I want to learn how to build my own rods so I have purchased some tools and a rodbuilding kit, but before I start on it I decided to take down an old one and practice on it 1st. I have the old rod down to the blank, (it is one of the 1st Ugly Stick rods to come out). I remember it being dark shiny black and now it is light flat black except under where the guides were. Is there any way to restore the rod to the orignal color, if so, what product and how do you use it?
only way in my opinion to get the color back is to sand the rod down and then repaint it...the paint wont stay like paint from the factory at all but it will get the color back
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Are there any particular type of paint that needs to used? It looks to me like it would just crack when the rod bends. Shows how little I know.
David,
Your best bet would be to clean the blank, paint it whatever color you want and then coat it with U-40 Permagloss. I like to paint a blank by using a coffee filter to wipe the paint on the blank. This helps give a smooth even coat and helps apply only a thin coating. Once the paint has dried you can use the same technique to apply permagloss. Email me if you have any other questions. You could also check out rodbuilding.org and do a search on blank refinishing, should be a ton of info.
Refinishing your rod could be a fun...but tedious project. I assume that you will or have stripped off the guides. I'd strip the blank of old paint / finish and I use a paste stripper for this process. Wash the blank well with soap and water to remove all the stripper. If you get the stripper on the butt section, over the labels and such...it will eat them. You can tape off that area.
I use a gray (fine) scotch pad to wipe down the blank after the paint and finish have been removed. You can paint the blank black if you want, but it will add weight and thickness to the blank. I'd also suggest several coats of the Permagloss as it is a thin product. I hang my rod from the ceiling by taping a wire to the handle. That leaves my hands free to wipe down the blank with the U-40 Permagloss. It will dry quickly. I have always used a cosmetic sponge to apply the finish, but I'll have to give that coffee filter trick a try!
The finish may tend to come off down the road with some use. It is not as durable as I'd hoped when I used it. It will give you some good experience as you start building some new rods.
Hope that helps and I'd be glad to help you along the way, too.
George
George, have you ever tried adding a few drops of the dye used for plastic casting resin to your rod finish?
I'm not george, but.... You can add pigments to most thread finish's. Not sure about Permagloss. Best place to ask would be either rodbuilding.org, or go to the U-40 website http://u-40.com/
I haven't used the new dyes, but I've used some of the old pigments...many years ago. I just ordered the pigments from Mudhole to try some marbeling. I know some guys have really done some nice work with it, but I just haven't.
I know of no reason why it couldn't be used with a finish such as Threadmaster, then applied to the blank in the same manner as the Permagloss. I believe that the finish would be more durable. I got an email from Andy Dear earlier this week about a single part, urethane finish that he is working on. I'm sure, given his track record so far, it will be a great product, once that it is released.
I appreciate all your comments...more food for thought!
Thanks......George
Testors paints work really well for marbling. A couple things to remember is that it takes very VERY little pigment (a small drop on the end of a toothpick) to do a quarter-sized puddle of finish... and that will probably do more. Also, make sure to look for the paint where the solvent and the pigment have settled, drain the solvent and try to get mostly pigment to mix with. You can really crank out some cool looking finishes. :)
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