1) What tools do yo use for grinding/shaping guide feet? I have a Dremel that I want to use for that purpose. Any suggestions, e.g., aluminum oxide bit, etc?

2) That said, I'm wondering why guide feet are shaped at all. I realize that this is heresy but, aside from making the transition from blank to foot look nice, is there any other function? It seems to me that grinding thins, thereby weakens, the foot. On the guides that I haven't ground, the epoxy covers all and makes a smooth transition regardless. Obviously, there must be some taper to the foot, but grinding it too thin seems counter-productive.

Jim

Just use the drum type sandpaper that should come with your Dremel. It works very well. The only problem I have is holding the smaller single foot snake guides while grinding. Good luck

I use a fine grit 5" ginding wheel designed for a handheld grinder that is chucked up in a 1/4" mandrel, mounted on a drill press. The wheel material is extremely hard, has not worn any noticeable amount after many many guides. The wheel is only 1/4" thick and the drill press holds it in a horizontal plane. You can apply as much or as little pressure as you want. I usually grind all guide feet upon receipt then toss them in their bins for storage.

If you have an abrupt edge(corner) on the guide feet, it not only makes it really hard to wrap, but the epoxy will ultimately crack at that point. The foot needs a shallow taper to a pretty thin point. I use a Dremel with a little gray wheel that came with it and it works great.

I use small files or a dremel, sometimes with various grinding wheels or the sanding drums, depening on my mood.

They are shaped to get a better fit to the blank (grinding the underside), getting a better thread wrap, reducing the volume in the tunnels. It also does technically weaken the guide foot a little, which is a good thing, by giving the foot some opportunity to flex with the blank a bit, which can reduce the stress on the guide and on the guide finish. Granted, it may not be much, but it's just one more of those many little things which make a rod better than something off the rack. Taken by themselves, the little things don't amount to a lot, but when added together, you have something that is built the best it can possibly be. That's the point after all isn't it?

Mick nailed it pretty good!! Actually, you want the foot to be thin so that it will flex a little when the blank flexes. The guide foot, being much more rigid than the blank, doesn't flex at the same rate and can cause eventual cracking of the finish. Strength isn't real an issue.


Mike

The very small guides can be held with the little nylon bolts that you can get in the bolts and nuts department in home depot. Bring the smaller ones and find ones to fit, with nuts.

Bill, Excellent idea!! My thumbnails are nothing but gouges from dremelling. There's always somebody in here with a simple solution to things that I'm too stupid to come up with myself!

I got the idea from some one on this board. Wish I could take the credit. They work good

Has anyone tryed the tool Mudhole has in their catalog, pg 93. Its called a Guide Grinder Holder. Just curious, looks like it would save the finger nails. Thanks Tom

Tom,got one of the Mudhole holders in the Christmas stocking last year.My fingers thank Santa.it works like a charm and for someone with large fingers like me they make the guides easier to handle.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

Can one dress the feet effectively just by using a flat file or does that take waaaaaaay too long? Curious.

Thanks,
Mo

Hey guys........yep....holding on to a #6 guide can be a challenge. Here's what I have been doing.

I took a stem from a faucet, any faucet will do.......pick one that is cheap and easy to hold. I actually had some plastic faucets and just took one apart......hope I dont need it later.

Take the top screw out. Buy very small o-ring's that will go on each side of your guide...(any decent hardware store)......different size o-rings for different size guides. The ones I bought are black rubber....look like a little black do-nut.

Get a screw that is small enough to go through your smallest guide, but long enough to fit through the two o-rings and the guide. Place an o-ring on each side of the guide, run the screw through the guide sandwiched by the o-rings into the stem.
Tighten down on the screw just enough to hold the guide steady.....and then grind.

The o-rings are fat enough to cushion the guide and provide enough friction to hold, without overly tightening, to be able to grind the guide.
On a single foot #6, you will have to position the guide so that the foot will be arranged so as to be able to grind it. (This sounds more difficult than it is, you will see it when you put the screw into the stem)

Makes life a lot easier for prepping the 8's and 6's. The worst part about it is taking screw out of the stem to replace the guide, saves your digits though.

Works for me........and cheap.
pb

Mo, I use a flat file occasionally and it doesn't take terribly long at all, at least on smaller guides. A dremel is great if you are time crunched, but I enjoy hand working stuff sometimes. With files, it isn't a 10 minute job to do a set, but it can be done easily in a short evening.

I guess you didn't read the recent article in RodMaker on the easy way to prep guide feet? Like most builders, hate prepping guide feet, but with the right tools and technique, it's a matter of just a few seconds to get a perfect taper and polish.

Honestly, I've tried all the various methods over the years and can't imagine ever using a dremel or grinding wheel for this task. They just make something that can be so simple so much more tedious.

A flat file will work, but you must remember to use long, smooth strokes. And, remember that files cut in only one direction. Run them backwards just a few times and you can ruin them.

.............

I have been using the flat side of the Dremel cut off discs. Recently picked up the Mudhole tool and have cut my prep time in half even with the setting up of the tool. In addition, the finish is much more consistent and as a result, wrapping is easier.

I've been using a pair of hemostats to hold my guides while grinding them down. Does the job prety well but I like the nylon bolt idea. I will have to give it a try.

Mark

Tom: Set up at Charlotte next year and grind feet for an hour!!!!!! You can probably grind most of the guides guides sold in the booths. While you are at it ask the manufacturers to drop by and watch. Maybe they will figure out what is needed!

Tom - you do the grinding and I will hide in the background and collect the cash!

Gon Fishn



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2005 10:33PM by Bill Stevens.

I have my variable speed Dremel mounted horizontally in a Dremel Drill press stand and hold the guides with a pair of mini needle nose vice grips with a piece of masking tape on the jaws. Holding a Dremel tool in one hand and the guide in the other is a pain, also use it for inletting cork grips.

Jim,

Regardless of HOW you do it, grinding the guide feet is an important step in the construction of a custom rod.

Do you 'have' to do it?

Nope.

However, skipping this step will give you a lesser product when you are done. It can make the wrapping process more difficult to do properly (maybe not an issue for some). It can cause problems with the rod cosmetically and even structurally down the line.

As to 'weakening' the guide, that's just not the case. The 'strength' of the single foot guide is located close to the 'bend' where it turns upwards from the blank. After you get about .01 from the end of that bend, the rest of the guide foot is just there to keep that bent portion aligned properly and hold it to the blank. So, tapering the guide foot into a long thin taper doesn't 'weaken' the guide at all. As a matter of fact, 'thinning' the 'width' of the guide foot (so that it's thinner than the blank where it lays), even up and into the 'bend' won't weaken it either, at least not to the point where it won't be many times stronger than the blank under fishing conditions.

I work all my guide feet to a long and gentle taper from the blank to just behind the beginning of the bend. I need the ends to be razor edge sharp and shaped to a nice curving point, like the end of dagger. The top of the guide foot needs to curve evenly from one side to the other. I make sure that they are all the same length and I do always shorten them from their 'factory' length. I make sure that the bottom is straight and has a slight concave surface to match the curve of the blank. I 'thin' the width of the feet so that they are smaller in diameter than the blank where they will lay, and I carefully polish the whole foot, top and bottom, so it won't scratch the blank or fray the thread. Then all the guide feet are recolored if that is needed.

Takes time to do this. I probably spend too much time on it. But I like the details, which is why I build the rods in the first place.

Does it really matter?

Does to me.

Up to you, of course.

Good Luck!

Buddy