[Darren H]

Allright fellas I was wondering if one of you could point me in the right direction.
The problem is the varnish is cracking on the whippings on the first 2 rings on my rod bar the 2nd been the worst.
It's where the ring leg sits under the whipping,started as hairline on each leg and gradually got worse now the varnish is lifting on the 2nd ring and starting on the 1st.
I want to seal it to stop water ingress do I just coat with epoxy(do I peel the flakey varnish off) or is there something thinner that will seep within the cracks and make a tidier job.
Has anybody had any experience with this if so can you help?
Thank in advance Daz

 

[Dave M]

Have used super glue in the past as it will seep though. Then a quick coat or two of hard as nail or similar just to tidy it up, seems to work ok.

 

[MickA]

I want to seal it to stop water ingress do I just coat with epoxy (do I peel the flakey varnish off)
Thank in advance Daz[/QUOTE=Darren H;65948]

Yes and yes

 

[Colin Armfield]

Use of superglue & varnish will not "fix" the problem.
If the coating is cracking then it will need replacing.
It is possible to remove the old coating without damaging the whipping but to any good rod builder starting from scratch will be simpler.

The ring will not fall off unless the whipping has come loose as well.
What I would suggest is locating a rod builder / repairer & talking to them.
A re-build with your own rings should not be too expensive.

It does seem a shame that some of these rods suffer from less than perfect build.
They have fantastic blanks so why not a fantastic quality control?
(No red rod rants please!)

 

[Alex Jordan]

I have had the same - the epoxy is built up too high up the rod ring leg leading to cracking when it flexs (common fault on alot of factory rods) admittadly I use my rings as leverage to crack open the joint so my own fault - I sent both mine back to **** and his local guy did a sterling job of rewhipping around 7 eyes ... glad I got it done - the cracking / peeling was driving me nuts!

 

[Darren H]

Thanks guys looks like it's 2 rings that need re-whipping then.

the epoxy is built up too high up the rod ring leg leading to cracking when it flexs (common fault on alot of factory rods) You're onto something there Alex the varnish goes right up the ring legs. What do you reckon Alex should I cut back the varnish a little way up the ring leg or at the base, to prevent it happening on the other rings.Also have a mix no sign of it happening on that yet though. Havn't checked how high the varnish goes up the legs on that, if it's similar do I get the stanley to that too?(is it advisable).

the cracking / peeling was driving me nuts! LOL It's driving me nuts to the rods only been lightly used.

 

[Alex Jordan]

If you can cut it back - be very careful as I tried and ended up peeling back too much ...

I would leave them if they aren't showing cracks - get the ones you have peeled back redone tho'!

 

[MickA]

Be carefull if you do try to cut it back. You may damage the coating on the leg itself which will lead to rusting.

The only place the epoxy needs to go is on the whipping itself (not up the leg) and to fill any little 'tunnels' around the area where the ring foot touches the blank.

Sounds to me like far too much epoxy has been applied. If re-doing it yourself then its better to apply two thin coats of epoxy rather than the quicker way of one heavy coat which could end up running. The two thin coats will bond together so long as the first coat is kept clean of any contaminants.

Flex-Coat Lite is the best stuff imo. First coat you'll probably still be able to feel the whipping if you run your finger nail across it. Second coat gets a perfect finish, if you're good :-D. Just don't put too much on or inevitably you'll end up with a mess. Also keep rotating the blank whilst the epoxy is curing to prevent sagging. Prop it horizontally and rotating it 90degrees every few mins or so should stop any sagging when applying a thin coat of the Flex-Coat Lite.