Bullard International

For custom rod builders the man behind Bullard International needs little introduction.  Gene Bullard's reputation as an honest, generous, and innovative legend in rod building circles is unquestioned.  In the fall 2010 issue of Rod Crafters Journal Gene was featured and in four short pages I gained a tremendous amount of respect for the man.  Sadly I never knew Gene personally.  He passed away in September 2008.  For those who dabble in the history and development of rod building, Gene Bullard was personally responsible for introducing one-coat thread wrap (as opposed to a dozen coats of marine varnish).  Gene also introduced modern color preserver, intricate cross wraps, EVA as a handle material, and perhaps most telling of the kind of man Gene was, he was one of first to donate his talent, time, and resources of rod building to charitable causes.

The legacy of Gene's passion for rod building continues to live on through his niece Silvia Davis.  Bullard International produces some of the finest rod building supplies available and Silvia carries on Gene's style of business with her generous spirit and willingness to go beyond expectation.  Bullard International produces a wide range of products for the rod builder.     


Diamond II Rod Finish

There are a lot of rod finishes available today and they all claim the same things:  self-leveling, UV protection, long pot life, non-yellowing, no bubbles etc...  After having worked with most of the finishes out there, the claims are, for the most part, accurate.  Diamond II finish claims all of the fore mentioned attributes and from my experience Diamond II lives up to all of them.  There are however a couple of things that set Diamond II apart from the rest.

First, is the customer service that you will receive when dealing with Bullard International.  If you have a question or problem, then you can go directly to the manufacturer.  After working with Silvia for just over a year now you can rest assured that she will go the extra mile to make sure you are 100% satisfied with your purchase.


Second, one of the things I like best about Diamond II is a small but significant accessory.  All Diamond II containers can be ordered with a self-sealing insert that keeps air out and allows you to insert a syringe into the finish without creating a huge mess.  The self-sealing inserts keep finish from building up on the tip of the syringe thus obtaining a mixture of equal parts becomes much easier! The simple inclusion of the insert removes the one thing that makes working with finish so difficult.  Moreover you get to use the entire bottle because there is little to no waste. 

Testing the finish

Everyone knows that to get a good batch of finish you need to stir slowly a gently warmed finish with a non-porous stick so as to generate as few bubbles as possible.   For my Diamond II test rod I decided to break from tradition to see how Diamond II works when not prepared by a professional.  I started off with equal parts of Diamond II and then using a popsicle stick (made from porous wood) I proceeded to vigorously stir the finish generating as many bubbles as I could.  The finish was not warmed beyond the ambient room temperature of 66 degrees, .  Here is what I got:


I applied the finish in a very thin layer and with a quick breath all of the bubbles disappeared and the finish leveled beautifully.  After leaving the rod to turn overnight the finish was crystal clear and hard the next morning.  I sanded down a few areas, applied another coat of finish and that evening the wrap was done.  Not a single bubble to be found. There are high build and lite finishes out there and they all have their applications.  I've found that Diamond II falls somewhere in the middle.  I have used it to protect thread on a 2wt. rod all the way up to an 8wt. 14' spey rod. 


On my last rod I decided to use a Bullard micro guide brush a try instead of the cheap plastic brushes.  The brush worked perfectly and the remaining Diamond II cleaned up nicely with Diamond II Brush Cleaner.  There are no harsh fumes and the chemical compound is completely biodegradable.



In Sum: Diamond II finish is the only finish I use.  I began my rod building with a number of other finishes and most of them worked good.  I've stuck with Diamond II for a couple of reasons.  First, the bottle inserts are absolutely genus and make getting perfect measurements simple and mess free.  Second, Diamond II offers a crystal clear self leveling finish with long pot life (I decided not to list pot life times because there are just too many variables that influence the working life of finish).  Third, I like supporting a company that is still small where I can pick up the phone and talk to someone.  Silvia has been great to work with and from what I have heard of Gene she is working hard to carry on the innovation and generosity that have defined Bullard International. You can find Diamond II and a number of great rod building products here: Bullard International.