Is there a good video online on what/how to check for when you first get the blank? How straight it is (roll it on a flat surface) and if you see any cracks are the only things I can think of. What else should I do when I get the blank to check it for manufacturers defects?

Mentally tell yourself about five times to be extra careful of hitting ceiling, walls, pets, and family members with the tip. It’s easier than it seems to poke Into something several feet away. Wash and dry hands before handling the blank. I go right into making careful measurements of length and the tip and butt diameters after a visual inspection. It’s very easy to damage a blank with the sharp, hardened steel points of calipers, so caution is again really important. I do want to know how close a blank is to specs and the optimum tip top tube size. Few blanks will fall exactly on what charts say, so this is more looking for deviations large enough to signal something is amiss.

I put dowels under the rod near each end on a table and let gravity tell me where the curve lies. I then aim the blank at a light/bright surface and rotate it see if it curves in multiple directions. I feel the entire blank to see if there is any irregularities my eye didn’t see. Next, I load the tip to 90 degrees to assure it’s not going to break after I do all the work. Don’t create a fulcrum point up the rod with your hand or another object when you do this as that’s a good way to break a perfectly sound blank. You can check for spine or decide to build with curve up. I’m not going to wade into which way to choose on that. You can mark your “up direction” in two or three places where grips and the seat are going to cover.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2024 11:24PM by Kendall Cikanek.

The only thing I ever do is find the spine/spline. Ok if tube is folded I check to if blank is broken (which usually is…but not always).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2024 03:01PM by Joshua B. Dinklage.

1) Check to see if the blank is straight.

2) Run a cotton ball along the blank to see if there are any splinters or rough surfaces.

3) Visually inspect the blank for any flat spots, bulges or cracks.

4) Visually inspect the blank for any discontinuities of the cloth weave or finish.

5) Check to see if the spine is detectable but not excessive. .

I am not sure if a ring test is possible to determine any voids or hard spots along the blank, may be someone can offer any comments about this.

Some of these checks may seem extreme but, I don't think these checks take much time and if there is a flaw it will show up quickly.

Have fun

John

How many millimeters off center can the tip be and still be considered good? I received a couple blanks which have tips that are off 2-3 mm. Will that affect function significantly or is it within acceptable standards?

Virtually no blanks are perfectly straight. If it’s a gradual curve that runs in one direction, it’s perfectly good. If the 2-3mm departure is all near the tip making the angle big, it’s not one I’d keep. Building mostly on St. Croix/Rod Geeks, Rainshadow, and United Composites blanks, I’ve accepted 98% blanks of the blanks delivered. I can’t speak to how NFC would fit relative to this trend.

Here are some normal things that may be noticeable but aren’t structural or functional flaws. On some blanks you may faintly notice the outside edge of the flag. There has to be an edge, but it should lie flat and be extremely difficult to feel, if at all. Often the taper will have a noticeable change a foot or so behind the tip. On sanded blanks the ridges may not be fully worked off in the hollow of this area to prevent the removal of too much material. There may also be really fine texture, longitudinal grooves in the lower section of some blanks.

There has to be some balance between builders hoping for perfection and what makers can provide at price points that allow for them to stay in business.

John DeMartini Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 1) Check to see if the blank is straight.
>
> 2) Run a cotton ball along the blank to see if
> there are any splinters or rough surfaces.
>
> 3) Visually inspect the blank for any flat spots,
> bulges or cracks.
>
> 4) Visually inspect the blank for any
> discontinuities of the cloth weave or finish.
>
> 5) Check to see if the spine is detectable but not
> excessive. .
>
> I am not sure if a ring test is possible to
> determine any voids or hard spots along the blank,
> may be someone can offer any comments about this.
>
> Some of these checks may seem extreme but, I don't
> think these checks take much time and if there is
> a flaw it will show up quickly.
>
> Have fun
>
> John

Can you explain what this means? “spine is detectable but not
> excessive”. I want to make sure I understand what you are saying. I’m always trying to learn.

Let's not start another spine debate.

The dowel method is cheap and will work, I think.

In its most simple for, place the blank or rod section between the two dowels and rotate it. This needs to be done on a flat surface. The lowest point of the blank's curve should settle downward between the dowels, and that would also result in the highest point of the tip being at its apex. This is essentially a variation on a theme of Tom K's manner of finding the straightest axis.

