Who makes tip top for instance if my smallest guide is a 6 and my rod tip is a #12 where can I find a tip top with a small ring for a larger tube size?

It's doubtful you'll find a tiptop with a #12 tube and a size 6 ring.

Most likely you'll have to wrap a single foot guide on as a tiptop.

...........

Just use a 10-12 tip top. YOu could also bend a regular guide and make a tip top - teh method is outlined in one of the Rodmaker magazine back issues. I will tell you that a size 6 is not going to work on a size 12 blank, I had a hard enough tie bending a size 6 around a size 8.5 top.

Tom is that what most do on a spiral wrap rod when I assume often times the guides out the tip are smaller and on heavier blanks?Thanks for the quick response.

Many do, yes. Others just use the bigger tiptops. The choice is yours but a single foot guide will easily function as a tiptop guide.

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

Billy I had also considered that but being new to this I didnt want to do something stupid if there was a better way .Everything Ive gathered seems to want a tip ring the same size as smallest guide ring.I thought surely Im not the first to run into this.I wanted it to be custom built and not look ''homade''.

I really would like to understand what you are attempting to do - is this a heavy duty salt water rod? What is the blank general desciption? I am in with Billy if this is a blank with a diameter on the tip that requires a 12/64 tube. I would not use an unbraced single foot fly guide in a number six on any heavy duty rod - keeping it from looking homemade and building a rod that will work properly are two different things. I build flipping sticks with 3.5 mm guides and 6 mm ring tip tops because it is the only choice to provide a rod that will work properly without being damaged.

One of my personal Musky rods has a 12.0 tip and I used 6mm running guides spiral wrapped. I went ahead and used the smallest ring the 12mm tube that was available in. After installing it, and using the rod a few years, I'm glad I used the tip top with the 8 or 10mm? ring and 12.0 tube, it's been very durable and I've more than gotten use to the look.

DR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/2009 03:27PM by Duane Richards (DR).

Bill my blank is a mudhole SPSWB7H.It shows a #12 tip.It will be spiraled for freshwater catfishing.My running guides are going to be #6s and I wanted my tip top to be close to that.Isee now thats not the way its done so Ill do what DR did and get the right tube size and smallest ring for that size tube.Am I on the right track now?Thanks much for all help.

YOu are on teh right track.

I'm not sure what guides you used, but Pac Bay makes an 8-12.0 in their hialoy ring. I have one on a rod for a similar purpose

That is right on track.

I think my 12.0/8 is either a pacbay or american tackle?

DR