My blank was delivered today (11/17), 7 days after I ordered it. Very happy about that. In a couple of other threads I was wondering about the blank being un-sanded and how noticeable the ridges would be. They are noticeable, but not as offensive as I thought they might be. Would I prefer the blank to be nice and smooth like the IM series NFC blanks I've recently built on. I sure would, but ...... I can live with the blank as is. I won't be sanding it. It does have an odd texture though. It kind of reminds me of dragging a finger nail on a piece of nylon. Except it doesn't give me goose bumps. lol

What does give me goose bumps, is how the blank feels. A 7'3" medium heavy power rated blank that comes in at an advertised weight of 2 oz. It's crazy light !!! I recently bought a new house that has hardwood floors, so I couldn't do my usual "drag the tip along the carpet" to feel how sensitive it is, test. But I did drag it across the floor and along a very short pile running rug. Prior to this blank, the most sensitive blank I have built on to date, has been blanks from the Rainshadow Immortal series of blanks. The Immortals transmit vibrations very very well. This HM X ray is ...... well it's nuts is what it is. lol I can't fathom a more sensitive feeling blank.

I'm building it as a casting rod, but I am seriously contemplating order another of the exact same blanks, to build as a spinning rod.

Anyhow .... I know I have only played with the bare blank, but if anyone is thinking of buying a blank in the near future, you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to consider one of these blanks at the current sale price. Under $90 for a blank of this caliber? I'm ordering another one! lol

They are a pretty wicked stick especially for the current price

Man Thomas, you aren't kidding. It would be a wicked stick at twice the price I paid for it.

With the above said, I've of course been playing around with it a bit more. Taking measurements for a reel seat and tip top, and what not. While handling it and feeling its texture, I couldn't help but think that this must be what it feels like to be a young school girl that is trying to decide on which dress to wear to the prom. The texture of the blank is odd to the touch, and I also wonder about packing thread wraps, and how that is going to work. So .... being somewhat impetuous, I pulled out a piece of 320 and 400 grit sand paper and chucked the blank up in my power wrapper.

I'm going with a full length carbon fiber rear grip for this build, so I went ahead and sanded the portion of the blank that will be covered by it, and the MVT reel seat I'll be using. It took light pressure and just a few passes with the 320 grit to smooth the finish to where you could barely feel the texture. Another couple of light passes with the 400 grit, and it is as smooth and as beautiful as the finish on the IM series blanks from North Fork, that I recently built on. This brings me to a couple of questions?

In the description of the X ray blanks on North Fork's web site, it states that "sanding blanks makes them softer, the action of these blanks is crisp". Honestly, I can't understand how lightly sanding a blank would take any crispness away from the blank? If anything I would think it would enhance the crispness of the blank, simply because you're reducing (however miniscule) the blanks weight. With the preceding said, what say the general public? I just can't see it changing the blank that much? I'm not concerned with voiding the blank's warranty (if it in fact has one) by continuing to sand the entire blank, I'm just looking for thoughts of others on the subject.

Also, is the procedure I described using to sand the portion of the blank that I did, and acceptable way of doing it? If anyone has toured a blank building facility and witnessed blanks being sanded, do they use a similar procedure? I am open to all thoughts and suggestions on the subject.

Oh, and I ordered another one of the same 736 blanks. Not because I'm afraid I will mess this one up if I finish with the sanding procedure, but because it is, to quote a fellow member, "a pretty wicked stick"

Thomas Kaufman the XRays and all NFC are 65% Off right now on their web sight.

Well ... after thinking it through a bit more I decided to wear a different dress to the prom than the one I planned on. Meaning ... I went ahead and sanded the entire blank. I followed the IMO, non aggressive process I outlined above. I'm happy I did, While the finish from the factory had a cool look to it, It just felt too odd to the touch.

I misspoke earlier when I said the light sanding brought the finish of the X ray blank to the level of finish of the North Fork IM series blanks I recently built on. It's not quite in that league. If any of you have built on an NG series blank from Hydra, that's the type of feel I now have on the X ray blank. Smooth to the touch, but not the silky buffed feel of the North Fork IM series blanks.

