Well Tom it must be great to know so many people think this much of you and your knowledge. I just completed buildinging the rod wrapper from the library section and it came out better then i thought. Infact I look at the rod wrappers in the catalogs and the one I made is just as good as or better from what I can see. Next question I also found in the library section a tool called a spine finder made out of bearings and PVC pipe on a stand what do you think.. My fishing friends knew I was tying flys and bummed fly's from me when we would go fishing but my wife let it slip that I was gone to learn how to build fly rods what a mistake. Now people I hardly know want me to build them rods what a mess im in. I wanted to build some rods for my good friends but now all these other people want them and at this time I haven't even learned yet. Do you charge for you rods and how much I am out of my area of comfort. Thanks you Chris Colome

You might want to learn how to build rods first before you decide how much you're gonna charge. I say charge $1,000 each, this way they leave you alone for a while.

I no longer build rods for sale. The common mistake most builders make is selling rod far too cheaply - your time and knowledge is worth as much as any other craftsman. The other side of the coin is that it takes at least some experience and a dedication to learning quite a bit about rod making before you can truly demand, and get, the upper end price for custom rods.

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



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2005 05:03PM by Tom Kirkman.

test

Never give your work away. People who want something for nothing alway want more. They well always find something wrong with what you do
Good Wraps Bob

Chris,
I am pleased to be among the many who appreciate Tom Kirkman both for the person he is and the vast contribution he makes to the craft of rodbuilding. I cannot think of another person who has worked so tirelessy and effectively to promote and improve the quality of this craft.

I am fairly new to rod building. I love it as a hobby and remain open to taking commissions for rods to sell. One is free to choose any path they feel works best for them. I chose to build my first rods as gifts for family and friends. I wanted to build up my skills before presenting myself as a bona fide professional rod builder. There is no better way to increase one's skills than by getting good instruction and then practicing all the various skills until each one is mastered. My work improves with every rod and so will yours.

The fact that I love this work does not give others the right to take advantage of my passion. Even if my work is not up to the level of the top Pro's it still has value. I assign what I believe is a fair value to any rod I take a commision for. If the client agrees I'll get the job. I am very clear to the potential client what he / she can expect in the finished product. This has worked well for me and for my few clients. I limit my work to the limit of my expertise. This gives me a chance to build a rod and actually earn a little money for my time and effort; meaning I am getting paid for learning.

Even if I accomplish my dream of becoming a first rate rod builder I will always have occasion to give rods as gifts to those I choose. If I wish to do a favor of lesser degree I can see lowering the price for a rod. In no case am I going to allow the unfair expectations of others to pidgeonhole me. That is a form of abuse I will simply not tolerate. There is always a reasonable and equitable balance available in every transaction. I set the terms that seems fair to me and if the other party accepts then I have a deal. If not, I'm no worse off. If they take offense over my terms then I am freed from further association with a foolish person.

Run a search (for all dates) on this Forum for pricing custom rods...or some other related terms..and you will find many views on the subject. RodMaker Magazine recently ran a series of articles on pricing custom rods. I encourage you to subscribe to that fine publication. I consider it one of the pillars which form the foundation of my education in this craft. For a few dollars you can purchase the back issues which cover the specific areas of interest to you. My library of RodMaker Mags is a treasure which will help me for many years to come. It is the best resource available for rod builders bar none.

Your enthusiasm for rod building is apparent. You can be assured that almost every concern you havenow. or will havein the future, has been covered on this Forum and / or in RodMaker Magazine or will be. The more you search these resources the faster your knowledge will grow. The more you learn the more you will be able to contribute for the benefit of the rest of us.

Welcome to the endeavor. We can thank Tom K. for making this educational process available. I hope you appreciate the merit of all his hard work in this effort as much as I do.

Dave

Like said you can have a question and using the search funtion of this site very possibly get your answer. I usually do a search first and if I can not find the answer " usually do " then ask.
Even a bumb question, ask it.

I am new to rod building. I sold all of my rods except two. I plan to rebuild all my rods. Currently I have 4 inshore saltwater in progress. After I finish these I plan on building 2 snapper, 2 kingfish and 4 surfrods. I am contemplating flyrods too...As well as a rod for DAD. I probley will be a lot better at Rodbuilding when I am done. lol.....

I read Tom's book, and use it as a reference guide. I liked his writing style in some of the free materials that were available here so I decided to subscribe to his magazine as well. There was a interesting article about pricing for custom rods in the last magazine.....I would suggest both the book and getting the magazine.

I invested a lot of money, for tools, equipment, and supplys to make custom rods, let your friends do the same if they want something for free. I just would rather be out fishing, then building rods for people who don't appreciate it.

While I'm fairly new to rodbuilding - about 4 years or so- I've found no one currently more contributory to this craft than TK with his setting up this forum for open sharing of ideas/opinions, outstanding Rodbuilding Guide book and a really outstanding RodMaker Magazine.

I happen to have almost all of the old Rodcrafter Journals and have observed that TK contributed a bunch of positive articles to that publication.

Don't know him very well, but you'll not likely to find many folks who've done what he has for the custom rodbuilding craft than he - and in a fairly short time frame. My comments are in no way to suggest that he is the only current or past significant contributor to the craft for there have been many, including many of those who use this and other sites. Most of us are the same type folks, trying to learn and share successes/failures.

Stan