Ok I am planing my first rod build. I want to build a 9' 1pcs. surf/spin rod. I have been reading as much as I can and been shopping blanks online. here is what I'm thinking. I like the surf rocket LGSB1081M It is cheap and seems like a good choice. I have A shimano Trilejo rod and I love the grips It has. They seem durable and looks easy. I know I can get the shrink tub at MH And I'm anticipating some surprises when I shrink it. Do I have to put epoxy under it be for I shink it into place? If so what kind etc... What can I use to make shapes under the Shrink tube I'm guessing cork seems to be a good bet?

I don't like graphite rod seats to me it is plastic, nuff said. So is there any reason not to use solid aluminum rod seats. If it is heavier that is ok with me. Seems like all the so called hiend rods don't use the aluminium seats am I wrong or or they just cutting corner$. Can I make the reel seat arbors out of aluminum. I have a small metal lathe and this would seem more solid to me. It seems like the epoxy does all the work in that union since most use tape I guess it is just for spacing till epoxy hardens.

As for the building I have rigged up my metal lathe and I 'm sure this will do fine It will turn very slow if I need it to and way faster than I'll ever need for this.

Do I have to coat the whole blank and if so why and what do I use? is it the same epoxy I use for coating the thread wraps?

this Is probably enough questions for now lol

Mike

A few points, and some questions.
You certainly can use aluminum reel seats, or if you really want heavy duty, I have some chrome-plated brass seats that are still available.. The problem with both is that in the salt environment, they oxidize and pit. I would not, however, make the arbors out of aluminum. Use graphite, polypro, or build them up from fiberglass drywall tape. The epoxy keeps the reel seat from turning, but there is some cushioning realized from those other materials. There will be NONE from aluminum, and you will, in effect, be sandwiching the blank between two pieces of metal..
Second, while I don't know about epoxying shrink tubing, I believe it might be unnecessary and perhaps counter-productive. Call Mudhole and ask. They will give you good information. But bear in mind, this is a plastic-type material. If you think plastic is cheap, stay with cork.
Third, I would caution you against reinventing the wheel on your first rod. There is a reason arbors are not made of aluminum. There is also a reason that graphite reel seats have become the norm in rod making. Actually, there are a NUMBER of reasons. They are light in weight, but exceptionally strong. They do not corrode or pit. They don't freeze your hands in cold weather. I recommend you get a decent quality graphite seat made by Fuji or Pac Bay and try it. They are not the same as the ones used on $20 Walmart rods.
As for being plastic, if you follow that line of thought, then your graphite rod is also plastic. Not true. Graphite is NOT plastic. The resin used in the manufacture of the blanks in technically not plastic either, but closer than the graphite fibers. Put another way, a rod blank, whether fiberglass or graphite is more resin than fiber and therefore closer to plastic than a graphite reel seat.
I would advise against coating an entire blank. Coat the wraps and any writing.decals you use.
Why exactly do you want to build this rod? Is it to make something better than you can go out and purchase ready made? Is it to express creativity? Perhaps to build something that is simply unavailable?
I am far from an expert, but over the last 35 or so years I have built well over 1,000 rods. I break the rules all the time (that's how we innovate and improve). But I am a firm believer in understanding and mastering the basics before trying to improve on them. Just MHO, but I believe you will be happier if you build your first rod "by the book," if for no other reason than to gain some experience with the basic techniques necessary to build a quality rod. Fish with it. See what you like and what you would change. THEN ask a lot of questions and make an informed decision about what to change and what to leave alone.
Good luck.

Success is the result of making good choices. Making good choices is the result of experience. Experience is often the result of making bad choices.

Mike,
I second the graphite reel seat. If you fish in cold weather, you will really appreciate the graphite.

Mike,
When you say cheap,do you mean cost effective for a first build? Lamiglas doesn't make cheap or inferior blanks/rods. I would say that is a good choice.

Do I have to put epoxy under it be for I shink it into place? No,however some double side carpet tape wouldn't hurt. The length will shrink some as well as the outside diameter. Thats no surprise. So cut it a bit longer than the finished grip.

