I need help!
I'm brand new to rod building and really want to get started, to that end I've aquired a pair of blanks and I think I've gotten into trouble already.
A discription of the blanks follows;
1. Length is 9' and they appear to be sprial wound fiber glas
they are tubular and have a wall thickness of +/- 3/64"
2. Butt is +/- 29/32"O.D.; Tip is +/- 7/32 O.D..
3. Action is very fast.
I'm waiting for Mr. Tom Kirkmans rod building book to arrive and in the meantime I'm chomping at the bit. Can anyone give me any advice ( I have a bad shoulder and cannot throw very far ) on what to do with these things? Does anyone have an idea what they might be good for ( in the line of fishing ) ?
I would very much appreciate what help you can give
Thanks Ron

Any manufacturer's markings, logos, etc. on the blank? It's pretty hard to tell anything about it's specs just by measuring it.

However, it does sound like a light surf blank. Where'd you get them and what will you be using the rods for?

Ron,
What did kind of rod did you want to make? Most blanks are chosen as to the range of lines or conditions you want to fish and the species, etc.
It's a shot in the dark as to what the blanks you have. You can guess on the power and line ratings partially with some static deflection and weight application to detrmine action, etc.
Butt measurements generally are stated in decimal equivalents.
Wall thickness of the blank won't give you much useful information as that can vary with uniformity along the blank depending on the techincal manufacturing aspects behind it. You also need to know the tip top, which conventionally in North America is measure in 5/64ths of an inch.
Also, what is the nature of the 'spiral wound'? Is it surface fibers? or integrated through all walls of the blank?
How did you determine that the blank is 'very fast'?

Rich Garbowski
Richard's Rod & Reel

Thanks, Ted and Rich for your response.
Ted; I bought the blanks from a listing on rodcrafters. There are no markings that I can find on either blank. As for useage, I'm open but I had thought that they might be fly rod blanks. When I bought these they were purported to be Lamiglas but I do not think so.
The Lamiglas quality just is not there.
Rich; the sprial winding appears to be intergrated, and reminds me of a spinning rod I had some 50 years ago. the "very fast " term I picked up from the seller.
I'm not anxious to Do-Or-Die with these things if it would not be practical to try and and make a decent rod. You know. "garbage in garbage out" may be the case here. It may be wise to wait and get a top line blank to work on. What are your thoughts ? In fact, I think I would rather do a fly rod rather than a surf rod.

Thanks for your attention.
Ron

I can't add much, but if you bought them as Lamiglas, what was the blank number? I have built numerous Lamiglas blanks, and can tell you that all the graphite blanks have had that spiral wind through them. What color are they? Usually a Lami blank will have a small sticker on the butt with the blank number but will have no other markings.

Shawn; as I said there are no stamps, stickers, nothing that I can find
Both have a redish brown cast and will transmit lite a little bit. One rod is somewhat rough i.e. "stippled " the other less so and has a more "shined" appearance in fact it looks almost like it had some kind of light finish sprayed of painted on it albeit very thin

Ron,
Almost all blanks have very small ridges that are a couple mils high and about 1/16" or 1/32" wide that spiral around the blank after they come out of the oven and the tape is stripped off. The ridges are usually sanded off. Is this what you are talking about?

Ron,
It sounds like you got a very old 70's vintage Lamiglas
fiberglass steelhead rod blank. They were some of the thinest blanks made at the time. I had a 7 footer that was a joy to cast. I gave that rod to one of my sons friends. I wish that I had kept it. It was one of the best rods that I ever used for casting 1/4 Johnson Silver Minnow spoons. I caught my first and only triple tail sight casting to it at the Chandeleur Islands.
Cheers, Ellis

Ron,
A word of caution, if you need help, order from our sponsers on the left. I consider myself a seasoned rod builder to some extent but I still ask for advice from time to time and our sponsers will help you in making a blank choice. When I have an idea for a rod that I have not built before, I give Richard's Rod and Reel a call once in a while and he has not let me down.

Ellis I thank you very much for the tips, And I think that you are correct "Old" new blanks are what I have and to all who are following this. Please do not think that I feel that I have been scamed because I do not. The seller described the gear right on the money! if anyone messed up it was me