hour pot life, and when you heat the base component it is very thin, which is very helpful when you are working with microguides. Once you turn the heat lamps on it is “dry” and ready for another coat in 2 hrs.

Once it is fully cured it is extremely hard and virtually indestructible, I did a rewrap on one of my rods and it was many times harder to remove than any other guide finish I have dealt with. The only issue I have seen is the susceptibility to water for the first week or two, but I question how epoxy finishes behave in the same window, epoxies are still curing for some time after they are “dry”. Factory rods take so long to make their way through the supply chain they have plenty of time to finish curing, but have any other builders had experience with rods getting wet within the first week after the finish was applied?

I have contacted Keith and he is happy, but my offer to redo the finish still stands.

[Klail]

I first want to say Mike is a very stand up guy. I did not post his name or where the rods came from at first because I was concerned I did something to mess up the finish. The rod builds are of excellent quality and after drying and cleaning the rod in question, it cleared right up. I was not even going to question Mike on this but he seen the post and stepped right up and explained exactly what was going on so I am more than satisfied. I will be a repeat customer if I can persuade him to build me another. Thanks guys for the advise and thanks Mike for a great rod.

You guys have now spoiled me on custom builds.