guys i bought the kit from Cabela's, its a GL3 Premium Kit, it has a down locking reel seat.
another question after we figure this one out is HOW DO YOU GUYS LINE ALL THOSE GUIDES UP STRAIGHT??????????????? theres about 10 plus a tip top, is there some special way to lay the rod? i read where you use SUPER GLUE to hold the guide in place before you wrap it, if so how would ypu ever replace the guide if it went bad.
richard

Do yourself a favor and make one more purchase ... a book on rodbuilding.

As to lining up the guides straight - "eyeballing" is really the only way to do it. Once they are wrapped, you can still make adjustments. Again, see book on rodbuilding.

As to superglue - don't even think about it. No glue of any kind is necessary. You can hold the guides in place with little pieces of masking tape. Again, see book on rodbuilding.

A simple book that you might want to start with is the "Rod-Building Guide Book" by Tom Kirkman ... you can find it at Cabela's as well as other sponsors of this board, it is inexpensive and will save you a bunch of time and suffering.

i eally thank you jim. you have been a load of help

Regarding the issue of lining up guides. I agree with book for starter -- it (they) will give you workable methods. I find a few things help me on this task:

tape (very narrow cuttings of masking tape) the guides in place eyeballing the best alignment you can working from the tip top (since this is first thing I glue on and the alignment with spine is most critical on top section(s) -- do the best job you can putting the tip top on first in alignment with the spine and the reel seat

adjust your tension on thread such that when you test wrap a couple guides you can move them with your fingers with some effort, but not a white knuckling hard effort to minor adjustments in left/right position.

As you wrap guides on from the tip top down, turn the rod over and look straight down on the rod from above and ensure that equal parts of each guide appear on the under side of the blank equally down the rod blank -- if not, adjust the position of the errant guides so that they do

when finished with each section, assemble rod to that point and "eyeball" the guides from below to the tip top -- adjust any individual guides that are out of alignment

After everything looks perfect to you after final guide wraps, Don't "bump" the rod and individual guides until you get the CP and/or finish on all of them !

Practice makes (almost) perfect. (meaning, there is always improvement waiting for the next rod !!)

Tony M

Before you actually mount a guide and glue it on your real rod blank...you might try to do a couple on an arrow. They are graphite, shiny, slick, about the size of a rod. Bout $1.65 at Wal Mart. Wal mart also sells tip tops and cheap wire snake guides. So you can purchase some of this stuff and practice on an arrow before you glue your first guide on and it doesen't turn out the way you want it. I have seen a ka-zillion posts about glue not turning out right.

Just trying to help

Hope it works out good for you





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/04/2007 10:54PM by Jim Williams.

I probably used masking tape cut into thin strips for about 25 years and tried other methods during that time, too. I started using Flex Coat's guide adhesive (thanks, Stan) about a year ago and really like using it. I'm not sure how many guides I've stuck on with that single stick of it (LOTS), and it doesn't even look like I've used any off from it yet.

1/4" masking tape is readily available at Wal~Marts in their sewing areas (not in the paint department). It's a pretty good quality tape, too.

Putter
Williston, ND

We use a form of the same tape used in military operations for masking or holding stuff together. It leave no residue. We tape the guides to the rod and line them up in a general way, using the reel seat and tip-top which have already been installed and are perfectly aligned with each other.

If you install the reel seat and the tip-top in line, then you can run a string line between them and mark the rod under that centerline, using small pieces of tape and a fine pencil. Or, you can use a laser in place of the line and still make the marks tht can then be used to line up your guides. After that, it's all eyeball. The guides should form a tunnel from one end to the other, no matter which end you look through.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

If you can get the blank right under a bright light, it cast a straight line reflection all the way down your blank. One out of Billy V's book.

randy
i had a bought a piece of the flex coat guide glue several yrs ago and had never used it. i got it out and put a veryy thin film of it on the guide and it works great, i have to many thumbs to use tape .
thanks
Richard

I'm just glad that Stan just kept urging me to try it, or I never would have switched. It's really a great, simple product and it's easy to align the guides by eye (they'll still move just as easily) afterwards.

Putter
Williston, ND

Mr. Fleming
I received an e-mail from a Flemming....I think it was...with a different first name. I didn't recognize the "from" line so I deleted it. If it was you that sent it to me......I know not what you said. Your e-mail is hidden on here so I cannot send you a private message explaining this. You probably know a lot more about rod building than I. If it was not you......sorry to bother you.

Jim

jim i don't think it was me that sent the email, i will allow my email address to show up just as soon as i figure out how
Richard

i think i got it to show up. thanks jim
Richard

Thanks,

I guess it's a good thing I deleted it then. It was from a William Flemming and the subject was "book". Soooooo, reading this thread and the mention of books.....and I made a post here....I thought it might be you.

Thanks for the reply.

Jim

However you want to initially locate the guides, do it. DO NOT use superglue. Wrap them and then eyeball them like sigthing a rifle. Adjust as needed. It may take some time. There is no magic here. You tweak them until they are perfect. If it takes an hour or so, then that's what it takes. When YOU are happy with the layout, start your finishing.

Nobody said this was easy.