I want to start off by saying this is a great site.
I am building my first rod.. ive spent many many hours thinking of just how i want it ,im just looking for some do's and dont's
1st off im building on a 9ft 4 wt 3pc rx7 blank
ive chose metalic size A thread (will this be to fragile for a good size fish?)
double foot snake guides (only becouse i heard that it adds stiffness, i want to be able to cast out a ways) but i like the look of the single foot

I will be making my own cork grip out of bural cork and burnt cork, a full wells grip (does bural cork chip easy? will i have to use a standerd cork at the end of the full wells? if it does chip easy or is there a oil of some sort that i can seal it with to add str?

another question on the grip... is it better to build the grip on the rod or off the rod and reem it out as one peice

what glue do you vets prefer for a first timer on glueing the cork together and then to the blank ive heard many differnt ways.

ahh and another thing is flex coat best to cover the wraps with or is there a better product?


Hay thanks for taking time to school a noob!!
Hope to see you in the back country!

Jay William

First of all, welcome to the addiction. With the show in Charlotte there aren't nearly as many of us around to answer your questions and give our opinionated opinions, but you may also get less confused.

Having used both snake and single foot guides, wire and ceramic, you won't get any more distance out of snakes than out of single foots. I personally believe that ceramics shoot line better and that's what I use unless forced into using single foot wire guides. Snake guides are a pain to use, twice the foot prep and twice the wrapping, plus they're harder to line up.

Are you getting your burl cork from Andy Dear? The burnt cork you plan to use must be Andy's because I know of nobody else selling burnt cork, although I think Mudhole has some that has to be Andy's. Andy's burl cork is tougher than regular cork so you can use it anywhere in the grip. I don't know about regular burl cork. I think most people use Cork Seal or Tru-Oil on it.

I build my grips off the rod, but you will find lots of people who do. We all think the way we do it is better than the other way. If you do it on the blank, just be careful you don't damage the blank.

You can use Rod Bond to glue the rings together, but a lot of people are switching to Titbond III since it ures faster and is waterproof. Use Rod Bond to glue the grip to the rod if you build it off the rod.

Please don't get us started on what the best finish is again. Lots of people use Flex Coat, lots of people use other products at well. The main thing is to pick a finish and then stick with it and learn it. They all look basically the same when cured, but they don't all behave the same when you're putting them on.

Have fun with it.

Hi Jason,

Yup, most everyone is at the big show. About the only ones left home are us invalids or rejects. Gerry has covered most of the info you asked about. The only thing I will say is if you are planning to do your handle on the blank you will need a lathe or power wrapper that you can put the whole blank in. If you don't have that setup you will have to build your handle on a mandrell and ream it to fit your blank. Oh by the way welcome to the maddness.

Hank
On The Rocks Fishing
Wells, ME.

you are starting with a very good blank. i built that same blank last year and fish it as a five wt. i have even used a dual taper six and it casts very well. strong rod. you don't need to make it stiffer. single foot ceramics are very nice and that is what i built mine with. as for the grip i think you should build it off the rod and then ream to fit later. if you mess it up you don't have to strip it off the rod. work slowly and methodically. think everything through. for finish i prefer flexcoat light on graphite rods. also size A is fine. you will break the blank before your wrap fails. not that this rod is delecate. just be sure to wrap the ferruls properly. for a mandlrell you can buy a .25 drill about 12" long at lowes. chuck it in a cheap drill press if you have one. or use a hand drill. for reaming the handle use rat tail files of various sizes. cut the tangs off and chuck them in a drill. reverse the drill so it is turning counter clock wise. the files will do a great job, but again, work slow and think it through. don't ream it too large. you want a tight fit when the handle is in place.

Double foot guides will not make the rod stiffer. It will add weight to the blank, more thread, more finish, slower blank. Singles are much better.

Size A thread is more than adequate on a 4 weight.

When using metalic thread to wrap guides make sure that you use HT metalic it is alot stronger than regular metalic thread.
Tim

thanks for the info guys it helps greatly....