Looks interesting. Have you tried it?

The only finishes that I have used are epoxy, varnish & perma gloss, I keep the perma gloss in the fridge, I pour what I want in a stainless steel measuring spoon for immediate use and put the bottle immediately back into the fridge, It dries fast & crystal clear and is bullet proof, generally one coat is all I use, it is strong smelling, my bottle is a few years old & is as good as when I first bought it. I use perma gloss when I feel lazy & just dont want to use epoxy, I should use it more often because of how easy it is. I have not built anything in a while but have now started on a Lami 9' SFL 108 5/6, I have had the blank over a decade and would like to use it this summer but just have kind of lost the will to build, but hey, my plan is to retire at the end of this month so who knows what will happen, I WANT to experience boredom & maybe once I taste that the will to build will return?

Sorry for the long delay in getting back to the group with a follow-up on Total Boat Halcyon Clear water based varnish use on rod wraps. I finished the (attached picture) Ben's of Holland 7' 3wt 5pc BlueLine pack rod about a month ago. The rod uses a modified wells grip from Struble with the crown removed and the butt shortened to just over 6" to best fit my hand. It also uses a Ray Lee spalted maple burl reel seat, agate stripping guide from Anothony on Ebay, Snake brand lite wire guides and Fuji ultra poly chestnut wrapping thread. Using the Halcyon was easy as you have the ability to recoat the thread wraps every hour. I found 6 coats to be the right number. You do need to work fairly quickly as the Halcyon does not flow in my opinion as well as Gen 4 epoxy. The finish itself levels and dries hard and clear. I got to fish the rod a couple of weeks ago on the Chattooga River (SC and Georgia border) in the delayed harvest section. I used it on the day I arrived late in the afternoon/early evening and landed a couple of fish in the hour I fished (12" brookie and 16" rainbow). I can report no issues with the finish while using the new rod. Granted this is not a long term use test and I intend to take the rod with me to the Driftless Region next month. I feel this product is a good replacement option for someone who has become sensitized to epoxy or someone who wants to move to a product that's safer for the environment. Thanks, more to come as I continue to fish the rod.
Chris

ffftroutbum,
No issues with bubbles that I have noticed. I pored a very small amount into the typical aluminum epoxy mixing dish. Even with pouring, I rarely saw a bubble. If I did, I stayed away from that area of the dish. I started using testor's micro brushes but, then found another wider, flat testor's brush approx. the width of the wraps and that worked the best for flat even coats. I also use a very fine artists brush for the outside edges of the wraps. The other plus of using the water based product is clean-up (5 min. max) and reusability of the brushes. I don't consider myself a great finisher like some of guys on the site as I lack the patience and have to force myself not to put whatever product I'm using on too thick but, I'm working on it. Hope this helps.
Chris

Easy to say but not always as easy to do: regardless of the finish type, bubbles are the result of shaking or stirring the finish or not letting it release them if it is necessary to mix before apllication, of irregular gappy wraps, or--the usual culprit--brushing rather than spreading the finish. Continuously swiping at it to clear up bubbles can do the opposite. Some finishes release small bubbles and self-level better than others. The thinner the coat for a given viscosity finish, the easier they release. But the bottom line with any of them is that bubbles are put in the finish by the finisher.

Wish I had an answer that would help. I just pulled the rod out and wiped it down since I had not cleaned it after returning from the trip. I used a +2.5 headband magnifier and could not find any bubbles. I did find a tiny blemish on the top section that might have been a small particle of dust or a nick on the surface of one wrap. I understand you guys have to be perfect on the level of rods you build. As I said on the original post, I found you need to move more quickly than with Gen 4 low build epoxy as it is a little more viscous (right term?) and does not flow quite as well. Not sure that would have an impact in creating bubbles. If you find a better alternative and I hope you can, that would be great for all of us. Damn, we need a great chemist focused on the needs (wish list) of our hobby. BTW, thanks for the heads up on brushes.
Chris

Thanks for the updates. As usual, I am behind where I hope to be in my rodbuilding. But I plan to try the Halcyon Clear at this point when I finally get to it. I'll update more once it's finished, whenever that is.

Im pretty new at rod building as well as fly tying and casting; you might say im a newby? At any rate i do have a good bit of knowledge about firearm refinishing and in that arena many folks prefer oil type finishes rather than epoxy for it’s simple application as well as the ability to touch up small areas, when needed.

A lot of these folks use a “wiped on finish” method to control the coating thickness. I read a lot of comments where folks are having issues with bubbles and think to my self, “ you’re putting way to much finish on at a time”. Of course that’s just my opinion.

I’m currently restoring an older Heddon Pal- Musky which is a solid glass rod. After the blank was cleaned and lightly sanded it had the expected frosty white look. Im using the Halcyon clear as a finish on this rod and i apply it with a small (1/2 dollar size) piece of lambskin. A 1/4 teaspoon of the finish is way plenty, saturating the wool and with my fingers lightly hold the lambskin around the circumference of the rod and make one stroke all the way down and once back to the top and call it good. You can tell when to quit; when it starts to tack up! Rinse the lambskin under warm running water, wring it out and it will be dry by the time you make another application.
This blank has 5-6 coats, looks great and there are no bubbles or flaws in the finish. After wrapping it will get another half dozen coats and i’ll be done. It’s giving this raw blank a nice translucent look, totally fine for the intended white wraps.

I have used the Halcyon “clear gloss” on the last two rods I've assembled, one a Diamondback Meeker 7'6" 3 wt (black blank) with black wraps and silver tipping and the other an NFC Iconoglass 8' 5 wt (natural) with light gray wraps. I have less than 10 rods under my belt and there is a lot of room for improvement, but for what it is worth, I prefer using Halcyon. For me, it is kinda like hitting the easy button. No mixing, no bubbles, no smell, easy clean up, longer open time (I always feel rushed with epoxy and have tried to stretch it too far in the past with adverse results), applies pretty thin and easily, levels nicely, and dries pretty quickly once applied. Plus, I like that it comes in a bag with a spout rather than a can - it is easy to pour small amounts and you can squeeze out the air so it keeps well.

A couple caveats: First, I don't know how well Halcyon will hold up long term. I finished the Diamondback about a year and a half ago, and it still looks the same as the day I finished it, but it has not seen much use. As for the NFC Iconoglass, I just recently finished it and so far have only lawn cast it.

Second, I don't know if it is the product or user error due to putting on new coats too soon or overdoing it (I experimented, trying to get a high-build, epoxy-like finish), but there is noticeable ambering of the light gray wraps on the NFC, resulting in an unattractive greenish, yellow-y, gray. To be clear, I have the “clear gloss” rather than the “amber gloss,” or at least that is what the packaging says. I will be cautious using it on light wraps in the future and will certainly apply with a lighter touch going forward (I agree with csmielke, 6 or so light coats seems right). I am in the midst of refurbishing a South Bend 359-9 and I intend to use Halcyon over black wraps (same color as before the tear-down).