Matte Blank changeover

[Ivan]

How do you change or add a Color on a rod blank?
How do you add a gloss coating?
Does any of the above effect the rods performance or add weight.

[runner]

Ivan, I have avoided this for many reasons:
1) you can paint it with any color paint you want, I have use lacquer because of its fast drying qualities, but then there is dust!
2) you have to coat the whole rod with flex-lite or other - again the dust factor - applying a thin even thickness- there's dust again - then your flex lite won't set
3) it chips - got to be careful burnishing those wraps
4) GonetoSeed and Guthooked have done a few rods so they may have better stories to tell

and yes it does affect rod weight and performance - remember the posts about just wrapping the tip, its not needed, but looks good so do it ever so slightly to avoid changing the action of the rod.

Mike

[GUTHOOKED]

I've tried it a few times, but haven't been terribly impressed with the results. GTS has done a great job recoloring a few blanks. I'm sure he'll weigh in here soon.

[Chuck Morris]

I've colored a few blanks. (Eagle Claw Yellow=Ugly) The way that I did it was using acrylic paints, applied with an airbrush, coated with outdoor gloss clear sign acrylic. Rods that have color applied in this manner will chip quite easily. Yes it will affect the action, but I think that with the very thin coats as applied by airbrush the buildup of paint and gloss coating would be very small and therefore the effect would be minimal.

Chuck

[Ivan]

How bad was the chipping and did it take away from the overall effect of changing the color. I'm not sure if you were pleased with the results.

[Chuck Morris]

The chipping was not that bad. The chipping occured most often when the rod was hit against something. These rods were spinning rods and often laid across the gunnels of a boat, the rubbing and banging caused chips and worn spots. For the most part I was happy with the color changes. BTW if you do this make sure your rod is completely DRY, before you start wrapping. You can get into some ugly messes if the finishes and colors aren't completely dry and cured. E=mail or post regarding the types of paint, bond, and coating that I used.

Chuck

[GonetoSeed]

Ivan - I have re-colored a few blanks. I appreciate Danny's comments, but I agree with his and Runner's sentiment that it is not something that I would prefer to do routinely. Perfect blank finish is an advantage of factory rods. btw, there are a few manufacturers who offer multiple colors as a price upgrade: Graphite USA and CTS come to mind.

The basic two ways to get a pretty good to possibly excellent finish are:
- To paint and add a clear coat
- Add pigments to the clear coat and use it as a one coat finish.

I've done both. imo, if it is a light color, painting works best, if a dark color, then adding the pigment is a good approach.

When I paint, I use one of the spray auto touch up paints available at auto supply stores. Either Plasti-Kote or DupliColor. These are fast drying acrylic laquers, durable, have a flex ingredient and come in lots & lots of colors. My routine (ritual) is basically to:
- Scrape off the old finish using a razor scraper. I do this so as to not double the weight and extra weigth does impede blank efficiency. Plus, the new finish will bond to unfinished fiber better. Scrap perpendicular to the blank and try and peel off the finish. Be carefull and take your time. Do not slice. Do not sand. Slicing and sanding can more easily damage the top layer of fibers.
- After scraping, I rub down the blank with a 3M Scotchbrite gray pad. This helps the new paint bond. btw, I do this also before using epoxy to glue on the real seat & grip. The pad doesn't scuff the blank, it does something to the surface tension. You can tell when it's ready by dropping water on the blank. If it makes a consistent film rather than drops, it's ready.
- I hang the blank pieces from the ceiling in my workshop using scrap pieces of blank and looped mono. This way I do not have to touch the blank while painting and drying.
- I spray a very light dusting first coat. Wait the time suggested on the can and then apply a heavier second coat. I try to not get it to heavy or have runs, but I do not worry if I do
- Because after letting it throughly dry, I wet sand with 2000 grit auto finishing sandpaper. I fill a bowl with warm water and Dawn detergent, soak the paper and then lightly sand, removing heavy areas and runs.
- Then I use extra-fine rubbing compound followed by Mequairs (sp?) Scratch-X.
- I let dry again and apply the clear coat that comes with the brand paint that I used. I repeat the wet sanding and the Scratch-X

If everything went well, I have a factory-like finish. If not I go back to the top.

Using the pigment approach is another long thread, so if you are interested e-mail me and I'll share my approach.