To be the more accurate, per his method, place the two dowels closer to the rod butt with plenty of tip overhang. Rotate the blank and when the tip reaches its apex above the table top or other flat surface you have found the straightest axis. Mark and build on the side you prefer. I

I don't build on blanks I haven't stress tested, I'm not going to take the time io build something that is questionable on durability out the door.

david taylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let's not start another spine debate.
>
> The dowel method is cheap and will work, I think.
>
>
> In its most simple for, place the blank or rod
> section between the two dowels and rotate it. This
> needs to be done on a flat surface. The lowest
> point of the blank's curve should settle downward
> between the dowels, and that would also result in
> the highest point of the tip being at its apex.
> This is essentially a variation on a theme of Tom
> K's manner of finding the straightest axis.
>
> To be the more accurate, per his method, place the
> two dowels closer to the rod butt with plenty of
> tip overhang. Rotate the blank and when the tip
> reaches its apex above the table top or other flat
> surface you have found the straightest axis. Mark
> and build on the side you prefer. I
That’s exactly what I do. I shifted away from finding the spine after my 2nd build several months back. This forum and articles provided by this forum convinced me the straightest axis is the way to go… Whether right or wrong, that’s what I do. I place my two stands close together so it’s mainly the butt being supported then slowly rotate the blank until I identify the highest “curve point”, mark, and set my casting guides on the marked side, spinning guides on the “lower” side

Jeremy Moore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>John
>
> Can you explain what this means? “spine is
> detectable but not
> > excessive”. I want to make sure I understand
> what you are saying. I’m always trying to
> learn.

Jeremy

When I check the spine and the blank turns easily and there is a slight bump and a tends to settle easily into a to a neutral curve to me it is a soft spine.. If the blank takes a lot of effort to turn and jerks violently I consider that an excessive spine and it would be difficult FOR ME to find a suitable axis to align the guides.

Bottom line, the less pronounced the spine is, the more uniform the blank will be.

That is what I do, it may be unnecessary or controversial but it sure makes me feel warm and fuzzy and content with my product;.

There are many good suggestions offered and it is up to you to digest it and decide what is best for you.

Have Fun

My exposure to the dowel method was through Dale Clemens instructions that go back to the 1980’s and maybe even before. He had a book or so, and then Flex Coat condensed and built on some of his advice in pamphlet form. I don’t remember which source I first saw it. Both Clemens and Flex Coat are venerable legends in rod building. I used to build with curve down until Tom advised curve up. I always check for spine(s) and normally find either one that correlates with the curve or two with one that does. Dowels can’t be in error as gravity is real, unlike dowsing which only might be. If you see a sideways bend after doweling, there has to be a bend in two planes.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/2024 10:45PM by Kendall Cikanek.

Parts of the video below address this question specifically. It's obviously slanted towards Rainshadow Rod Blanks, but the content may be helpful.
[youtu.be]

-The Batson TEAM
BatsonEnterprises.com

Kendall Cikanek Wrote:
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I used to
> build with curve down until Tom advised curve up.


What have you noticed between the 2? And by curve up or down do you mean apex of the curve or the direction the tip ends up facing?

Why one way over the other?

Building rods in MA, Building the community around the world

I haven’t definitively noticed anything. I assumed tip down would eliminate minor torquing (the original way I built). The tip up school of thought is that it makes for a higher power rod. That’s probably true to a small degree. With Torzite guides the tip up rods show the curve in a vertical position and are pretty level in horizontal. Of course top down remains visibly tip down with a slight increase. I don’t have identical blanks built both ways, maybe that would give a clearer indication.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2024 04:08PM by Kendall Cikanek.

None of my guides that I use (alconites through torzites) have ever noticeably brought my curve up oriented builds to bring the curve down. I am using #5 or #5.5 runners, and typically medium light and heavier blanks. Maybe on bigger guides, I wouldn't know. I will say that, though I don't notice any power difference (curve up or curve down), the sensitivity IS better curve up. Twisting torque isn't as noticeable with today's lower profile guides on casting, nor on the lighter rods. The curve has typically lined up with the spine for me (actually I think it has every time).

When I did rod building classes, my simple advice was something I may have first heard here.
Wrap the rod with any bend up "as though fishing it".
Casting rods with guides on top, spinning and fly with guides under.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

Up or down will not make much of a difference. I think Tom can site a study posted somewhere above that indicates tip bent up gives you a slight increase in lifting power before the rod breaks.