I have six rods ready for buffing out the spar varnish finishes. Up until now I have used rottenstone for this process. I understand that many rodmakers have
gone to the more modern types of automotive polishing compounds that are a lot less messy to use but still produce a good finish. Can anyone recommend a brand
or type and where to purchase it? Thanks.
This forum began as Clark's Classic Bamboo Rod Forum, founded by Clark Davis for all who share a passion for classic rods. The forum is now owned by Whitefish Press aka Dr. Todd Larson - banjo.
For those who don't use English as their primary language we now have a translator for your language of choice hosted by Google.
0 Kudo
- Members Corner
- Forum Announcements
- Collecting Bamboo Fly Rods
- Fishing Bamboo Fly Rods
- Rod making, restoration, repairs and discussion on those related topics concerning bamboo rods.
- Rod and Reel Makers Forum
- Information About Makers & Manufacturers
- Taper Exchange
- Appraisals & Identification of Bamboo Fly Rods
- Ephemera, empherma and Ephemerella.....
- Book Talk
- Photos, paintings, written stories and talents.
- Classic Reels
- Collecting and Tying Classic Flies
- The Cooks Kitchen
- The Classic Fly Rod Classifieds
- Technical Support
Polishing compounds
| Author | Comment | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 trouttrapper |
Polishing compounds |
Lead | ||
|
Posts: 8 03/11/2009 20:02 |
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
grangaris |
compounds | #1 | ||
|
Posts: 59 03/11/2009 20:18 |
try 3ms buffing compound and then finnese it 2 at an auto body supplyer or auto parts store. or mequeirs compounds found everywhere.
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
trouttrapper |
#2 | |||
|
Posts: 9 03/11/2009 20:34 |
Grangaris: Thanks for the reply. From what I am understanding, the 3M buffing compound is a mild abrasive followed up with the Finnese 2 which is strictly a
non-abrasive polisher. Is that correct? If so, would this be similar to starting with 0000 pumice then fpllowing up with rottenstone?
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
Lee Koch |
#3 | |||
|
Posts: 449 03/11/2009 20:51 |
I generally start with rottenstone and linseed oil, hand rubbed, which takes out some imperfections and gives a good matte finish, as I am sure you know. Then
use 3-M Finesse-It to bring up the sheen, and finish with 3-M Perfect-It Swirl-remover if I want the best shine I can get. For the 3-M products Harry Boyd
taught me to use a cotton polishing wheel on a dremel, you run it up the lengths of each flat. Right when they start to dry out is when they will really build
up the shine. If your wheel is too wet, it will never get to that point, and if it is too dry, it will "burn off" finish rather than polish it. It
takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you can get REALLY nice finishes with the 3-M products. I have no experience with the buffing
compound, but finesse-it is finer than rottenstone, and perfect-it is finer yet. I suppose they all abrade, at differing levels, which leading to more or less
polishing. Hope this helps. Lee
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
grangaris |
compound | #4 | ||
|
Posts: 60 03/11/2009 21:30 |
make sure you sand with fine grit. such as 2000 and then 3000. if you have some dirt you can sand with something more agessive like 1000 or 1200. besure to
finish with 3000 and the shine should come up quickly.then use a hand glaze.
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
Blue Quill |
#5 | |||
|
Posts: 10 03/11/2009 22:28 |
I don't use any power tools to polish the rod, but other than that I agree with Lee and Grangaris.
If you skip the 2000 paper and rotten stone and start with too fine a polish (Finess-It, etc.) you'll simply end up with a highly polished irregular varnish surface. It will polish any bumps or irregularities with everything else. The sand paper and heavier-grit polishes (rotten stone, etc.) make the surface flatter and more uniform, so that when you then polish it with the fine grit (Finess-it, etc.) it will look like the top of a piano. Start out with Finess-It or similar polish and it may look nice in the shop, but when you get out in the sun you'll see all the irregularities. I know one maker, who evidently learned his rodmaking skills at a crossroads, who tells me he polishes with Finess-It right out of the dip tank. His rods are beautiful, but then again I have never actually seen him polish one. I'm more of a pragmatist when it comes to fly rod appointments and I prefer to rottenstone the rods I make for my personal use to reduce glare, but most customers like a highly polished rod. To each his own. Chuck |
|||
|
|
||||
|
trouttrapper |
#6 | |||
|
Posts: 10 03/12/2009 18:38 |
Lee, Blue Quill and Grangaris: Thanks all for your responses. Looks like more guys are still using rottenstone for at least the first step than I thought.
