MARBLING RODS
by
Granite Goliath and ngounsay
Like an alchemist I mix chemicals, compounds, solvents... to create something that's near impossible to duplicate. I combine art and rods together to make rods stand out. I get all the chemicals together to create the affects. If I make a mistake the “paint” will stay wet forever. If all goes right, I end up with a marbled rod, something that can never truly be reproduced and something that stands out from other rods.
I did not invent the process, others will even call this “karma”. IMHO marbleizing is a specific look. With toothpicks and dental picks as a wand there’s enough magic to happen to create many affects. Each affect deserved its own right, respect and name. Here is some of the work I have created.
LIGHT WINE/SMOKE/POTION
WICKED/HEAVY WINE/BOWL
CALICO/MAGNUM/SMOKING GUN
BACKDRAFT/STORM
I developed my own style, technique and process from an article by Mike Barkley
http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/marble.html. I was also helped greatly by Randy “Putter” Parpart and his more than gracious and giving help. Learning the fine details was like getting your fingers slammed in a car door and coming back for more. I don’t want you to make a
BIG MISTAKE and get that car door slam feeling, so don’t take anything in capitals or bold type as personal.
However, because I give lots of insight this piece is long. I’d grab a drink and get comfortable. Also, because this article is very process oriented it’s not my most entertaining, the drink would help
I have an open invite for any questions and I’m willing to teach in person free of charge, except for a certain tackle store (you can burn).
ROD PREP
If you don’t clean the rod you can end up with an affect called
PARTING OF THE SEAS. You’ll start to marble and the “paint” will
part away from the rod and you’ll
see that you have to start over.
The reason is because there’s a substance on the rod that won’t allow for adherence to the rod. Acetone is my preferred rod cleaner. You can get it at most hardware stores. You can also use rubbing alcohol, but it’s not as good and I would clean the rod twice with it.
Simply pour your cleaner on a rag and wipe the rod where you’ll be marbling I’ll use a Q-Tip and soak it in cleaner to get at the inside edges of the guides. Lots of times I’ll wrap the Q-Tip around the rag and clean the insides. This is to prevent fibers from getting caught between the guides.
*Q-Tips tend to leave uninvited guest fibers. Fibers that tend to show up when you really don’t want them to, like when you’re about to finish.
*Be sure you have lots of air flow, even outdoors, because the acetone leaves vapors that can make you woozy.
TAPE JOB
I use painter’s tape because it doesn’t leave residue. There are also other tapes which don’t leave residue. Having residue free tape really helps the clean up by giving you less to clean up. I leave a small section of blank after the thread, and then wrap the tape around the blank. The “paint” shrinks, not a lot but enough. After shrinkage, if you taped directly over the thread leaves a chance of the thread showing from under the marbling.
I like to go over at least 1 1/2 to 2 times. If you wrap more you have more to unwrap later, that makes more opportunities for points of failure. The first layer is really the most important. If the first layer is loose, then 40 more layers above still won’t be helpful.
First, I’ll cut off a piece of tape. Second, I’ll attach the tape, just a small beginning area. A finger will keep pressure on that area anchoring it down. The same hand as that finger will turn the rod. The other hand will feed the tape. Be sure to keep heavy pressure as you wind the tape parallel to the thread. It gets easier to do the more you do it. It helps to have the rod loosened in the chuck.
I use gloves when doing this to help keep oils off the rod, but that’s my preference not necessary. I will cut a small hole in the bottom of the glove to let the moisture out. Be careful with the type of glove you use too, some people are allergic to latex gloves. The tape job is also preference. For spinning rods I don't even tape, just spin the rod and apply.
Be sure that the tape is overlapped neatly and stacked on top of itself. Doing so creates smooth even lines, not doing so creates points in the line. I’ll then roll the rod keeping tight pressure on the tape. I’m trying to create a very tight seal. Lastly, I’ll take a corner piece of the tape, opposite of the guide side, and create a small flap. That flap will be used later to help peel the tape off.
*When you cut the tape off the roll use scissors/razor blade and CUT A STRAIGHT LINE. Having a straight line helps you line up the tape easier. Sometimes an off angle line makes you tape crooked.
*When cutting the extra tape off use scissors/razor blade to do so. DON”T CUT THE TAPE OFF WITH YOUR HANDS. That creates jagged edges. Those jagged edges when taking the tape off tend to tear into strips and create HUGE problems.
