I am getting a pretty good deal on a rod blank however i do not know what size handle to get. The but diameter is .415 on a medium 6 foot casting rod.

Greg,

Figure how long your rear grip is going to be and then measure the diameter of the blank at the forard end of your handle. Take that measurement and get the realseat with the closest inside diameter to that measurement. Make sure the closest ID is larger that the blanks OD. Also make sure the realseat will except your reals real feet. Larger is better - It's easier to shim for your blank to receive a reelseat than it is to boar the ID of a reelseat.



Hank
On The Rocks Fishing
Wells, ME.

That's the beauty of a custom rod. the length and diameter of a grip (rear & Fore) is a matter of personal preference. What do you like?? That is the only criteria. As for reel seat that is also your choice. Do you have large or small hands? what is comfortable for you.

Mike

Hi, Greg - Which part of the handle do you mean when you are referring to the size? There is the internal diameter (ID) of the grip material, the ID for a reel seat, and even the overall length of the grips and the outer diameter (OD) of the grips or reel seat to consider. With a blank whose butt OD is only 0.415 inches, you will almost certainly need to use arbors (also called spacers or bushings or shims). So, if you fashion those yourself, or even if you find some in a catalog that fit very well, you'll need to include that in your steps for building your handle.

You said this is a 6' medium casting rod. Which type of handle style are you gonna try? There's the pistol grip, a straight or offset grip, the regular barrel reel seat or a trigger barrel.

And then there's the exposed-blank reel seats, which are great for a small handle assembly. There are sizes with an ID that are pretty close to your blank ID of about 0.40 inches (where you will mount the reel seat). Measure your blank OD with calipers in the area where you want to mount your reel seat. Read the OD in MMs, or convert from inches to millimeters (MM). These may be the easiest for you to use for a first rod project.

FUJI makes a long-barrel exposed-blank reel seat for casting rods with a trigger under the reel seat. It is 110 MM long, and comes in ID sizes from 9.5MM to 15.0MM (0.5MM increments). Available from Summer Moon Rod Works, among others.

AMERICAN TACKLE makes an exposed-blank reel seat for casting rods with a trigger under the reel seat. Also ~ 10-12 cm long, and comes in ID sizes from 8.5MM to 17.0MM (0.5MM increments). Available from Mud Hole Custom Tackle, among others.

If you have to convert from English units (0.XYZ of an inch) to Metric units (millimeters, MM) then multiply the number of inches times the conversion factor of 25.400 MM per inch.

Example: 0.415 inches X 25.400 mm/inch = 10.5 MM.

Generally, there are no reel seats with an ID of less than 16MM, so you will then be choosing a style of reel seat that you want with the smallest ID available, and using arbors to match the blank OD to the reel seats ID. You may need a reamer or a rat-tail file to help with the task of sizing these parts together.

And then there's the important question of what kind of glue / adhesive to use. Rod Bond is usually recommended. Whatever kind you use, if you choose an epoxy (2-part), make sure it is an epoxy ADHESIVE, and not an epoxy THREAD FINISH.

Read up on these things in the new Rod-Building Guide you got, and come on back if you got some more questions.
Best Wishes, Greg. -Cliff Hall, Gainesville, FL-