In a not so old issue of rod maker there was an article on rod balancing, and it featured a Do-It mold to make weights.

Anyone know which issue, and where that mold is available?

I think that was on of Rich Forhan's articles if I remember right, I'm not home but I think it also had articles on balancing a variety of rod types in the issue. I'd look back at least into the Volume 6 or earlier back issues as that's when much of that was in the magazine.

Volume 6 Issue #6

If you go to the Rod Maker Magazine site and click on back issues, beside each one is a list of the articles covered in that edition

Don't know where to get the mold. Haven't seen it anywhere. Backlash Tools offers them premade.

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I even checked the Do-It site, and couldn't find the mold!

Talk to Bill Stevens, he uses spent bullet casings filled with something to weight his rods.

Scott Sheets
www.smsrods.com

Volume 6 #6 had several articles on the ins and outs of rod balancing.

Rich's article was the one that showed the Do-It mold for balancing weights. That article was also in that same issue.

The Do-It mold is # RBW (Rod Balancing Weight) -6-112

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If I am going to use a balance system I much prefer using one with large diameter weights cantilevered off of the end of the blank. [www.rodbuilding.org] If you are limited to just putting weight inside the diameter of the blank the only way to increase the weight is to make it longer, and as you make the balance weight longer it gets closer to the fulcrum of the reel seat and less efficient at balancing. With the screw on washer system as you add weight it gets farther away from the fulcrum and more efficient at balancing. On some rods you can get away with half of the total weight and still get the same balance correction, and since it is adjustable the customer can dial in whatever balance level they prefer.

Look at the silver thing-a-ma-bob in this picture next the the purple carp just above the elevation of the top of the M&Ms!

[www.rodbuilding.org]

This one has dizzy threads on the internal piece so you can quickly change out weights when changing lures.

This is a pitchers and flippers dream set up!

Wt to 4 oz available -

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Available at: [www.swamplandtackle.com]

Bill is the one in the photo the one Bass Pro Shop sells ?

Hey Mike,
If you have any of the washer's I could use some. I have the hardware, just not the washers...could never find a place to make them for me around here.

Scott Sheets
www.smsrods.com

Jay I am using these to balance out frog rods and flipping sticks where rod balance is crucial to allow the fisherperson to fishing all day without getting completely exhausted from lifting a tip weight of 2 ounces - 2 feet - 2,000 times in a day on the water!

[www.batsonenterprises.com]

Marc,
Rather than using weights that fit inside the blank - use a weight that will fit on the outside - butt section of the rod.
My preference, if necessary to balance, is to wrap - 1/4 inch, 3/8th inch, 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch or 1 inch lead tape around the extreme butt section of the blank before adding the last section of handle or butt section.

There are many sources for lead tape. You can check out the large infamous @#$%& for this tape. If new, purchased from the manufacturer, you will likely to have to pay up to $100 for a roll of tape. However, by checkint out @#$%& sites, industrial surplus stores, etc. you can often find full rolls of tape for under $10 each.

[www.tennis-warehouse.com]



This tape has a sticky back and sometimes has a cover over the sticky back that you take off. In other cases, it is like scotch tape where you simply take it off the roll and wrap it on the surface needing the tape.

If you add the tape on the butt section of the blank, before adding the back grip, or the last cork ring or two, you will have an absolutely invisible rod balance, with minimum added weight due to its extreme aft postion, resulting in the longest balancing arm with minimum weight.

Take care
Roger

Lead tape can also be used to balance your rod if it is butt heavy. Roll some tape into a tube shape, adhesive side out, and use a piece of thin dowell rod to ram the tube of lead tape up the inside of the tip section. The adhesive will usually keep the lead tape from shifting around too much.

Phil,
Out of curiosity, how - under normal circumstance - could a rod become butt heavy?

I have never seen one, unless there has been a huge amount of weight added to the rod, a super heavy reel, or an extra long butt on the rod.

Thanks for any update.
Roger

Marc - you're on the right track - get the article - read it over a few times - there is more to adding weight than making a rod feel good in the shop. If you decide to add weight - the do-it mold I designed lets you do it efficiently and the rod will still have the look and form you use on your other rods.

Marc - you're on the right track - get the article - read it over a few times - there is more to adding weight than making a rod feel good in the shop. If you decide to add weight - the do-it mold I designed lets you do it efficiently and the rod will still have the look and form you use on your other rods.

Fly rods and spin rods are almost always butt heavy when they are equipped with a reel and line. The balance point is behind where the hand falls on the grip. If balance is desired then weight has to be added in the right place. I have struggled unsuccessfully to find a way to add a weight to a fly rod which moves toward the butt as more line is put in the air - so as to balance the rod, you know. Adding weight to the rod by stuffing lead into the hollow tip of the rod is the best solution I have yet to the balance problem, so the rod and reel balance with 15 feet or half the head out of the guides. Balancing a rod by adding weight to it is the most perplexing problem I have encountered in rod building.

Butt heavy spinning rod? Probably only if you have an extremely long handle, or you hold the rod and reel above the reel seat. Most fisher-folk hold the reel so the stem is between two fingers, or at least very close to the hand. I find spinning rods tend to be tip heavy most of the time.

Those Batson butt caps look very nice indeed. Will there be any other colours in the line? Black......make a completely black one.

Phil,

Are you saying you put lead into the tip of the rod? I can't imagine doing that as the detriment to performance it would cause would easily undermine any benefit you would gain by balancing the rod to begin with.

Trying to balance against a rod with line aerialized past the tip would be almost impossible without adding a tremendous amount of weight to the rod itself.

I don't think you want to balance in order to offset the weight of the line past the tip. A fly rod should only balanced (if you think that's important in the first place) in and of itself, with all the line fully coiled on the reel. Longer fly rods are almost always tip heavy which can cause anglers to hold a high rod tip at the beginning of the cast (not good) rather than starting low and immediately removing slack from the line. Frankly, I don't think I've ever seen a fly rod that had a balance point behind the hand, unless it was a terribly short fly rod.

One method for balancing fly rods, is simply to use a larger or heavier reel, which also gains you the benefit of a greater retrieve ratio.

The same issue mentioned above has Dr. Hanneman's thoughts on fly rod balancing and how to easily achieve it if you're into that kind of thing.


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