I have made several rods over the last few decades, but only for my own use and hardly enough to qualify as a good assistant for most of you. I also do not know anything about turning parts on lathes etc. Therefore before I begin my next project, I thought I would consult the group for advice and for a specific problem that has already cropped up.

I ordered a MHX 722 blank (6' medium light rated for 6-12 lb line) I also ordered a 12 inch texalium .980 I.D. tube to use for the tennessee handle. I have minima spinning guides in sizes 20, 10, 6, and five 4's with a 4 tip. I have read the Fuji KR Concept rapid choke guide placement material and intend to follow that design. I have the spinning reel I intend to use already and will place the first four guides using the actual reel.

Question 1: Does anyone see any problems with this set of parts and plan? Any shout outs on things I should look out for?

Question 2: I included in the order the rod winding check and butt cap available with the tube. The butt cap will work well, but the winding check has a center hole considerably larger than the diameter of the blank at the point it will exit the handle. Can you suggest a part or method to resolve the problem?

Thanks in advance for any insights or help.

Randy

1. It's hard to pre select guide sizes. The line path will tell you which sizes you need and where to locate them. For no more than they cost, you might want to include a 12 and an 8, just to make sure you'll have whatever the right combination of guides may be.

2. Either get a smaller check or set the check you get over the top of a thread base, which might have to be a couple layers thick. You can taper any such build up by starting a second (or third) layer just a little behind the previous layer.

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

Randy,
As Tom said, it is never a bad idea to have a few extra guides to be sure that you have the right combination for your line path.
However, the guides that you have selected will likely work all right. If I was doing it, I would use a size 20 match guide to have the guide tall enough to prevent problems.

Pick up a few extra winding checks. Take a caliper and measure the diameter of the rod at the point where the front of the reel seat and grip end. Then, pick up about 3 checks that are right size, and too small and too big. That way you will be sure to have the correct one.

Often, if you get the rubber ends for the aluminum tube, you can get the ends to have a 1/4 inch hole in them. Then, simply use a reamer to ream the rubber end to the correct size. If you do this, no need for any winding check at all.

[www.mudhole.com]

If you are using the .980 front rubber piece and find that the hole is too large, just use masking tape to build up the blank diameter to fit the inside of the hole in the rubber front.

Then, put a winding check of the correct size in front of that.
[www.mudhole.com]

When you put the .980 tube in place, use arbors inside the tube in 3 or 4 locations to have a good secure mount on the rod.
You can use one of the commercial arbors:

[www.mudhole.com]

Or just take cork rings, turn them down to match the ID of the aluminum tube, and then bore them to the size of the rod blank.

Glue the arbors onto the rod blank first, using 5 minute epoxy and then glue the aluminum tube to the arbors, and tube butt and tube front pieces.

P.S.
I have used the .980 tubes for quite a few rods and they work out very well and end up being rather light on the blank.

Be safe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2014 03:15PM by roger wilson.

Here'a quick fix.
Make an arbor of masking tape so that the oversize check fits.
Have the arbor extend beyond the oversize winding check.
Epoxy everything, then trim the excess tape off flush, using a razor blade.
Once everything is dry, color the raw end of the tape with a black magic marker.
Use a little epoxy or thread finish to seal the coloured tape.
Add a thread trim band or two, or a hook keeper, in front of the arbor,and finish...If you can see it at all, the arbor will now look like rubber.

One thing you could have done to make life a lot easier
next time you order parts and if you know how long and where your seat will go and handles
You can have the supplier measure for the check and give you any arbores or Just set you up with all you need
All ya got to do is ask
And wright down what you think you need All of them on the left will gladly help

Bill - willierods.com

Lots of good help here people. Thank you.

This rod is headed toward being a tool to throw finesse jig heads and short plastics on 10# braid with a 6# leader. Its function and feel is modeled after an old Charlie Brewer rod by Falcon I once owned.

I agree with Gary's comment on the use of masking tape to build up the rod blank diameter to fit the hole in the end of the cap.
However, I would just have the tape come flush to the end of the cap.
Then, I would simply obtain a standard winding check that fits the rod blank and put that in front of the tape. Simple and a perfect job.

Be safe

This afternoon I built arbors for the tube with masking tape and then used black cord to make a simple wrap around the blank that extends 1/2 inch past where the winding check that fits the tube ends. The blank plus one layer of cord wrap fit the check hole perfectly. I have everything glued up and I am quite pleased with how it looks. I will epoxy the cord as if it were an accent wrap on a foregrip. Thanks again for the suggestions. They are what triggered me to think of the cord.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2014 06:22PM by randy stainer.