So now I just have to wait for my components to get here. I am proud of all of the rods I've built thus far, but I'm upping the ante a bit on this one. I put the money I saved on the blank purchase, into a set of the dark grey Fuji T2 titanium guides, with slim SIC rings. This will be the first casting rod I've built using K guides, and I may change up my normal 3 double foot guides reduction train. I ordered #10, # 8, and # 6 KWs. Two #5 KBs, and six #5 KTs. I went with #5 runners simply because they don't sell a matching tip top with a #4.5 ring.

The problem with doing a build this time of year in my neck of the woods, is having to wait to use it when you're done. Going by the weather of late, we're probably going to have ice forming pretty soon. I can have a problem being patient at times, but I'm not going to go out and cut a hole in the ice just so I can try out my newly built rod. Although ... I do have a river close by that usually doesn't freeze. lol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2018 01:57AM by David Baylor.

That's great to hear. Did you grab the SJ or the MB 736? Also do you feel its a true medium heavy or lighter? Thanks.

I went with the MB 736, and also ordered another one of the same.that I'll eventually be building as a spinning rod. As to the question, does it feel like a true medium heavy power, that's hard to say, I'd say it feels like other mag bass blanks, with similar lure weight ratings. It's got a very good back bone and should work exceptionally well for it's intended purpose. That being, dragging 3/8 oz football jigs around in search of smallmouth bass. I actually think it will prove to be very versatile.

Build yourselves a CCS rig and know what the power and action is. There is a way to do it without having to have that huge piece of pegboard around. You need a vise, a pedistal, and a level floor.

Any info on how the MB and SJ differ? I can guess, but could use some experienced comments.

Yes the sj is quicker and has more power . At least that is how mine compares to the mb

Just some particulars on the measurements for the MB736 X ray blank. My measurements are based on a lightly sanded, smooth to the touch, rod blank. I assume North Fork lists the dimensions for the blank as it comes from the factory. Not sanded.

North Fork lists the tip as 1.7. I assumed mm so I converted that to 64ths. That comes out to just shy of 4.3. I ordered the guides while waiting for the blank to arrive, so not being sure whether or not I would sand the blank once I got a chance to feel its texture, I ordered a tip top with a size 4 and one with a size 4.5 tube. After sanding the entire blank, the 4.5 tube would barely start on the tip of the blank. A small amount of additional sanding at the very tip, and the 4.5 fits nicely.

I'm using an MVT reel seat on this build. The MVT is a fit to the blank type of reel seat, so I needed to take some blank measurements so I could order the proper size. A word about the MVT casting reel seat. I have had two of them that are not true to size. One of them was .5 mm larger than the size molded into the seat. If you aren't able to have your supplier fit the seat to the rod blank at a specific place on the blank, be sure to alert the supplier as to the OD of the blank where you want the seat to land and have them send you a size that won't exceed that dimension. It will save you a delay in completing your build, and the headache of having to send the other seat back.

I am using a 10" rear grip for this rod, so I measured the blank (after the light sanding) 10" from the butt. The blank measure .534. BTW, North Fork lists the butt of the MB736 X ray as .49. That's a pretty big discrepancy right there. As a testimony to what I just posted about the MVT casting reel seats. .531 is 13.5 mm, so I ordered an 13.5 seat, but specified I wanted the seat checked to be true to size, and if the 13.5 wasn't, I requested they send me a smaller seat that I could ream to fit. I haven't received the seat yet, but it has been shipped, and they shipped me a 13 mm seat. So watch out for those MVT seats. They are a beautiful and comfortable reel seat, but they have a sizing problem.

Anyhow, just thought I'd share some info in case someone is going to order one of the same blanks, and is wondering what sizes they may need. Personally I'd never completely go off someone else's measurements of the blank they have in hand. I provide the info just as get you in the ball park kind of thing.

Edit for additional info. As I chucked the blank in my power wrapper to sand it, I couldn't sand the very butt of the blank. I just checked the butt with digital calipers, and the butt measures .591, not the .49 listed in the NFC specs. Misprint on NFCs part



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2018 08:41AM by David Baylor.