Top of the day to all.
Does anyone manufacturer a size 8, 11/64 tube tip top? This old FG surf rod is a fatty! I can find a few 10 / 11s but no 8s. I would prefer polished SS but will buy black guides to match a black top if needed, ring material comparable to Alconite.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Take a look at Get Bit Outdoors, I think it's the forecast brand that has that size.

Going from to a size 10 from an 8 is not going to be much heavier and will give you much more options.

What size are the runners?

Jerry and David, Thank you for taking the time to reply and assist.
I will investigate the offerings at Get Bit. All the guides will be Fuji KW’s with 8 runners. This beautiful, old, FG, 20-25lb? Garcia Conolon surf spinning rod is being converted to a live bait / surface jig casting rod so I will be able to use it more. It should be fun to use for yellow tail, WSB, even calico. But I would love to give a small 50lb tuna an opportunity to try to break it also. When ordering the KW guides and Arowana top for my last build, I forgot to order the top one size smaller than the runners to accommodate the thinner Torzite ring with its larger ID. It just looks a bit goofy to me but 95% of the people probably would not notice. I am pretty numb and don’t think I would notice the weight difference, but would simply prefer to produce a consistent, modern guide train utilizing a vintage rod proudly displaying its beautiful FG weave.
Your time and concern is appreciated.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Big fan of fiberglass rods that show a nice weave like the Conolons. I picked up some Sceptre fly rod blanks that show that nice weave in the sun.I wonder if it would be possible for you to use a 8 ring and a smaller tube if the blank is tubular glass at the tip where you could use solid fiberglass as a internal stint. This would lengthen the rod by the size of the tip unless you trim it down some though. I did a repair like that to Lamiglas fly rod but I am not sure if that would work for your rod.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2016 04:59PM by David Miller.

David, thanks for the reply. Glad to find someone other than myself who appreciates the absolute beauty, not to mention the unmistakable feel, of the vintage FG rods, Conolon in paticular. I hadn’t thought of that remedy, but this is a perfect example why this newbie asks so many questions of you veterans such as you. The rod tip wall thickness is pretty hefty at 0.034, meaning the tip top would end up at a size 6.5-7.0, quite a reduction from an 11, especially for a 25-30lb ocean rod. But you are thinking and I like that, appreciate it as well. But you got me thinking….???

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

I just started rod building a couple years ago and this site has been an incredible in wealth of knowledge.
You can use a larger tube that matches close in OD to the tip of your blank then sand the solid glass down to fit inside tightly.Hopefully Tom or someone here has done a 30lb rod that way. I would think a 7 size solid glass would be strong enough as most of the pressure is further down the blank where the rod shuts off from flexing.

David,
Good point on the stress point of the blank. While still a tad leery, after all, it's the tip of the rod, I'm still thinking, thanks to you. Here I go, yet again, over-thinking.
Thanks for your concern, insightful knowledge while thinking out of the box, and affording me assistance.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

I sent you an email, found a seller with Fuji 8 ring 11 tube tip top