I want to continue to hone my wrapping and thread finishing skills but I am running out of old rods to practice on. Would wooden dowel rods be an acceptable substitute to an actual rod blank? Just looking for a cheap option.

Ask your supplier to provide any scraps of broken blanks. Thanks to UPS, FedEx, USPS and old fashioned OOPS, there are plenty to go around.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2012 01:23PM by Jim Gamble.

PVC pipes are good for this application.

Arrow shafts

Chris Richer
Iroquois ON

Clean off the ones you have done and re-do them

Bill - willierods.com

Stay away from light color materials,, seems to give the finished product a different look than how it looks on a dark blank... dowel snags the thread and does not wra, p well imo..... hit up yard sales, flea markets etc.

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don

If you want to pay the freight, I have plenty to send you. It builds up every few years. You can email me directly

Why practice on scraps? ITs not rocket science, just build the actual rods. If you need to practice wraps do so on teh butt section of a rod that you are building and will cover with the handle materials.

I agree with Billy. If a wrap doesn't turn out well just call it practise, take it off and do it again. And you will have a fishing rod when you're done.

I go ito thrift shops,flea markets .I have an idea . At the thrift shop I bought a graphite golf shaft for a buck. You can saw off the iron and your in business.

Thanks for that offer Bruce! Where are you located?

I kinda figured the wood dowel would not be a good option but had to ask.

Ya I get it that it isn't rocket science Billy. I want to practice doing inlays, trim bands and so on. I figure the less I am messing around with what I want to be the finished rod the less likely I am to scratch / damage that blank. Plus if it turns out to be a nice color scheme I can keep it to refer back to later on.

I suppose I could continue with the same blank.

Mudhole often has clearance bin blanks if you cannot wait until the show - lots of the blank vendors will have "trashcan blanks" available

Mark, I see your point. Also, the longer the rod sits around the higher the chance of something going wrong around the area where you work on it.

Hey Mark, I'm located in the great state of CT

Here is another option for ya
[www.gofishin.com]

Bill - willierods.com

Mark

X 2 on the arrow shafts. I bought a bunch of solid shafts used for carp bow fishing at a shop going out of business. i glue on a cheap eva foregrip and chuck them into my lathe.

Rog

Mark

X 2 on the arrow shafts. I bought a bunch of solid shafts used for carp bow fishing at a shop going out of business. i glue on a cheap eva foregrip and chuck them into my lathe.

Rog