You're absolutely correct Tom. There is no industry standard and therein lies the big problem. What XYZ company calls Flor grads ABC company may call "Select grade" or even AAAA or AAA. Until there is an industry standard, we will continue to have this discussion. There needs to be an industry standard, but then, who is going to determine that "standard"?
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I agree with Tom, much more in cork out there. However, that being said, the quality of natural cork has gone way down. What we buy today as Flor grade would not have passed as AAA grade 5 years ago. I've been very disappointed in the quality of natural and burnt burl I've been buying for some time now, regardless of where I buy it. Jerry Cook J-Cook Fly Rods
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Agree with Roger. I C clamp mine to the bench. No worries. Another thing, I NEVER leave the shop when I have a rod on the dryer. I'm always in sight of it, so IF, something happens, I can correct it right then. Roger, I keep telling myself I'm going to build me a drum dryer but never seem to find the time. I'm 5 rods behind now, so taking a day to build a drum dryer is out of the question. Al
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Many thinks for the offers here. Mike, thanks for sending the thread. All your responses confirm the fact, this is a great bunch of people. Jerry
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Thanks Don. the first time I saw a post on here from you, I checked them out. I will certainly consider your thread in the future. I really liked some of the Gudebrod nylon colors. The Garnet being one of them. Didn't particulary care for their metallics. Jerry Cook
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Does anyone have any Gudebrod #206 Garnet A thread they would like to get rid of? I've tried to match it with Pro Wrap but just cannot find another thread that gives me the look I like in a garnet color thread. E mail me if you do. Thanks, Jerry Cook J-Cook Fly Rods
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Another little tip here. If you keep both Lite and High build in stock,,,,store them seperately so as not to mix them up. One day while in a hurry, i grabbed 2 bottles if Flex Coat. I have syringes in the tops of my bottles. So, I grab 2 bottles, draw 2 units of each, put it in my mixer and go do something else for 2 minutes. Come back, pour it into my tin foil lined plate and start applying. An
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I build a lot of custom handles for other rod builders. E mail me Tom and I give you some prices. Jerry Cook
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Well, I hate to be a spoil sport here, but I'm a huge fan of the Sage VXP. I sell a lot of rods built on that blank. I've fished it a lot and love it. At the top of my list is the Sage ONE. If you are looking for distance and accuracy, this is the rod. Yes, it is not cheap, but in my book those two rods are two of the best out there. Just my 2 cents worth.
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I'm with Herb on the SVSG #16 guide. I like that Fuji guide and hate to see it discontinued. I like the REC Recoils and the Snake Brand Universal guides. They fit the blank so well and require less prep before wrapping.
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I use the Pro Wrap 543 Evergreen a lot on Sage blanks. You can then use a lot of different thread colors for accent and it really looks good. Silver, gold, copper, all look good as an accent with the Evergreen.
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Cork4U is a good vendor. I order from them almost once a month and it takes about 2 weeks to get my order from the time I e mail it to Joaquim. They pay shipping on orders of $250 Euro or more. This figures to be, depending on the exchange rate at the time, about $325 US. Jerry
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I use Devcon 2 part for "gluing" grip and reel seat to blank and find it to be a good product. Titebond III is what I use for gluing the cork rings together. It has a 30 minute working time so you don't have to be in a rush. I let it set over night and then turn on the lathe the next day.
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Paul, how thin is thin? I thought Sage ONE tip sections were thin, but sounds like you are working with one that is thinner that that. The ONE uses a 3.5 tip top and that appears large. Jerry
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This may be different than what some of you do, but I lay down a thin layer of epoxy, the gently wipe it with a coffee filter. This puts a very thin layer of epoxy on the blank and virtually assures you of a flat surface to apply the decal on. Just my way of doing it and after I apply the decal, I do not use CP. Have never had a problem. Tom, I agree with the others here, Debbie at DC is tops. Ca
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Next year for me too. Just too much going on right now and no way I could make it. Don, if you run into Joaquim from Cork4US, tell him I said hello. Jerry Cook
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No problem with customs on this. I order from them fairly often. $250 Euro to get free shipping or about $335 US, depending on exchange rate. It's best if you have Joaquim e mail you a price list, and as mentioned above, use their numbers. He is a great guy to work with. Jerry Cook
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Kevin, I think you are correct. Probably most on here do not even know what a form 720 is and therefore don't pay their FET and other taxes. There are many in the "business" that operate under the radar and those of us that operate above board have all of the expense of doing so.
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Mark, I had to laugh when I read your post. I owned 2 photography studios back in the 80' and sold them in the mid 90's. I saw the digital age coming and I knew we old film guys were going to be hurting. Like you, I got a couple of thousand for weddings and I did a lot of product phitography as well. When the small automatic cameras came out, I could see the writing on the wall. I went back into
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This is very much a business for me. I have shipped rods all over the country as well as Canada, Italy and the UK. International shipping can be a headache but most of my rods are higher end rods, so it is worth it to me to do the paper work for customs. I just urge those of you who do this as a business, be it part time or full time, to not give your work away as it lowers the value of everyones
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I'm in agreement with Decal Connection. You simply cannot beat their service or price. I e mail them what I want and a few days later the decals are in my mail box. Peel and stick work just fine if applied correctly. No worries. Trying to print yourself is a waste of time and money.
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I do something a bit different than what has been mentioned here. I use different sizes of rat tail files. Cut the handle portion back to the round part of the file, then chuck it in you lathe or drill press. I use my lathe for this. Works really good and they don't wear out. Jerry
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I've spoken to Joaquim on several occasions. A really nice guy to do business with, and Tom is correct, he is a wealth of knowledge.
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Fadly, Send me an e mail so I can reply back with some information for you. Jerry
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I second Jay. I've done both and done properly, they both work.
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I just purchased a bunch of Top Flor. Even that is not as good as it should be and after turning a few grips. some of it would not have passed as Flor or even lower grade in the past. Cork quality just is not what it once was. I do not fill often because, as Randolph said, some of it adds character. If it needs filling, I use Pit Paste. Sands nice and if I treat it with Tru Oil, it still looks go
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I'm with Ron on the Lemke's. Great product and I like them as well as the REC's. As for the pretty wood, I turn a lot of wood as my customers like the stabilized burl I'm getting and yes, it's "pretty" but it sells. But then, I do a lot of high end Sage blanks. Sage ONE is where it's happening.
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X2 with Terry. I've used some of those same color combinations and the work well. I've used blue with metallic red on blue TFO blanks and they look good. Dark green with gold on Sage blanks also is a good combo.
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I've been trying to buy a Crafty Cutter but it has been on back order for 2 months.
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My first coat I usually use FC lite for penetration. After that has set up for a day, the next coat is FC high build and if another coat is needed, I will use FC high again. On my feather inlays,,,,I'll use 3 or 4 coats of FC high to get the depth I want. Jerry Cook
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