At the risk of boring all of you, please allow me to show (off) my latest creation; self-fabricated roller guides with pivoting feet. Admittedly, there are (a few) examples out there, but none suitable for spiral wrapping. This site introduced me to spiral wrapped rods and once I experienced the profound benefits, it is unlikely that I will ever produce a guides-on-top rod ever again. There is ONLY ONE company building roller guides for spiral wrapping = All American Roller Guides (AARG) and their product has profoundly proven itself as a winner. I have built 2 spiral tuna sticks employing AARG and their performance is over-the-top and an absolute pleasure / relief to use!
But I wanted even more = how about feet which move / pivot when the blank is under extreme flex? Many, if not most, roller manufactures incorporate some type of “foot flex” within the frame itself, but I have been intrigued with the few which offer pivoting feet which totally eliminates any work-hardening (= failure) of the frame material. Those basic designs have been around for a long time and have apparently worked adequately. They are also MUCH less expensive to produce. All said-and-done, the pivoting feet appeared to be the ultimate, pinnacle design.
With AARGuides already being a proven winner, I saw no need for changing the basic design; I just wanted the addition of pivoting feet (and an excuse to make chips on my mill). I contacted Steve and Lauri Gustlin, the owners of AARG, and they graciously gave me their blessing on proceeding. In fact, I purchased all the hardware (rollers, bushings, pins / barrel nuts, and screws) from them. I simply (although not very simple) machined the 7075 aluminum uprights and individual feet. (By the way, if you EVER see or hear a company using the terms “aircraft grade 6061” or “marine grade 6061” or the term “billet”, beware = it is ALL advertising @#$%&!!! 6061 is nothing more than a generic alloy which performs a multitude of tasks no more than adequately yet none exceptionally!!!!!! There are much better options / alloys when considering strength, formability or corrosion resistance!!! Sorry to vent, but it is a pet-peeve of mine).
Of course, the ultimate test will be in actual use on a 200lb tuna. While all may look good on the drafting board or viewing the assembled parts, actual performance is the goal. Depending on the replies here, I will keep you posted if my project is / was a brain-storm or brain-flatulence. One way or the other, I am proud of my project and confident it will prove to be a performer.
Maybe, this is enough to satisfy those who critique just how “custom” a particular build is.
[
www.rodbuilding.org]
[
www.rodbuilding.org]
[
www.rodbuilding.org]
Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.
