Is there anything lighter than the Recoils? I'm just putting together all of the components before I order the blank.
I have the Orvis one ounce reel seat rings. 1 WF Sage Quiet Taper II line. I'm gonna use the Fuji Titanium frame 8mm single foot as a stripping guide. 00 thread, not sure what color yet (any suggestions?)
No hook keeper, thread tapered down to the blank for a winding check.
Also looking for the lightest tip top.
I'm gonna go 8mm stripper, then one 3, one 2, then 1's all the way to the tip.
I'll probably use FlexCoat lite as a finish, I was thinking about using Helmsman's Spar but flexcoat would probably be just as light.

I want to get a Waterworks P1 to hang on it, but man they're expensive! All of the light standard arbors are just too tiny, I'd hate to have all those tiny coils in my line each time I strip it out.
Anybody have an idea on how to shape the reel seat just like the Orvis one? How would I flatten that cork out on the bottom? Without buying a belt sander that it. By hand?

Thanks

Yes, according to builders who have reported individual guide weights, the Recoils are the lightest (I think single foot and snake are very similar), lighter than the titanium alloy framed Fujis and lighter than regular wire fly guides. I would do an 8 stripper, then 1s all the way to the tip and skip the 3-2 transition unless you just like the look of the tapering of guide sizes. For ultimate lightness at the tip, use a single foot recoil guide as the tip top and use the Forhan locking wrap to guard against it getting pulled out. Coat the guides in 1 or two coats of permagloss or Gudebrod 822 rod varnish. Use the permagloss if you want the transparent wraps look and use the Gudebrod if you want the color preserved look. On super light rods, I like to finish the wraps so there is still a bit of thread texture left, like just about every fishing rod built prior to 1970. They hold up fine and have a very neat, spare appearance. It's not like you are going to be abusing this delicate little rod anyway so heavy coatings are way overkill in my opinion. I figure if my 1970s era surf rod still has tight wraps, and they were finished this way, it ought to be good enough protection on all my fly rods.

Buy the Jann's Netcraft $10 ultra light fly handle kit, and shorten or reshape the grip as you desire (or use as is - it's a very comfortable shape). Then, simply using a small sanding block or a bastard file, you can carefully but easily flatten the reel seat to the shape of the Orvis seats. Just check often as you go for reel fit. You still want the reel seat to fit in the rings very snugly so it doesn't loosen while you're fishing.

Anyway, that's what my advice is - have fun with your project.

i built mine with single foot recoils. you are going to love this rod. it throws great loops and is a fantastic roll caster. great small stream stick. i matched mine with a hardy flyweight and a sage quiet taper 1 wt line. weight forward. the whole outfit is jewel like.

I'm in the process of building the same rod. I use REC Recoil guides on a lot of my rods and am looking to try something different. So this time I'm going with Hopkins & Holloway sf guides and tip top (DLC finish). For the Striper I'm going to go with Nickle/Silver 8mm red agate guide (ok not the lightest guide on the planet) and plan on using a Venneri Kaaterskill seat. For a reel I picked up a three reel set of J Austin Forbes Avon reels on @#$%& so I'll either use the 2" (1.6oz) or 2.5" (2.6) Avon reel on it depending on balance.

Thanks guys. I guess I should just go with 1's all the way to the tip. The 8mm stripping guide might look kinda funny right next to a 1mm single foot, but oh well. What do you guys think about using a 7mm stripper? Or even a 6?
Steve, I'm very curious about your suggestion of using a single foot guide as the tip top. Do you have any links to a pic with a rod done this way? So then the very end of the blank is exposed? It would seem like the it would make any already fragile tip that much more prone to breakage. As for shaping the reel seat, I thought of just doing it by hand, but it seems like it would be almost impossible to get that sharp edged shape that the factory Orvis rods have. I don't know, I already have the rings but I'm thinking of just buying the whole seat with the rings from Orvis, I think they're only like 20 bucks.
I'm thinking the Gudebrod 822 with 00 white silk for a clear, thin, glass looking wrap.
Do the Sig IV's come with a decal? If so I'm thinking of leaving it off, and just putting it on the rod tube cap or something.
If everything goes right, I think I'll able to get this thing under an ounce easy. Does anyone know how much Don Davis's rod weighed with the foam handle?

Andy, I don't have a good close-up of a rod done with a single foot guide as a tip top, although most of my personal rods are built this way. Most of my fly rods have a ceramic stripper, single foot wire running guides, and a single foot ceramic guide as the tip top. This is my overall preference for balancing the smoothness of ceramics with the light weight of wire. It's near impossible to sell a rod that looks like this but I like it for its function. There is about 1/16 inch of blank exposed past the blocking wraps of the Forhan locking wrap. There is no sacrifice in strength or durability.

I have never used Gudebrod 822 on silk but it acts as a color preserver on nylon so check on some scrap blank first before you use it on your project. I'm not sure it will make white silk clear like spar varnish does.

Andy, it won't make an ounce using a cork handle but it will be close. Mine weighs 1 ounce even, but I turned down a Kork-a-lon handle and used shrink tube rings. I would use a 10 mm titanium stripper because you need to consider the angle at which the line will hit the guide coming off the reel. Then 3, 2, 1s to tip. If you go with the 8mm, 2, 1s to tip. The recoil tip tops are pretty light. Reel feet are curved underneath, so I would forgo that Orvis style in favor of a rounder shape. You can use a pair of aluminum winding checks as rings, if you like. The Forbes magnesium is a 2.75 inch reel. The Bass Pro ultralight classic is 2.5 inches. Both about $90. The thinnest finish might be 5 coats of Wipe On Polyurethane although the 822 is good. Either thinner than the spar. You can leave a little thread texture, makes no difference. Now if you want light, my 000 weight Dan Craft weighs 1 ounce with the reel attached. Don

thanks guys. I thought for sure i'd make an ounce with the next to nothing guide set, I guess we'll see. Has anyone ever weighed an Orvis One Ounce btw? I wonder what the exact weight of it is. I never thought of cork as heavy before either. Kinda funny. I plan on putting a teensy tiny grip on it though, so it shouldn't weigh too much.

Let me know what it weighs when you are done. If not this one, you can get under an ounce on another project. Don