Well, I went back to the drawing board. We decided to go with an Aftco UniButt and a 14-16" Hypalon foregrip, and the expensive Aftco Ball Bearing

I've order the back issue of RodMaker covering the standup rod, and a few others.

Now, I'm sure I will find a lot more when I read the articles, but are there any other differences in mounting the UniButt? Particularly, epoxies, spacers, and arbors. I've never even used arbors, nor do I know whether they are applicable to this project.

Thank for all the info. Everyone has been a big help.

AK Custom Fly Rods

Lets Wet Some Lines !!

If the blank butt fits the Uni-Butt, then no, you wouldn't use any arbors or bushings. If you find that the blank butt OD is smaller than the Uni-Butt ID, then yes, you'll have to shim the blank butt with something in order to achieve a good fit.

There are several ways to shim. You can build the butt up with layers of fiberglass drywall tape. Or you can take a scrap piece of rod blank that perhaps fits over the current blank and glue that in place, then sand it to fit the Uni-Butt.

The adhesive of choice will be a gel-type epoxy (not PC7). Try RodBond, Ultimate Gel, T88, Kardol, etc.

Before you mount the blank butt into the ferrule, there are two important things to do. First, drill a small hole into the center of the "V" notch in the ferrule. This allows air to escape when you push the blank into the ferrule. Otherwise the blank tends to keep moving up and out of the ferrule due to the compressed, trapped air. Finally, if you have removed the ferrule nut during this process, do remember to slide it back down over the blank and ferrule before you mount the foregrip.

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

Obviously there's just so much I need to learn about these big rods, compared to fly rods.

That said, I'm going to ask the stupid questions anyways. I'm a little confused on using ferrules with a one piece rod. Can you explain to me why you need a ferrule at the butt?

The blank doesn't go through the reel seat and rear grip. The blank is glued into a ferrule which attaches at the top of the reel seat. It is still a one piece rod the reel seat and rear grip is detachable.

Wait till you get the magazine to glue anything up. It is easier to make a change on the "drawing board with an eraser" than it is to remove cured Rod Bond! More notes for the drawing board - straight or curved butt assembly, chair work or stand up belt, are you going to whack the blank or reorder to get a short stubie blank for a standup - did you locate the lockup point on the blank to insure seat set up, foregrip lenth and OD will allow line clear with the chosen reel. If it is not correct cuts on hands can be quite punishing.

I noticed your notes on fly rods - here is something that may interest you and maybe your customer in the interim on blue water fly rods. Sell the guy one of these to match the standup and then he can go big game hunting with two type of rods. The stand up for table fare and the fly rod for hours of sporting pleasure and pain!

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Gon Fishn



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2008 01:18PM by Bill Stevens.

tom, why would you not use pc7?

Lance,

PC7 is a gap filling epoxy, and you shouldn't have a gap in that assembly. It's also tough to manipulate and work with. The gel types are far better for this purpose.

In years past it was often recommended to build up shims with masking tape and then pack the area inbetween with PC7 which would then act as its own bushing of sorts. In most cases this works okay, but it's not the best way to do it.


Dustin,

Generally blanks which have been designed for use in a Uni-Butt are rather short. The length of the butt is factored in and the butt area is fairly beefy in order to withstand the stress point which will occur right at the forward edge of the rigid aluminum butt ferrule.

Make sure you really need a Uni-butt. Most short, stand-up rods can be built straight-through since they're short enough to be transported and stored without any need to be broken down.

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

Also think about how long he wants the rod to be when finished ? That 6' blank will be longer with the unibutt, unless you go for a blank though handle..

One more thing that hasn't been mentioned. Make sure the ferrel notch is lined up properly with the weave or thread design you have chosen to make. You would hate to have the reel in place and find out that the design is off center or such. By making the weave or design before you bond on the ferrel that will hold the unibutt, you can avoid the problem. You will be able to line up the ferrell correctly. I hope I am making myself clear.
Sanford Hochman

Don't worry I'm not going to do anything until I wrap my head around everything.

Bill,
This is will be a straight butted stand up rod to be used with a belt. The more I look, the more I'm leaning towards a Seeker. SS-CTSF55XXXH, is this blank meant for a uni-butt or straight through the handle. How do I know if a rod blank is meant for a uni-butt or to go straight through the handle?

That's some rod Bill. Looks like fun. I'm more of a summer solstice/ midnight on the Kenai/ fishing with the bears/ bivy sac/ rainbow lip ripper/ "Honey!!, I'm gonna try the new rod. See you in a week." kind of guy. This summers goal is to catch an over 20" grayling. Not the 400 halibut. Never the less I'm eager to build this rod. My friend can't wait.

AK Custom Fly Rods

Lets Wet Some Lines !!

You landed on one fine blank! The magazine article will clearly define the lengths involved in the rear butt assembly. It probably will change your mind and cause you to redraw the systems again. I am glad the nights are very very short there. Hopefully I will soon be sitting in the middle of the river, backtrooling, and watching the eagles feed. Maybe I can admirer your rod first hand!

Also, when shimming the unibutt, make sure that you shim the blank very close to the ends of the ferrule. This helps keep the ferrule straight on the blank. If there is any play on the ends, you can end up with a very crooked rod.

The scrap blank suggestion from Tom is the best. A snug fit all the way through the ferrule is the best recipe.

Terry