Bamboo Tips - Tips Area - Wraps
Finishing - Rotating

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I've been rotating the rod while the varnish on the wraps dry.  Can I skip this step and just hang the sections instead?  Will the varnish run, especially long-drying spar?  (Rich Margiotta)

I don't own anything to turn a rod with, except my hand. I just hang em and let em be, but don't just glom the varnish on.  (John Channer)

To start out I just hung dried the rods to let the varnish on the wraps cure and didn't have much trouble.  Then I just lightly sanded off the varnish runs if I had any.  But on this last rod that I did the coating on the wraps didn't come out the cleanest shape and they look horrible.  To make a long story short I had to cut off the wraps and redo the rod.  At that point I borrowed a rod tuner from a great friend and that sure made the world of difference.  I think the rod turner is the way to go.  Currently I am looking for the components to build one for myself right now, along with all the other projects I am working on.   (Robert Holder)

Don't do it! Keep rotating to dry, why buy into other problems. (Tim Doughty)

I would think it all depends upon how much varnish actually gets applied. It doesn't take much to form a drip.  But, what the heck, give it a try.  (Bill Harms)

I have a rack, that's nothing more than two boards running parallel, that I set the rods on when I do the wraps.  I just rotate them a half turn by hand every 10 minutes or so until the varnish sets.  I use thin coats, so it usually sets pretty good in 30 minutes or so, with no runs.  I haven't used a rod turner in ages.  (Bob Nunley)

I just finished the silk wraps of a recent rod. After the first coat of varnish, I placed the rod on my rod turner to dry. After about an hour, the varnish seemed tacky enough not flow, so I put all the pieced in my drying cabinet to expedite the drying process. I left them in there for 24 hours at about 90 degrees. The varnish still did not feel completely dry, but I opted to apply a second coat and follow the same process. This time when opening drying cabinets, the finish on the wraps was extremely bubbly. Almost like warts. In fact there was a significant bubble in one of them. The finish was so bad I had to remove all the wraps and start again. The varnish scraps (days later) is still not dry. I suspect a problem with the varnish, yet I used it without problems about 2 months ago. Any explanations?  (Taylor Hogan)

I tried a heated drying cabinet for finish once.  The air in small pocket get huge and that is probably the source of the bubbles... as for the not drying varnish, I would trash it.  (Tom Ausfeld)