Holy Cow!! Again?!! I bet they're innovatively stronger smaller lighter faster increasing casting distance and reducing friction,too. Any cheaper?
Forum: rodboard

I'm gettin' too old for all this stuff. Technology-over my lifetime- has transformed heavy,slow,sloppy fishing rods into impossibly light,sensitive wands of great power and delight. And it's still goin'. But what's a "harmonic" look-or feel- like? Is it something that can be designed for? Or is it an inevitable result of taper,weight,material,etc.? Putting it a different way, are &quo
Forum: rodboard

Bob--There's no clear delineation.Ultimately, the builder decides how to best utilize the blank. Generally speaking,spinning rods are designed to work with lighter loads than casting rods because of the nature of spinning reels. An open spool doesn't have to overcome the same inertia as a revolving spool. And generally, casting rods favor heavier applications. Until recently,spinning reels wouldn
Forum: rodboard

The Angler's Resource (importer of Fuji components) has the stats and info you're looking for.
Forum: rodboard

Do Yourself a favor and experiment. Silk was the thread of choice for many years,until nylon came along.Nylon pretty much replaced silk,and is still most often used today. Cotton is unsuitable; it's weak,uneven, and bumpy.And it fades badly. Rayon is strong and smooth enough,but I've had some problems with it accepting CP and finishes. The relatively new poly-whatever embroidery threads are gain
Forum: rodboard

Caution: pvc tubes+varnish+air pressure= a bomb that'll make you get rid of your beard.
Forum: rodboard

Ken--Talk to your customer. True "noodle rods" are 10 1/2 - 13', very slow, very light specialty rods designed primarily to cushion a fish's effect on 1-4 lb. leaders. They were initially designed for steelhead fishermen in the Great Lakes river systems, and required a little "educatin'" to be used effectively. They are a far cry from a fly rod blank (which I agree would be m
Forum: rodboard

Another simple solution would be to buy a 5' rod and cut six inches off from the base of the butt section with a fine-bladed hacksaw or cutting wheel. It may sound a little drastic, but years ago when blanks were difficult to come by, many,many "custom" rods were just such "hack jobs", and this approach would work for your needs. The blank's action would be a little faster; ob
Forum: rodboard

I glued up and turned a cork handle for an ul spinning rod just a week ago.Had the Gorilla glue and was curious about it .Placed the cork rings in a container of water, flipped em over, and applied the G.G. thinly and evenly with a throw-away brush.Clamped em up,wiped off the "foam" a coupla times, and let em set overnight. Turned em down with increasingly fine grits of sandpaper. They
Forum: rodboard

I 'd start with Dan Craft's new 1-weight. Probly use REC single-foots, all cork reelseat with sliding rings. Long,long leader (at least 12'), tapered to 7x. No. 28 potatoe fly. Try for a drag-free drift,and bow to him if he jumps. Tight lines. Barry
Forum: rodboard

Madeira polyneon no. 1690 (midnight teal) with either metallic silver or copper trim looks good and is a little different. Barry
Forum: rodboard

No formula would be complete without also factoring in attributes of the specific reel being used..most apparent when considering spinning tackle. Spool diameter,height,and angle all impact the critical placement of the first guide . It may or may not be extreme to factor all this stuff-depending on your viewpoint- but,like Tom, I,ve found the New Concept concept seems to pretty much nail it quic
Forum: rodboard

Mike.. it was designed to maintain tension on the wrap when straight pressure from the wrapper had to be slackened (backing up to re-wrap a gap,etc.). Iwas never able to adequately get adjusted to it myself,-or the multiple thread feed system,for that matter- and usually wrap simply by holding the spool in my hand or using a bobbin. I,too,would appreciate hearing from the guys who've found these
Forum: rodboard

Gerry.. also, Decal Connection is back at work. Barry.
Forum: rodboard

Larry..Holland made a turqoise ncp thread (their no. 95) at some point in time. I have a 4 oz. spool of it in A. I use it and like it, but will never use it all. Visualing your colors, I think it's just what you're looking for. If you can get your mailing address thru my e-mail system, I'll be happy to shoot out enough of it for your project. (I sometimes have trouble getting e-mail; my computer
Forum: rodboard

Billy,,When i decided to start weighing fly lines ('cause the manufacturers sometimes have their own ideas of what a 5-weight is), I too bought a scale on @#$%&. I bought a used reloader's scale, which measures in grains (not grams), and is probably what you'll want to accurately measure individual guides and other small stuff.Nothin's ever simple;you'll hafta convert to ounces or grams. But it w
Forum: rodboard

Steve; NCP white worked nicely for me in that color combo. Barry
Forum: rodboard

Hi, Brian; Silk and varnish work just as well on graphite or glass as they do on bamboo, and have a richness and depth that nylon and epoxy can't match (in my opinion). The only drawback to silk is that it's relatively non-elastic,and therefore is more prone to break and fray than nylon. Piersall's Gossamer is pretty much the gold standard; it's fine diameter gives a beautiful appearance but it's
Forum: rodboard

Hi, Greg; Difficult to say without seeing what you've got. Suggest you use a test stick and do some experimenting. Thread can be darkened with tea, coffee, or vegetable dies and water. When I'm trying to match color and finish on a rod that's..umm..in original finish but oughta be stripped and re-wrapped, I've judiciously mixed a little dirt straight from the front yard into the varnish and gotte
Forum: rodboard

Way to go, Brian! The best way to find out whether or not an idea works is to try it, and you're definitely "outside the box" with this one. More guides won't increase your sensitivity; a bare blank is as sensitive as it can be, and anything added only lessens that.You may find that a different guide set-up casts farther for you.. or maybe not. If you used standard stainless guides you'
Forum: rodboard

Sam; Emory is correct. Heat is used in conjunction with pressure to bend the blank back to being straight.Be careful with the application of heat.. too much can scorch (and thereby weaken) a rod. I'd suggest you stay away from flame..a heat gun if you have one works great; the blank can be heated over a stove burner; a hair dryer might get the blank hot enough..never tried that myself. Essentiall
Forum: rodboard

Try Chesapeake Cork Products..Towson, Md..21204.....1-410-296-1746. They're a little pricey, but will hand-select your cork and sell you what you ask for. Good luck. Barry
Forum: rodboard

Stan..I recently bought a couple of medicine-dispensing syringes from the pharm. section at Walmart. They came with their own adapters that may or may not be what you're looking for. They adapted the syringes to my 4-oz. flexcoat bottles and make a terrific finish-dispensing system. At $1.68 ea. you might wanta check 'em out.Good luck . Barry
Forum: rodboard

Keith..Walmart sells(for under two bucks each) a medicine-dispensing syringe that comes packaged with an adapter that'll fit a variety of bottle sizes; the adapter makes drillinng the cap unnecessary and gives a perfect seal for syringe holding/storage. Does the same thing Pete speaks of above,but with less potential for mess or spillage.Best rig I've worked with so far. Barry
Forum: rodboard

Steve; Don't feel bad..we're all here to field "newbie" questions,and an increasing number of folks seem to be unaware of some of the basic tenets of this hobby, the very first of which states.."Tools and materials of a spouse's hobbies are interchangeable with yours at all times.Your tools and materials, however, are not interchangeable with hers (or his) unless you don't want 'em
Forum: rodboard

Cindy; those of us who work with bamboo rods generally use silk, although either material can be used on either cane or synthetic rods. The fussier you get about the appearance, the finer you'll want your silk. Pearsall's gossamer ( 6/0, if I remember ) is generally considered to be of the highest quality, and will reward your eye-strain with a flat, smooth, translucent appearance after skilled v
Forum: rodboard