Before my rodmaking endeavors I was a serious furniture maker. The finishes I applied on all of my 18th Century reproductions were built-up shellac. I would
polish them out starting with 00 pumice, then 0000 pumice and finish up with rottenstone. With 6 to 8 top coats of shellac, I was not afraid of cutting through
the finish. With my rod finishes, I virtually take off all of the first 2 coats and am left with only the third coat to polish. Therefore, I was always leary
of starting with anything coarser than the rottenstone. With your advises, I am glad to know that I can continue to start off with either the rottenstone or
2000 grit paper and polish it even further with the 3M products. Lee, Wanda and I are keeping 2 of this year's rods. We'll bring them to the CRR in
July and let you cretique the finishes. Thanks again, Lou B.
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
mattcliff |
Meguire's? | #7 | ||
|
Posts: 84 03/13/2009 11:36 |
Does anyone use Meguire's polishes, and if so, which ones in which order?
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
Lee Koch |
#8 | |||
|
Posts: 451 03/14/2009 10:00 |
Hi Lou - I never remember that your screen name is troutrapper. I'm looking forward to seeing your new rods - I'm sure they'll be beautiful. My
last couple rods I've used spray-on automotive urethane. It takes some experimenting to get the spray right, but the 3-M finishing compounds work
beautifully on it. Lee
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
grangaris |
polishing rods | #9 | ||
|
Posts: 61 03/15/2009 07:34 |
hi, lee, you use automotive urethane on your rods?what do you use on your wraps?spar or urethane?thanks |
|||
|
|
||||
|
HERMES2069 |
Buffing | #10 | ||
|
Posts: 508 03/15/2009 12:25 |
Check out the Brownells site for there FFF compound.
Phil |
|||
|
|
||||
|
Lee Koch |
#11 | |||
|
Posts: 452 03/15/2009 15:07 |
Grangaris - so far I've sprayed urethane over wraps that were sealed with: lacquer coated with spar, or Varathane 900 (the old formulation.) It appears to
lay down perfectly on those 2 materials. Lee
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
grangaris |
urethaning wraps | #12 | ||
|
Posts: 62 03/15/2009 19:55 |
hi , did you ever try using urethane over your wraps first ..why spar or lacquer first?
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
Lee Koch |
#13 | |||
|
Posts: 453 03/15/2009 22:35 |
Never tried it. Varathane 900 gives the good CP'd colors that seem to be my preference lately, so I've stuck with that. Haven't tried urethane
directly over thread to know what color it would yield. Lee
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
Stephen Veefkind |
#14 | |||
|
Posts: 53 03/16/2009 07:37 |
I use Brownell's 3F followed by 5F for a high sheen.The 3F will also buff out any imperfections in the varnish.
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
trouttrapper |
#15 | |||
|
Posts: 11 03/21/2009 08:56 |
Thanks again everyone for your input. I have done a little bit of experimenting and am leaning towards starting with the rottenstone and finishing up with the
3M Finesse then Perfect. This process yields a really nice soft sheen.
|
|||
|
|
||||
- Members Corner
- Forum Announcements
- Collecting Bamboo Fly Rods
- Fishing Bamboo Fly Rods
- Rod making, restoration, repairs and discussion on those related topics concerning bamboo rods.
- Rod and Reel Makers Forum
- Information About Makers & Manufacturers
- Taper Exchange
- Appraisals & Identification of Bamboo Fly Rods
- Ephemera, empherma and Ephemerella.....
- Book Talk
- Photos, paintings, written stories and talents.
- Classic Reels
- Collecting and Tying Classic Flies
- The Cooks Kitchen
- The Classic Fly Rod Classifieds
- Technical Support
Quick Reply
The Orvis database by Greg Reynolds Finally available again!!
Check out the Paul Young Rod Co. database which is owned and maintained by member Robert Golder (quashnet).
Paul Young Rod Co. database by quashnet
DISCLAIMER:The views, and opinions, posted here are the sole responsibility of the poster. Negative comments, when directed at individuals, or other private concerns, will not be tolerated, posters should treat this media no differently than any other media source, in other words, if you would not submit what you are going to post in the newspaper, or a magazine, and sign your name as the author, kindly refrain from doing so here. The Classic Fly Rod Forum is not an open air forum for vendor/maker complaints. If you seek resolution, it is recommended you talk to the vendor/maker. If you seek an audience, it is recommended you go elsewhere. The admin and the Moderators reserve the right to remove any items deemed inappropriate according to the rules of conduct prominently displayed on each forum. If you have any questions or concerns you are free to email us at
send email to the Classic Fly Rod Forum
Posting to sell Domain names and the like, i.e. SPAM, is against YUKU Policy, if you post these types of posts here you will be banned from this board and YUKU will more than likely ban you from the site entirely. Thank you..........
The Fly Fishing Loop is sponsored by flydepot.com
[ Home Waters | Next | Random | List | Search ]
