GUIDE FEET PREPPING
 

Interested in how others go about prepping or not guide feet for a thread transition up the slope. I've done both but clearly prefer tapering the feet. It takes me approx a half hour to grind, file and wet/dry sand to polish a set of guides for a Concept lay out. I stop at size 8 guide when prepping. This is for wrapping with D thread. If A thread is used all are prepped. I notice w/K guides there is a steep slope especially on the reduction guides which don't allow a smooth transition w/power wrapper. Hand wrapping would allow to follow the angling of thread prior to thread wrapping straight. Packing is key .

prepping guide feet
 

I do the same as you Bill. but I have always worried about the stainless left bare and I usualy coat the feet with nail polish. I have found when working with stainless that unless the stainless has contact with water and forms an oxide coating, it will corrode. I have seen this working on boats where the screws were counter sunk, plugged and were gone in a couple of seasons.

I have seen rods with rust in the wraps and can only wonder if the above was the case. I think the toatal encapsulation of the guide and wrap do not allow for the reaction to take place, hence the nail polish. I have a bunch of rods out there and so far so good.

Ed

Ed I also coat with magic marker or nail polish. I actually try to color coordinate the coating w/overwraps if any bleed occurs . Different color markers or polish. A light coat of CP over marker helps(I think). Never had any issues with rust. Encapsulating the guide feet w/ epoxy should keep intrusion of air /water. Only concern may be when the epoxy cracks around foot. I think slimming the feet help . Putting a smooth ramp of thread w/o an edge on the transition. IMO

Dremel gets it done for me....
Then a 300 grit rub

I prep all guide feet with a Dremel and then hit them with a wire wheel to remove any sharp edges or burrs.

The use of a Sharpie marker can promote corrosion due to the high chloride level in the ink. Sharpie does make a "TEC Marker" that is trace element certified and contains only trace amounts of chloride, the preferred marker to use on metals. Nail polish or paints are much safer for guide feet. I use Testors paint or nail polish when coating prepped guide feet.

Wow, a rocket scientist on SB.com, who'd da guessed.... LOL
that's some great info, thanks and hope u can take a joke... :-)

Yes I did read somewhere on the effects of magic marker. Testors, yes that too works.

Dremel, sometimes a hand stone. Nail polish to match first over wrap, usually black. Very hard to stop cracking at guide feet. Seems to eventually happen even on the best rod builds.

A lot of that chloride corrosion stuff for magic markers is real, but it relates typically to a different problem. We see results of failure in aerospace reports in fatigue situations. I'm not sure we actually talk cycles to failure on rods. I do not know about this with steel, but with Titanium and Nickel it is real.

I prep all of mine, some sort of grinding wheel on a dremel is what I use. That's it, no polishing or finer grinding after that.

I will coat black guides with black nail polish when done. I do this mainly for cosmetic purposes - I do not use cp on my wraps so you can definitely see the guide feet thru the wrap.