What can I use to make shapes under the Shrink tube You can accomplish this with any sturdy cord or nylon rope in a smaller diameter. Butt cord is the first thing that comes to mind for this. By that,I mean sizeable enough to add the texture underneath. Yes,you can use cork rings. Just make sure the OD of them is larger than the grip material you are using. Otherwise its pointless. Is this another way for you to keep this "first build" cost effective? By not using X-flock tubing for example? Or just something you saw somewhere and want to try? Sorry, I am not familar with what Shimano is doing with their rods.

High end rods: Where the manufacturers of the typically cut cornes costwise,is using too few guides,no underwraps,etc. Not to mention labor costs. Many of those manufacturers use local labor (which is good) but they also pay the builders per wrap,etc.
They use graphiote seats as that is what customers of their products have come to expect from a quality rod. As with anything,some seats are better than others.

Coat the whole blank: No. It already comes with a finish coat from the manufacturer. Even if it does not,its more of a headache for a 1st build than necessary,so why bother? And if it doesn't have a gloss coat already,don't assume its another cost cutter for the manufacturer. If you DO coat the blank before wrapping the guides on,use a product designed for that purpose,such as Permagloss.

Before you proceed,ask questions here and of Mudhole when you order. Obviously thats best accomplished ordering by phone. I am sure they have heard any potential "stupid" questions asked before. So don't hesitate to ask them,or us here.

I second what Gary said about mastering basics before moving on to more technical stuff. Many newbies often think adding a diamond or chevron to a rod means they are suddenly a custom builder,without really knowing or even understanding basic fundamentals. Please: dont become one of those people. Learn and grow. A house built on a weak foundation will never last. Same with fishing rods. :o) Many here will be happy to help as you may have noticed.

Best wishes and have FUN building that 1st rod. It WON'T be your last. grinssssss
Chuck

Well thanks to all this is great feed back. I need to sit back and chew on this and formulate a new series of questions. I'm learning a lot about fishing poles lately. lol I'm 41and I I have fished in a lot of places mostly spinning and fly gear. I taught my self how to tie flies when I was 14. But I never really paid much attention to what I was throwing with. Recently I moved to the NC coastal region. I have spent about 5 days a year sitting at cape hatteras throwing bait for the past 12 years but this summer I have really gotten in to surf fishing. So now I'm updating my equipment and thinking there has to be a way to get more for my money, which leads us here.

As for the cheap comment I meat that blank seemed in expensive compared to many others I looked at and that was why I liked it seemed cheap for a lamiglas. So I think I'll plan on that one. I like the grips on in my shimano rod (shrink tube) They are not as nice as cork but I prefer them to cork tape since I had cork tape come off a rod once already and it was practically brand new.

I guess I stepped in it a bit with the plastic comment. What I was primarily referring to was the reel seat being graphite looking more like plastic to me. This seems to be a part that takes alot of strain so I felt solid metal might be a better choice. The graphire ones tend to flex a little when you crank them down seems like they might split if i wasn't for the metal bands. But I have never had that happen. But I now see the reasons why that is not the case, the cold hands factor alone may have changed my mind how ever this is NC. I don't know why I like that shrink wrap stuff but I have a rod with it and i like it and most of all it looks easy to use but I might find out other wise lol. I am tring to make this simple believe it or not. Really I just want to avoid as many rookie mistakes as I can.

I'm open to any suggestions on guides I'm thinking I'm may pair this with a shimano saragosa 5000 or 6000.

Again thank you so much for all the input I am lucky to have such a good resource at my finger tips.

Mike



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2010 12:25PM by Mike Sloan.

Mike,
No worries. If you were to look,you would find some mistakes longtime rodbuilders have had in humorous posts. After all.mistakes are how many of us learn best. Myself included. Its fun and rewarding crafting rods,so for now,keep That in mind and try not to "over-think" your first rod.
Welcome aboard!
Chuck

Ok back to the guide issue If I use a shimano saragosa 6000 for the reel I'm usually spooled with 20 or 30 # PP can some one please give me some suggestions of what guides I should use. Should I mess with these low riders or is that to difficult. Maybe the fuji BLCAG or maybe the BMNAG either way I need some suggestions for how many and spacing I have seen charts for this and I'm a bit confused. If some one could help It would be wonderful cause it is all kind of confusing to me. I'm planning on using the surf rocket LGSB1081M blank. I'm looking at this as a surf/spin rod I probably will spend a lot of time throwing lite bottom rigs with it but want a rod to cast lures and plugs as far as possible if needed.

Thanks,

Mike