[Stoots]

Yes, they hurt dont they  they have serated edges so its nice and painfull pulling them out.

Just get a pair of pliers and pull it out quick and have a few swear words ready.

[AuRavelling79]

You need to re-lacquer your pole sections.

As soon as the lacquer wears off you get the dreaded black hand syndrome. If you don’t re-lacquer them right away you get carbon splinters.

Re-lacquering takes about 30 minutes, and once it’s done it’s like a new pole. I do my poles approx every 6 weeks.

What lacquer do you use and how do you apply it?

[Pete Thompson]

What lacquer do you use and how do you apply it?

I’ve tried a few different types with varying results, but my favourite is Simoniz Clear Acrylic Lacquer. You can buy it in Halfords etc or amazon.

It’s a spray can, so you just spray over each section (after cleaning it off with a cloth) and it dries in about 30 minutes. I usually put 2 coats on.  Best to do it outside though because it does have a powerful smell.

Holding the spray nozzle down does hurt your hand after a while, so I’d also highly recommend getting a spray gun that attaches to the can (also available in Halfords, amazon etc)

Once you’ve applied it and the sections are dry, just re-assemble your pole and you’ll find it’s almost as good as brand new. I was so pleased with myself having discovered this.

[AuRavelling79]

What lacquer do you use and how do you apply it?

I’ve tried a few different types with varying results, but my favourite is Simoniz Clear Acrylic Lacquer. You can buy it in Halfords etc or amazon.

It’s a spray can, so you just spray over each section (after cleaning it off with a cloth) and it dries in about 30 minutes. I usually put 2 coats on.  Best to do it outside though because it does have a powerful smell.

Holding the spray nozzle down does hurt your hand after a while, so I’d also highly recommend getting a spray gun that attaches to the can (also available in Halfords, amazon etc)

Once you’ve applied it and the sections are dry, just re-assemble your pole and you’ll find it’s almost as good as brand new. I was so pleased with myself having discovered this.

Excellent tip. Have you found by how much it extends the life of the pole?

[Richard Groves]

I lacquer my slx approx every 6 months. My last one lasted 7 years before the first section snapped (  now slightly shorter and kept as a spare ). It's worth doing if you can be bothered and  like getting  longevity from  them.

I've even repaired a splintered section with car body filler and black spray paint. It's held up well for over a year.

[Pete Thompson]

Excellent tip. Have you found by how much it extends the life of the pole?

It’s a little difficult to say, but I used to get 1 year from a pole then replace it. I discovered lacquering about 18 months ago (on a 3 month old pole) and my pole is still good. I’ll probably get at least another year from it.

I’m not one to hold onto worn stuff, I’m keen to replace things as soon as they’re past their best. I certainly didn’t mind buying a new pole every year, to me that was just par for the course. I only started this lacquering because every pole I tried gave black hands after about 5 months, and I really hated it. It was a pleasant surprise that it actually stopped the sections from wearing down too.

I would say that regular lacquering extends the life of the carbon parts pretty much indefinitely. When the sections wear, it’s the lacquer that comes off. By the time you’re getting black hand syndrome, the actual carbon is being worn away, so as long as you are conscientious about applying the lacquer regularly (ie before the black hand stage) the section probably won’t wear out.

Of course, after a while other hardware on the pole wears out, such as the clamps etc.

[Dave Willis]

Except ............ poles wear on the inside too.

[Stoots]

Except ............ poles wear on the inside too.

If he keeps adding lacquer to the outside and wearing the carbon from the inside eventually the entire pole will be made of just lacquer.