After taping the rod be sure that it is balanced on your wrapper and your roller guides are locked down tight. Loose guides can slowly roll into the work area. I’ve been there and done that
Some wrappers/dryers have plastic chucks, for those I like to use rubber bands to make sure the chuck doesn’t get loose and the rod doesn’t fall off. I’ve been there and done that too
TAP-OUT
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=50&
http://www.acidrod.com/finish_epoxy.html
By far my most used pigment is TAP. It adheres really well, has a wide choice of colors, and lasts for a very long time. I can do several rods with one small bottle. I mix TAP with U-40 LS Supreme High Build Rod Finish to make the base coat, affect color(s), and hi-lite color(s). Mix this wrong and 3 weeks later it can still be wet.
You don’t really need a lot of TAP because it’ll be doubling in size soon. Do be sure you have all the colors you need, or think you will need though. I use a toothpick to get the pigment out of the bottle. I make sure that the TAP is laid out flat and even. You don’t want to have it into a tall ball. I’ll pour the U-40 rod finish on top of the TAP. You want a minimum of a 1 to 1 ratio of TAP to U-40. Mix thoroughly making sure that all parts are mixed well. I like to have my mix strokes go East-West with a 50% overlap of each stroke, and then I’ll do the same with North-South strokes.
By nature properly mixed U-40 will dry in hours, TAP will dry in days/weeks, so the TAP needs to take U-40 characteristics. To play it safe I usually go for a 1.2 U-40 to 1 part TAP. I’ll go as high as 1.5 U-40 to 1 part TAP, but notice a slight color change after much more. It’s kind of like putting a drop of food coloring in a cup of water. A little drop doesn’t change a lot, but a few drops makes for a more pronounced change.
*IF YOU MIX THE U-40 INCORRECTLY THE “PAINT” MAY NEVER DRY.
*IF YOU DON’T AT LEAST GET A 1 TO 1 RATIO ON TAP-U-40 THE “PAINT” MAY NEVER DRY.
*UNEVEN MIXING LEADS TO POCKETS OF “PAINT” THAT WILL NEVER DRY.
This section is the only section with warnings that are bold and capitalized. This is to show the danger of being a bad alchemist, mixing incorrectly, and unthoroughly. If you marble any of the materials wrong TAP OUT, give it up, wipe it off and make a new batch.
MAKING WINE
TESTORS and BOYD, the same stuff for model car painting, come sealed with a flammable solvent. The solvent is used to prevent drying, but it’s also very helpful in creating any sort of WINE affect. However, if you poor out the solvent and just use the pigment, then you get solid lines and really nice colors.
To make WINE have the U-40 on the foil, then you put the pigment. Yup, it’s the opposite way of using TAP, but mix it as thoroughly as TAP. Use a toothpick to get the pigment out. Dip in the toothpick, get a little of the solvent off (let it drip off or rub it off the bottle’s side) and add a
DROP AT A TIME.
Add enough drops to where you feel you have the proper mix and coloring. Go ahead and mix with the same toothpick, but don’t put the toothpick back into the bottle. By keeping the toothpick out you prevent contaminating the bottle with U-40. Sometimes you use 1 toothpick, sometimes you use a dozen.
*ENAMEL COLORS ONLY. They produce the best colors and work the best.
*Add a drop at a time. Once you get the exact measurements you like you always want to duplicate them again and again.
GOLD LEAF
Silver is my favorite, never really liked gold much. I’m not a big fan of bronze either. GOLD LEAF makes for some really bright colors, but you have to watch the solvent inside of the bottle. The less solvent, the better I like it. It’s best though if you get no solvent at all. Work the pigment out just like TESTORS and BOYD. GOLD LEAF makes for some nice hi-lites or color by itself. The color is very bright and shiny, almost like foil glaring in the sun. Like TESTORS and BOYD U-40 is on the foil and you add GOLD LEAF on top. Be sure to mix thoroughly too
METAMORPHASIS-“The Fuse is Burning”
The second a batch is made, it starts to dry. Usually chemical changes are very scientific and follow certain chemistry rules and applications. Well, I’m not a scientist by trade, so the process is described as from soup to taffy to rock candy
The soup state is where the “paint” just seems to drip off the brush. It lays real smooth and is easy to work with. The “taffy” stage is where the “paint” stretches out and clings to the brush, like it doesn’t want to let go. The rock candy is when the “paint” is completely dry. The stages don’t go
BOOM BOOM BOOM fast, but gradually from one to another.
How long does it take to dry completely? That really depends on temperature and humidity. High temperature and humidity
REALLY SPEED UP dry times. In colder months a batch can dry completely in a day. A few days ago the humidity was
WAY HIGH and I only got a few guides done before I had to make a new batch.
Almost any pigment mixed with U-40 will take the self-leveling characteristics of U-40. The base coat will, affect color(s), and hi-lites will lay evenly with each other.
