In numberous books, catalogs, and pamphlets...there's lots of methods documenting how to check for the spline of a blank. There's various tools available like the vertical spine finder and angled type bearing spine finder that can help in this process. I use the "old school" method of putting my palm at the mid section of the blank with my left hand, bend the blank at the tip with my right, and roll the blank on my left palm in order to define where the blank "jumps".

I want to emphasize caution and care in any of these methods. BE GENTLE when handling a graphite blank. It doesn't take alot of pressure in the bend to determine where the spine is.

When a graphite blank breaks, it can be pretty violent depending on the blank. When it does happen, its very loud, and things tend to fly rapidly. Blank "recovery" can cause very sharp pain to the hands, and the way a tip section can fly, an EYE can easily be lost!! (I've had a tip fly up and whack my upper cheekbone...close call)

I've snapped a few blanks, and I'm sure others have as well...it isn't pretty. So this belated "Friday Follies" (tuesday edition) is just to help the NEWer "spinefinders" avoid my pitfalls and use great CARE and be GENTLE.

Any other builders "SNAP" a blank or two? and care to elaborate....

Sincerely

Didit Don Benthere III

Dear Don Didit:

Break a blank? No, never, well maybe just a few (dozen) through the years. I'd rather they broke in the shop than on the customer, so I give each a nasty before going to the work of building them up first.

I use a marble on the floor for finding the spine; used to roll 'em, but really like the marble technique better, now.

Bob Benthere

Putter
Williston, ND

hello putter i roll by hand also but id be intrested in how you find the spine by using a marble if you dont care top share....

Yeah!!!!! Glad to see The Follies are back. Neat to hear funny stories while learning or re learning someithing.

I cant say I have broken a lot of blanks while finding the spine.(Of course all I make is heavy saltwater rods - NOT) I now use a Spine finder one of my grateful customers made for me(love those guys) When I did do it by hand I found two important things to be mindful of.

If you are doing it by holding the tip in one hand or palm and supporting the mid section with the other with the rod butt off the ground be careful, especially with graphite, because if the tip slips out of you hand or palm this is how you can sustain terrible eye damage. It doesnt have to break, it just need to slip. I had several close calls back in the DAY.

Wanting to avoid such injury I started doing them with the butt on the floor and kinda reverse the operation. Problems here are #1 the floor needs to be hard and flat. Floors with grooves and creases usually are tought to work with (No Billy I didnt do them on a deep pile rug)lol. The other problem is that the blank needs to be cut straight. on the butt end. I did find out about both of these the hard way.

I do have to admit picking up a rod and having it FLOP into position feels neat - like WAH LA.

Yes Putter tell us about the marble.

The Neanderhtahl Doc

I'm on the phone with a customer, telling him abotu teh superb action this blank has, how it is the PERFECT blank to use fo rwhat he wants to do. I'm holdin teh rod vertically, with the butt on teh instep of my foot, the phone on my shoulder - and holding the middle of the blank with my left, teh tip with my right. I'm flexing the tip, oh yeah, this is perfect, although it might be a drop light if you intend on usin g2oz. So he asks me what about if I cut an inch off - I hold the rod an inch from teh tip, perform teh same test, flexing, flexing, yeah it's great, flexing, man I can't wait to make this for you. Clink, plingtadapling, clink clink....clink. Well, I just broke your perfect blank.

Another time I was flexing 50-80# graphite blanks on a vertical spine finder, trying to flex them to a 9- degree bend, similar to how I flex the lighter 10-20# rods. I'm pulling down on teh tip, one rod spined, next rod spined, spine the next one, hear a "creak". The next one, hear another creak. @#$%&? I check teh blanks, tehy are starting to splinter, ooops! I call teh company to tell them teh blanks are "delaminating". Tehy tell me to try again, and really put a good bend in the next blank to see what happens. I take teh blank, flex teh crap out of it, give it a little more - and it EXPLODES!! Left a dime sized blood blister in my palm, my ears were ringing, I was totally startled. Oops, my bad.

Case #1 - what I did was basically high stick by not allowing the blank to fully flex with my hand on teh center of the blank.

Case #2 - pulling the tip down like tht puts a ton of pressure on teh top half of the blank, similar to high sticking.

Bottom line - there is no need to spine the rod like a moron, get it to flex a bit, mark the spine and build the rod.

When checking the spine, theres NO guides to help displace the pressure on the rest of the blank....so be CAREFULL....."stupid is ,as stupid does"

What about that Marble ?

Stick a marble in teh butt, now the blank rolls around freely. Simialr to a live center used in the vertical spine finder. I'm assuming, I never used a marble.

Nifty (old term) on the marble idea. I love simple solutions. That is how my mind works

Put the marble on the floor, set the blank butt on it. Press straight down on the tip and it will flex so that the spine is on the outside of the curve. To make it even smoother, you can slip a shot glass over the tip and use that to press down on. Less friction there than your hand.

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

Marble?????we want the marble!!! ...I dunno, but if you purchase a standard counter sink(live center),a sliding glass door ball bearing and mount it to a fixed base...it makes a pretty good vertical spinefinder.

Yep, Tom does it like I do (or I does it like Tom?). I'll have to try that shot glass idea... if I can get that hummer to stay MT long enough... LOL!! Say, what effect does alcohol have on the finish of a new blank? Especially up there at the tip?

Putter
Williston, ND

You empty the shot glass prior to putting it on the tip, after a couple shots it makes the spine mush easier to find, specially if one is standing on a step ladder trying to press down on the tip of a 10 foot blank, some times it takes me 3 shots to get the job done and by that time who cares. Never have damaged a blank but falling of the ladder hurts.

Coolgranpabob

Have never broke one finding the spine, but have destroyed them in about every other means known to man!

Hanging the tip on the door jam leaving the shop; slamming the truck door on them; stepping on them in the boat, after moving them to get them out of the way while fighting a fish; leaving them in the rod holders while driving under a low hanging oak limb; catching the tip between the deck boards on the back deck while walking back into the house; trying to remove a stubborn TT; and last but not least, leaning them against the back of the truck only to run over them later!

Regards......Doug@
TCRds