Marc My response assumes that the reel seat hood you have is the type that gets inletted into the rear of the cork grip. Your first step should be to cement the reel seat hood into the recess in the cork grip. This is done BEFORE the grip is cemented to the rod blank. I use U40 Rod Bond for this. There are other adhesives that will work but my preference is Rod Bond, and I have never had a
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I second John Powell's advice about getting Billy Vivona's book. Bit pricy, but well written and full of great information. John A.
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I specialize in building only fly rods. On an 8'6" 4wt. I would probably use 9 guides plus a stripper. For the stripper I would use a size 10 Agate, and for the running guides I would use one #3, one #2 and the remainder #1 with a standard size tip top. Guide spacing would be determined by static testing. Hope this helps John A.
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Congratulations Tom! Great site, great magazine, and great Expo. How about an Expo here in the West? Colorado? John A.
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I use the tapered handles from various sized cheap artists paint brushes (Hobby Lobby). Just cut off the brush end then cutt the handle into smaller sections (2 to 3 inches) and they will rotate true in the wrapperYou can add tape arbors if needed. Inexpensive and easy. John A.
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Your thought about using a 3-10 is fine. Go for it. John A.
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I agree with Jim's comments. The #40 Polyneon works really well. John A.
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Generally speaking - If it's Glass 2 or 3 piece and if it's Graphite 4 piece. John A.
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Marc My favorite glass blank is the Epic available from www.swiftflyfishing.com. They are pricey but in my opinion are one of the best glass blanks available today. If you are looking for something a bit less expensive check out the Ruby River fiberglass blank from www.greencadis.com. Their blanks come with 2 tips and are in the $50 range. There are other choices and sources available a
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Scott If you continue to have issues send me a PM. I believe you have the email address. John Ashburn
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Hi Scott What Tom said, but I do one other thing to help eliminate the twisting and tangling. I cut the thread to length ( a bit oversized) for each run rather than leaving it on the spool. That lets the ends free to untwist as you run them through your fingers. Depending on the wrap and the thread I am using I find I can wrap up to about 6 to 8 strands per run without problems. Be sure to
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Thank you Ron Col John Ashburn, USAF Retired
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The Feather Emporium www.featheremporium.com has the best variety and selection of feathers I have found anywhere. I buy from him frequently, but be warned that he is not a personable individual to do business with. John Ashburn
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I fly fish for Bass, both smallies and largemouth, a lot. My all around best rod is a 9' 8wt fast action rod. I use a lot of Clouser Minnows and Poppers and it works great with them. My blank of choice is CTS. Hope this helps John A.
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Ron Weber will do an excellent job for you. John A.
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If you remove the wrap use DNA to clean up the residue. It should clean up just fine. As Tom said, putting a light colored wrap over a darker colored blank is tricky. Marty's suggestion to put a thin coat of tinted finish (you can even use a thin coat of Testor's hobby paint) to keep the darker blank color from bleeding through is good. Good luck John A.
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I have been building rods for over 30 years and have installed many, many grips during that time. The purpose of the arbor is to keep the grip properly centered on the blank while the adhesive, i use Rod Bond, sets up. It is the adhesive that provides the strength and stability to the grip, not the arbors. I use masking tape for my arbors and keep them small (3/4 inch wide). On grips of 8
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I'm a bit late with this, but here is how I do an 8'6" 5wt. I use ceramic strippers and double foot snake guides. I would use 9 guides plus a stripper and tip top. On an 8'6" there is no need for more than 1 stripper. I would use a #10 stripper, followed bu a #4 snake, then a #3 snake, then a # 2 snake followed by 6 #1 snakes. The newest concept in fly rods is to get down to a #1
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Have not built on that specific blank, but have built several of their Affinity fly rod blanks and they are EXCELLENT blanks! My only issue with CTS is their delivery time. It can take 4-6 weeks to get a blank from them. John A.
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NEVER twist when removing a reel seat or grip. Always use a straight pulling motion. It's more difficult, but won't result in a broken blank.
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I get mine from Ron Weber at Southwest Custom Rods www.southwestcustomrods.com Ron is a Lemke dealer and a good guy to work with. John A.
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Albert Check out this site. It Is a 12 part article that shows the basics of rod building and the equipment needed. It is about building fly rods, but much of the information pretains to any kind of rod building. Hope this helps, and enjoy the hobby. John A.
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