HOWEVER, FUSEing when either base or affect coat is in the “paste” state is a major risk.
*Working the base or affect color while in the “paste” state MAY cause a wavy appearance in the marbled area. The base color and affect color will lay evenly with each other, but together may be wavy. I usually stop at what guide I’m at and make a new batch.
Working with each stage has its pros and cons. The “soup” state levels really nice and goes on smooth. However, the affect color tends to absorb into the base coat a little bit more than the other states. At times while working in the “soup” state you may need to go back to the guides and make sure the affects are holding up. In the “paste” state there isn’t as much absorbency and you see the affects take place a lot quicker, but the overall appearance may be wavy. Once you learn the weaknesses of each state you can use them to your strengths and advantage.
FOILed AGAIN
Some people use foil to cook, others to keep aliens from reading their minds, alchemists use foil as a work mat for their colors. You can just lay foil down and use it from there. Or, you can go the extra mile. Personally, go the extra mile or you might get that car door feeling.
Start out by folding the foil in half to create 2 layers. Folding the foil is really helpful in case you tear a hole in the foil while mixing any batch of paint. A hole will be semi-sealed by he second layer. Without the second layer the material can seep out all over your bench. It’s also best to have a mixing tool with a curved edge to prevent poking through the foil. I also use enough foil to pinch under my bench, it helps to grab and stay in place. Sometimes you get lost in the art and will bump into the foil. Having it pinched down can increase your chances of not letting it hit the floor. Better safe than sorry.
While using the foil as a work mat and applying affect color(s) and/or hi-lite(s) you want to be sure that you don’t contaminate all of the “paint”. By contaminate I mean changing the affect color(s) by blending in the base coat. Most customers like the same affect color throughout the rod.
You want to start on one side of the color and work your way through the other side. Sometimes after an affect stroke I’ll wipe off whatever tool I’m using on my shirt. You have to be reel careful though as to make sure you don’t put any clothing fiber into the art. If you wipe off on a pair of board shorts, swim trunks, you have less of a chance of contamination. The material is real slick and doesn’t come apart as easy as a cotton t-shirt.
CREATING AFFECTS
The tools of the trade may seem simple, but even a pencil is a simple tool and in the hands of the right person, wonders can be made.
Do I have art training? No. The closest I got was a basic art class in order to graduate from a city college. All of my supplies fit into a little de la Rosa mazapan candy box, a little smaller than a cigar box. Some others in the class had HUGE professional bags and boxes. I was just a ghetto child trying to graduate. One day though the art teacher pulled me aside. I thought I was in trouble. He told me, “You have a natural talent in shape and form” and he wanted me to take classes when I went to the university to develop it. I was too poor to do it. 10+ years later I’m marbling rods.
I really try not to think of anything while I’m marbling except marbling and balancing the affect. I keep a picture in my head of the affect so I don’t go astray. Sooner or later my hand starts to move by itself and I can plan the development. Pretty soon my mind just goes blank and everything happens automatically. I’ll finish and hours will have gone by, but it felt like minutes.
What I do notice though is keeping the point of the tool upright and not letting it get too sideways to produce sharper cleaner lines. Be sure you have the affect color all around the tool, not just on one side. This helps to continue working. You can just rotate the tool around and have “paint” handy. Also, since the first stroke will have the most “paint”, use it for the thicker areas you want to cover, then use what’s left for finer touches. A lot of the affects I like to add hi-lites, just a bit of a different color to make things stand out a bit more.
You can stop the rod from spinning and work on a certain part of the rod you want. However, after working in that area let the rod spin a few times to get level, otherwise you risk letting the “paint” sag. Don’t be in a rush to do the next area right after stopping the rod. You can put a lighter to the area to help it level, but that has its own risks. First, you can leave soot on the rod. Second, you can burn the “paint”. I just let it spin, watch what state the “paint” is in, and never touch a lighter.
Making the affects comes automatic to me and hard to explain, but once you practice you can see how they’re made and duplicate them. I’ll do what I can to explain, but I know it’s too simple of an explanation. You can ask me or PM me and I’ll do what I can.
WINE
I mentioned WINE above, but there’s some fun you can have with it. You can let WINE sit in, and then reapply WINE to darken the affect. WINE also is very helpful in making sea stars. The way it blends in leaves a look of the top of the sea star.
SMOKE
SMOKE was adding huge dashes of paint diagonally to the area, and then making infinity symbols. The symbols were large and small and often overlapped. I kept the rod loose from the chuck and turned by hand while I worked. Certain areas were worked into each other to get better movement.
POTION
In POTION I primarily used a brush to get a heavy thick affect color spread out. I then used a toothpick to apply the base color to break up the affect color.
