For you ice rod builders out there I am hoping that you might be able to help me out. I am in search of a 30" power noodle style blank and I cannot seem to find one anywhere other than from Thorne Bros. I have no problem going to them if need be but I like try blanks from different companies if I can and I have already got a few blanks from them this season to try out. I know the Mudhole is coming out with a power noodle but its only 26" not the 30 that I am looking for. Does anyone know where I can find a blank that meets the specs that I am looking for?

Other than telling us it must be 30" long what else are you looking for so we can help you find it. Is "power noodle" a spec that we should be familiar with?

Just trying to better understand your needs.

Chester

May your line be tight and your beverages be cold!

You can also add 4" to that MudHole blank ??

Bill - willierods.com

i think Bill has the right idea. That power noodle blank is quite stiff in the rear half. Given that Thorne Bros offers this blank, and many others, any length you want them, they are starting with longer blanks and cutting them down (from the butt) to whatever the build requires. I can't think of a reason why you couldn't simply add 4" to Mudhole's blank since the blank is most likely very stiff in this area - your handle will likely completely enclose a short 4" extension like that.

John E Powell Wrote:
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> i think Bill has the right idea. That power noodle
> blank is quite stiff in the rear half. Given that
> Thorne Bros offers this blank, and many others,
> any length you want them, they are starting with
> longer blanks and cutting them down (from the
> butt) to whatever the build requires. I can't
> think of a reason why you couldn't simply add 4"
> to Mudhole's blank since the blank is most likely
> very stiff in this area - your handle will likely
> completely enclose a short 4" extension like that.

Okay I have no problem doing that. How? I have never thought about doing that or seen anyone do it, can you give me a basic rundown of how to add extra length?

From the library here:

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Scott,
It is trivial to add 4 inches to the butt of the rod. This is particularly true if you have a grip that is at least 6 inches long.

Simply take a piece of old rod blank stock and find a section of the blank that gives a nice fit for the butt of the ice rod blank. Insure that you have a 2 inch overlap on the new rod blank into the old blank.
Use epoxy to secure it in place.

Then, ream out, or drill out the cork grip until the new larger piece of blank fits nicely into the grip.

If you want to use only a 4 inch grip, keep the same 6 inch piece of over sized blank that you have overlapped 2 inches and have glued in place. Then, simply drill out the rod blank, and let the oversized blank section protrude from the grip by 2 inches.

Wrap the blank with a nice wrap and you will be set to go.

Scott,
You can buy a blank like this one. It would be a good idea to buy several.

Then, be ready to shape the end of the blank to get the power noodle tip that you like.

Simply chuck it into a drill that is held in a vise, or into a lathe and while spinning the rod, just use various grades of sand paper to change the taper of the tip, if the tip is not satisfactory.

That is why I suggested that you buy several. If you happen to destroy one or more of the blanks while sanding, pitch it and grab the next one. Just go easy with a medium grade paper and you will quickly have the rod in the shape that you want.

Keep a caliper handy and frequently check the diameter of the blank, at various stations on the blank.

This is the method that Thorne brothers use, to get the original taper on their rod blanks. i.e. start with a larger and stiffer blank - and begin to sand it to shape, power and action.

Then, when they have achieved the exact action that they wish, they measure the blank at every station. They then take their list of specifications and measurements, send it to the blank grinder and order their desired quantity. But of course this is one of the reasons that their blanks get the prices that they ask. i.e. the blanks do have the exact taper that makes an outstanding rod for the particular application intended.

If you want the blank shorter than the original length, just shorten the butt or tip, before starting the sanding. Normally, I would always trim from the butt, since I would like to save as much as the softer tip as possible before starting to change it.

[www.sportsmensdirect.com]

Roger,

That is exactly what I am looking for. Thank you.

When you say "stations" do you mean just at different points or is there an equation of some sort to figure out where each "station" is?

Scott,
Stations are exactly that. Just different points on the rod blank where you take your caliper diameter measurements.

It works particularly well, if you can find a blank that you like, and measure each station. Essentially, you want a lot of measurements near the tip, where the blank changes in diameter and fewer measurements closer to the butt of the rod, where the diameter changes less or not at all. If you can find a blank that you like and can measure, then it is a simple procedure to sand the new larger sized blank to the size that you need to duplicate the action.

It would be nice if you had a friend with the exact blank that you wanted to duplicate and who would let you measure the rod blank as needed to achieve your final results.

I assume that we are talking about either solid graphite or solid fiberglass rod blank.

For a power noodle, I would use only the solid fiberglass, due to the softer tip that one achieves by using glass rather than graphite.

Also, the glass will be much less prone to breakage when working with small diameters; compared to graphite of the similar diameter.

Also, you will find that to get the same softer action in graphite as fiberglass, the graphite will be even smaller in diameter than the fiberglass which makes it even more prone to damage.

Be safe

p.s.
When sanding, just take your time, don't sand so aggressively that you over heat and ruin the blank and take frequent measurements, so that you don't go too far.

When using the blank that I suggested, the bulk of your sanding will be done in the first 2-4 inches of the blank. The rest of the blank will be little changed.

Be safe

By the way, an AC or DC powered drill that is clamped such that the rod blank will be held in a horizontal position works very well to spin the blank as needed when sanding.
If you happen to have an AC powered universal series would drill, you can use any of many different electronic speed controls that are foot controlled.

If you happen to have the appropriate sized DC variable voltage power supply that is foot controlled, you can use that to control the speed with your foot for a DC cordless drill as well.

If you don's have a foot pedal, you can use a friends hand and finger to control the speed of the drill as needed when sanding. (Of course I assume that the hand and finger will be attached to your friend or partners live body to be able to achieve the control needed.

Also, when doing this sanding you don't need a rod support for the blank, but you want to be holding the blank at about the 2/3rds point when starting the drill to insure that the blank doesn't start to whip and thus break. So, as you are sanding, keep the sand paper around the blank to stabilize the blank and only start the drill or stop the drill with the blank stabilized;. Many blank will be stable under high speed rotation. But, every now and then, you will run across a blank that will begin to whip and could destroy itself if not stabilized during rotation.

Be safe



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/2013 09:25AM by roger wilson.

Thorne Bros offer a 28" blank in their hardwater series. I have used these in the past and its a nice blank. I am also waiting on Mudhole to try theirs. Just thought I would pass this along. I like this blank for different reasons. Light bite mid season perch. mid day panfish. etc.