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Uh no

Marty you definitely turn out some very consistently great cranks.

To avoid the extra weight added by the under wrap, I would recommend taping off the blank and painting the thread wrap ares white as was mentioned above. Just make sure you use a paint that will not interact with the finish. If you have an airbrush, it is very simple to achieve without having an issue with over spray. If not, I would use very wide masking tape. Anytime you use a light color over a dark blank, you will have some issue with bleed through. Some times NCP or metallic thread will help if it is packed very well. Packed about every third wrap, and burnished very well after the wrap is complete. Nice job on the wraps.

I did the same thing with mine a year or so ago. I sent it in to Iwata and they were able to repair it for $40 or so. Don't remember the exact amount, but something close to that amount. It was definitely a lot cheaper than a new brush. After they repaired it, it came back and sprays as good as new. I now place a foam pad under the brush when either tearing the brush apart or putting it back together.

As far as building a spinning rod, you will actually have more time vested in it. The testing/tuning process to gain optimal casting distance and placement for the choke guide can sometimes take an hour or more. Location of the butt guide location to tame the line prior to reaching the choke guide and running guides is critical. Buying a kit may not offer you the correct sized guides to truly optimize the the performance of the blank you are building on. Building a casting rod can be much easier to fine tune due to the simple fact the line comes off the baitcasting reel in pretty much a straight line. It is much easier to keep the line "flowing" through the guides. The line is not spiraling off the reel face. Spline/spine is up each individual builder. Some very good builders will build on the spine, other very good builders will build opposite, and others will build on the straightest axis. Personally I say when you purchase a blank, it should be straight, or as close to straight as possible. Why build on a crooked blank. If it isn't straight send it back to whomever you purchased it from. As far as on the spine or not, build the rod both ways and see which way the rod performs better. You do not fight a fish on one plane. The rod tip will twist, to which ever side the fish pulls to. The spine will only be at one point not at all the other points a rod will be used in. Even while casting, the blank is not moving on one plane. The natural motion of your arm and wrist will cause the rod to be on several different planes while the spine is still only on one plane. If you build on the spine, your rod will perform at a satisfactory level, and will not break if it is built and used properly. If you build off the spine, your rod will still preform at a satisfactory level and will not break if it is built and used properly. As far as guides on top, or guides on bottom, you can always build a spiral wrap and have the guides on the bottom of a baitcasting rod also.

The one thing I will add, is patience and plenty of it. Any product you are in a hurry to reach the end result will more than likely not be very productive. Failures will occur, and that is to be expected. Death rolls and lures that won't run true no matter how many times you tune them are just a part of the learning process in the beginning. Even after you are experienced, you will still have failures as you try to build a lure that has an exact wiggle, and then even an exact wiggle at a certain depth, or deflect a certain way once it strikes cover. Constantly trying to push the envelope for a lure that is exactly what you want it to be is when it this hobby becomes an obsession. Eric

Simply stunning work. Eric

Looks great. Very nice choice of colors. Eric

I bet I know!!! Looking sharp Marty. Those would look nice in the end of a custom cranking rod. Eric

Only one word I can think of. SWEEEEEETTTT!!!!!!! Eric

I use pigma micron pens. The "ink" is basically just India ink in a pen form. You can spray krylon clear from a rattle can and it doesn't run, but I am not sure about a water based poly. The tips on the pen are very tiny, so making small letters isn't too hard to do. I normally put 7 letters and 2 numbers on the tail section. 4, 3, and 2. Like so: Eric NBL '09 Eric

I see a mustard and brown that I know smallies will tear up. Eric

Also depends on whether you are using a gravity feed or siphon feed brush. Eric

I make my own out of twisted stainless wire. You can get it at most hardware stores. Eric

The only thing about epoxies that "self level", is sometimes they will pull away from sharp angles. Keep this in mind around the bottom of the lip/mouth of the lure. You may need more than one coat to prevent water from getting into the wood in this area. Also upon top coating the lure as well. Eric