WICKED
IMHO Wicked works best with 3 colors. 2 colors combined together should be the third color. I fade in certain edges of the affect color, but not all.
BOWL
BOWL I used a denatured alcohol burner. First, I applied the affect color in long flowing swirls. Then, I applied heat with the burner. It was just a few seconds and that was it. Finally, I went back and gave long swirls to the affect color. I used some of the contaminated area of the work mat, foil, to get darker colors in.
CALICO
CALICO first I applied the base coat. Then, I applied WINE and torched it with a denatured alcohol burner. Finally, I added a solid green
SMOKING GUN/MAGNUM
SMOKING GUN and MAGNUM are one in the same, base coat and affect color. It’s just a matter of reversing which is the affect and which is the base color. I’m not a big fan of letting the affects getting too pronounced. It’s more of a challenge to produce thinner lines.
BACKDRAFT
BACKDRAFT was short quick powerful affect strokes. The affect tool was always loaded with “paint” all around. I didn’t go very long without needing more “paint’.
STORM
STORM is created using a 4 to 1 ratio of U-40 to TAP. The extra U-40 allows for a liquidy flow of the colors. The white was only a 1 to 1 ratio though. The different ratios allow for the colors to blend, but not blend entirely.
HUMAN TORCH
Adding heat to any FUSION area changes the way the “paint” moves and acts. With TAP it tends to gather the TAP together. With TESTOR’S and BOYD it tends to fade them into the base coat.
Working with fire is always risky and dangerous. You risk burning the “paint” and you can even catch the rod on fire. Regular lighters can leave soot that dirties the “paint” so I suggest turning on the lighter, letting it burn for a few seconds to allow any soot to leave, and then applying heat. For denatured alcohol I prefer not to fill the bottle to the designated do not fill line, but at least 1 inch below that line.
*Short amounts of heat are needed, like seconds and no more than 5 seconds at that. The “paint” will react when you give it time. The reaction may be slow, but give the rod a few turns to show a reaction. Leaving heat on will create HUGE problems; burned “paint”, air bubbles, fire, wavyness….
*If possible a fire extinguisher is nice. I also like to have a wet towel handy. Denatured alcohol does not turn off very easy and is easily transferred from one object to another.
*I also use a double layer of foil to turn off the alcohol burner. I wet my hand on the wet towel, and then I wrap the foil around and shut the foil tight. The burner comes with a little cap and that gives me a little target, a piece of foil is much bigger to hit the target with. The wet hand is to not feel any heat from the burner and so is the double layer of foil.
NIPPLES
You want to take the tape off when the “paint” is in the paste state. If you do it in the soup state, there’s risk of letting the “paint” leak around. Don’t wait to take the tape off when the “paint” is in the rock candy state either, that creates huge problems. Sometimes the tape dries in and you need to cut it off with a razorblade or the “paint” lifts off with the tape and you have to cut it with a razor blade. In the neighborhood of the paste state is when you want to take the tape off. Generally, I take the tape off 4 hours after all FUSEing, but again temperature and humidity play a huge factor.
When you take the tape off you may find that you have your nipples showing
Nipples are where “paint” went under the tape, it happens sometimes. Those fake credit cards that you get in the mail make great scrapers. The best are the see through fake credit cards because you get to see where you’re at. Sometimes though I prefer the hardness of an AMERICAN EXPRESS. Wait for the rock candy state, press down where you want to separate, and pull away. Scrape off any tid bits.
*Don’t clean the rod after you’ve finished marbling. Doing so eliminates lots of color and shine. If you did touch the area and left oil, then use rubbing alcohol and not acetone.
This way is my favorite way though. It’s my favorite because you should always apply rod finish over the marbled area. Once the “paint” is dry you can apply pure U-40 rod finish. Apply to the areas you want to keep and let the U-40 dry completely. Once dry use a credit card scraper to wipe off the nipples. Sometimes I wrap the credit card in a rag that is coated in acetone and wipe. The rubber band helps to keep the rag tight and in place. The acetone will take off any “paint.” Finally, I’ll add a second coat of U-40. I always use a mixer to lessen air bubbles and a stop watch to guarantee appropriate mix time.
BLACKSTICKING
In person I’ve only seen one other marbled rod. This rod however was done by another method. The blank was black and the threads were black so I called the process BLACKSTICKING.
First, the rod has rod finish applied. Then, pigment is added into the finish. The pigment is swirled through the rod finish however thick or thin you want. This BLACKSTICK I believe used PEARL-EX as pigment, FLEX-COAT as rod finish, and a thin brush to swirl. You can pretty much do the same with TAP. The pigment pretty much stays in place and you can draw a universe picture in it pretty easy with a toothpick.
EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS
I’d like to thank my friends BIG JIM and ngounsay, for all the help, guidance, and supportive of me. BIG JIM gave me a lot of materials and ngounsay, SYthe Creations gave me a lot of information. SY really taught me the basics; mixing of U-40, applying rod finish, brush trimming, rod balance, mixing….. It cost me $300 to learn how to do this and I wanted to keep it private and controlled, but my sensei’s philosophy is to teach all. He had a silent pen in this article because without his teaching or philosophy there’d be no article. His name truly deserved to be up there with mine. Lastly, I’d especially like to thank my wife for excusing my writing for 30+ hours it took to write this and get the pictures loaded right.
FAQ
What do you mean by “paint”?
“Paint” refers to the completed mix of any pigment (TAP/TESTOR’S/BOYD’s…) and U-40, or the completed mix of any pigment with U-40. I don’t like using the word paint.
I have an area that appears wavy. How do you fix the wavy appearance?
If you are marbling over an area that is already wavy you may not be able to even it out. You can try mixing another batch, recoating the whole area and try to level it out. I’ve done it before, it’s tricky and not always guaranteed. Sometimes you can work the U-40, by itself, to level out the area, but only after all marbling is done.
Can you marble over already built rods?
No problem, I do it all the time. It’s a great way to bring life to an old rod. Even better way to get a rod at a low price, then make it look worth a lot more
How do you marble with a custom rod?
If it’s a spinning rod I like at least 1 coat of finish, before I marble. If it’s a double foot guide, then I really like the thread under the feet and under the guide with also at least 1 coat of finish.
Do you go guide by guide? Or something else?
If I’ll only be using 2 colors I’ll apply the base coat to all the guides. Then, I’ll do the affect color. If it’s 3 colors, then I’ll do roughly 4-5 guides and then I’ll need to mix another batch. For reel seats and anything else I’ll make new batches. I live in Long Beach, CA (yells out LONG BEACH then busts a cap in the air) and don’t really have a lot of high humidity or temperature so my process can be different than others based on temperature and humidity.
What RPM do you use?
I use a 6 RPM dry motor. It’s all I know so I can’t comment on other speeds. I have seen someone use a 2 RPM motor though. My drying motor is also 6 RPM.
Did you create these or copy these (affects)?
I’ve seen a lot of traditional marbling, but some of the affects I’ve made I’ve never seen before. I’ve also never seen anyone put names to affects or publishing them to the web.
What do you mean by “torch”?
By torch I mean applying heat with a denatured alcohol burner or lighter.
Can you draw on the rod?
Wait for the “paste” state and then that’s when I prefer to draw. This state is easier to draw in, because the drawing doesn’t fade into the base color as much. Making sea stars with WINE looks nice. I’ve also done names, numbers, sparrows, and flying fish. I’m not good at details, more of shape and form. Adding flames looks pretty cool too.
Have you ever made any mistakes?
Read the article and wherever there’s a chance of making a mistake, I made it
Torn foil, dropped foil, loose rod, bad mixing, rod on fire…..Sometimes I felt like I had a car door with me in my shop and it was just waiting to slam my fingers.
Does it have to be U-40?
A lot of people prefer U-40 to marble and it’s also all I’ve known so I can’t comment on other brands.
Does marbling add weight to the rod?
Weight is added, but doesn’t seem to be a huge factor in performance. My jig stick still throws jigs, my bass rod still catches bass, but no matter what weight is still added. I marbled a trout rod for my niece and it was still ‘whippy”
What if I don’t have a wrapper or dryer?
FLEX-COAT sells a $5 book, “Step by Step Rod Building”, that explains how to make one out a box. There’s no motor and you’ll have to use your hand. Page 45 and 46 have how to do it, you just have to adapt it for marbling.
How do you handle air bubbles?
Using the mixer is the first line of defense. Even using the mixer you have to go slow when injecting the chemicals or you can cause air bubbles. The second line is foil, it helps a lot. If there’s still air bubbles I use a hole punch. It’s in the picture by the section CREATING AFFECTS, it looks like an ice pick. When I see an air bubble I just poke it out and apply some color over it. Hopefully, you get them all and watch out because sometimes they are late developing.
How do you do pliers?
I get sandpaper and scratch the pliers up real good. Then I clean the pliers with acetone. I'll wrap a rubberband around the handles, then place the pliers in the dryer's chuck. Marble like it was a rod.
Why did I write this article?
Becuase some guy wouldn't teach it to me or my sensei. Plus, information should be free.
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