Hi folks:

I'm looking to build my first rod after nearly thirty years when I build an 8' S-Glass fly rod. The new rod will be built on a 3 piece St. Croix telescoping blanks for a 7' spinning rod I intend to use for fishing the surf along the Monterey, CA coast.

I need to know if high grade balsa, turned and sanded and center-bored, etc., is acceptable for making arbors for the reel seats for light spinning and fly rods. I would like to hear from someone who has gone that route and has a solid opinion based on experience.

Also, who is a good retail distributor of spinning and fly rod components. I see a lot of advertistments for fly rods, but I'm at a loss for a good source to purchase components for spinning rods. Thanks for any held on this subject, too. PEM

Hi Patrick,
I have never used balsa wood. It is alot lighter but the softness of the wood may shrink under the reelseat. But maybe someone else has used this material. I have used graphite arbors, cork, and cardboard bushings and they all work well. the cardboard bushings are alot heavier and cork can be sanded down as well as the graphite arbors. The newest material coming out for arbors is the polyurathane foam. I hope this helps you out.

Neal Cissel
Neal's Fishing Products
www.nealsfishingtackle.com

I would go with the Flex Coat poly arbors, They are great, inexpensive and really easy to work with.

Any of the vendors to the left are good! I like Mudhole myself. There catalog is the best, most imformative out there and I have very little problem with backorders.



Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/2005 01:51PM by Mike Barkley.

I'm with Mike. I don't know why you would want to go to all the trouble to turn down and bore out a peice of balsa when the you can have a FC arbor bored, sanded and glued in place in 3 or 4 minutes. And they're cheap. As far as vendors are concerned, I recommend Fishsticks. They're never given me anything but great service. But as Mike said, it would be pretty hard to go wrong with anyone on the left, just make sure they sell the FC arbors because the Pac Bay arbors are, by comparison, a pain in the neck.

Soft as Balsa wood is I would think that it would have a dampening effect on sensitivity as well as just being a real pain to make. Jesse

As Mike & Gerry noted, FlexCoat polyurethane arbors are what I'd use. They're very light, stable, very easy to work with & inexpensive. Very good product IMO.
Stan

Awhile back I had a balsa wood handle covered with leather. It looks good but I don't think I'll do it again. It's just to soft. You can dint it with just slight pressure from your fingers. It's light indeed, but, I don't think I'll use it again for any rod building purpose.

Neil,
Have you thought about Basswood? Very light/inexpensive. Used for lure carving. Might do the trick. Jann's sells it in blocks.

Mike

Mike, I hadn't thought of Basswood - until now that is. I'll talke a look at Jann's Netcraft at their blocks.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Hey Neal, just an idea. Maybe use the largest diameter Flexcoat arbors for the grip, then get the leather over that.

Thanks Ted. That's another good suggestion I can look into.