bamboo rod making

Question
finishing a payne taper bamboo... have all wraps done and varnishing the 4th coat on wraps...
going to dip in spar varnish...

what do I need to polish..(simple stuff, non expensive)..been reading and guys use all kinds of stuff.... I am using high gloss, spar... blank has 2 coats before wraps..now I am going to dip with wraps and all... but everybody seems to polish..?
sand with 2000grit..and then polish..with what????
thanks/

Answer
Hi Mick,

Ask 25 rod builders the best way to do anything and you will get at least 40 answers, everyone knows multiple techniques and may use multiple approaches depending on the rod, weather, light, time of day, brand of finish or just how they feel that day.

FYI...as a rule at least 80% of the things that can get into your finish that cause you probems come off of you and your clothing as you apply the finish...even true when dipping.  Make sure you wash your hands and arms thoroughly and put on a clean (old) shirt, apron or smock to do finish work.  Make sure you go slow when removing the rod sections from the dip tank to avoid runs and drips.

If you do not introduce runs, bugs, fingerprints, pet hair, drips or specks of dirt in the final finish; you don't really need to sand and polish it.  Varnish will continue to dry long after it is dry enough for you to touch, safely handle and even fish with the rod...perhaps months before it settles into its more or less final form.  If you decide to sand and polish, allow it to dry at least 3-4 days before you do.

If you sand with 2000 grit, you can polish with a light or ultralight rubbing compound, rottenstone, toothpaste, very fine ground pumice, one of the furniture compounds/polishes used for refinishing antique furniture (look in an antique store for this) or most likely one of those kits you can buy now to polish scratches out of your headlight covers on the car.

You do not need to polish the coating on the wraps unless you are removing an imperfection.

Once you finish the polishing, you can also apply a coat of automotive wax (any brand) to perk up the shine.  It is a good idea to wax your bamboo rod each year before the season starts as a preventative measure anyway.

For what it is worth (nothing since this is free advice), I have settled on brushing on thin coats of varnish (3:1, mineral spirits:varnish) as my preferred way to finish bamboo; and, I use rottenstone to polish followed by a quick Turtle wax application.  Takes a little more elapsed time, but I like the results.

Thanks,  Joe