Rod clear coat refinishing

[BigWaterJ]

Hey, does anyone know how easily the clear coat on a rod can be refinished. One of my rods Lamiglas GSB 1321M  had some of the clear coat come off over the years and I wanted to know how easily it could be repaired and what a tackle shop might run me to fix it. Thanks

[RWP]

Not my video, and not something I've personally done, but hopefully this helps .

 

 

[vinnyb]

The best way to do it is to strip the rod down to the blank and refinish. This does require a good deal of work to remove the old finish, sand, etc. and then of course you’ll need to have the rod rebuilt from scratch. I’ve done this using Permagloss rod finish and the results are excellent. If you don’t want to go this route, you could possibly touch up the areas where finish is missing but you’re not going to get anywhere near the aesthetic quality compared to a complete strip and rebuild. 

[8 & Bait]

A well known rod builder gave me the following procedure using thinned rod wrapping epoxy. Ive done two rods as such which came out great.

 

Sand down the entire blank with very fine sandpaper. I used a scotch brite pad and 800 grit. 

Mix and then thin enough rod building epoxy. (Use acetone) until it is almost the consistency of water.

Apply a very thin layer with a fine sponge. Just enough to coat the blank.

Let dry and then re-wrap the rod.

The U40 Permagloss finish is good but very very toxic. It needs to be used in well ventilated area.

[vinnyb]

1 hour ago, 8 & Bait said:

The U40 Permagloss finish is good but very very toxic. It needs to be used in well ventilated area.

100%
 

But if you take the proper precautions & follow the manufacturer’s instructions, the stuff goes on very quickly & easily. It’s also a thin, low luster finish which I like. 
 

Never tried the thinned rod epoxy technique but I’m sure that works too. 

[XBMX]

Min Wax poly floor finish works well.

[LowEnd]

Problem with clear coat flaking off means ther was not a good bond to begin with.

You can possibly pic off the rest with a razor blade, sand and re finish with premagloss.

Have a Lami like yours, I’ve elected to leave it as is, works fine.

[bass11]

I've taken a few scarred up old warriors and scraped the gel coat off with a razor blade, wiped down with alcohol, left bare and rewrapped.  After a while, the bare graphite acquires a patina.  Dunno how much protection the exterior finish.provided, but my unprotected rods seem to be doing fine.  If anything, the rods are lighter with a bit quicker tip speed theoretically anyway.

[vinnyb]

2 hours ago, bass11 said:

I've taken a few scarred up old warriors and scraped the gel coat off with a razor blade, wiped down with alcohol, left bare and rewrapped.  After a while, the bare graphite acquires a patina.  Dunno how much protection the exterior finish.provided, but my unprotected rods seem to be doing fine.  If anything, the rods are lighter with a bit quicker tip speed theoretically anyway.

Most of my rebuilds are bare (sanded) graphite just like yours & no issues. I believe the clear coat finishes are purely aesthetic. 

[Bergallmaster]

Permagloss has a tendency to destroy other clear coats. It will pretty much act as a paint remover and wrinkle a lot of things its put on. If im doing a complete strip, then i will use permagloss as its very durable. For touch up, spray urethane works well. Just use light coats to avoid drips.

[EBHarvey]

why would anyone completely strip and rebuild a rod just because some clearcoat is wearing off?

 

that's like taking your house down to the studs because some paint peeled off the siding

[vinnyb]

3 hours ago, EBHarvey said:

why would anyone completely strip and rebuild a rod just because some clearcoat is wearing off?

 

that's like taking your house down to the studs because some paint peeled off the siding

Agreed. The OP probably didn’t realize how involved it is to do the job the right way. Best to just fish it until it’s time to rebuild due to more substantial issues. 

[bass11]

22 hours ago, vinnyb said:

Most of my rebuilds are bare (sanded) graphite just like yours & no issues. I believe the clear coat finishes are purely aesthetic. 

I don't even bother to sand.  A good job with a razor blade looks just fine.  Or maybe I just don't trust myself enuff to sand without removing any graphite material.

[vinnyb]

1 hour ago, bass11 said:

I don't even bother to sand.  A good job with a razor blade looks just fine.  Or maybe I just don't trust myself enuff to sand without removing any graphite material.

I get the heavy stuff off with a single edge razor blade & finish with very fine grit sandpaper to get the rest.  The risk of damaging the blank with a light (hand) sanding is very remote - much easier to damage it with the razor blade IMO.  I've got one rod that I've now refinished 4 times & it's still doing the job despite multiple sandings.  Of course common sense is key - I'm removing hardly any material.