If it were me I would be checking out the blanks Sage has(as far as I know they are still available in BC in the 2pc form through local tackle shops) as they are by far the most popular high end models for 10ft and up centerpin and drift rods in BC.Lamiglas is also popular and I know a few guys who have had good success with blanks made by Talon(not sure what they offer now though).I would imagin
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I've purchased bark sheets from both barkcanoe.com and the mentioned source in China before,as well as a fellow rodbuilder in Alaska and was very satisfied with all. Barkcanoe has Siberian bark and a more local species(from Minnesota I think).The Siberian is a little thicker and lighter in color,with less flaws in it,but a bit more expensive.It was pretty good stuff though(bark canoe quality).
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Based on the CCS numbers that Dan has listed on his website the closest to the 9ft 5wt Sage XP would probably be the new 9ft 5wt FTXL model but it hasn't been out for very long so I doubt you will find too much feedback on them yet.According to Dan's measurements they have very similar CCS numbers to the XP's and old GLX's and will probably be as light or lighter in weight.If you have never held
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Thanks for the feedback so far. I've made plenty of grips out of cork and/or burl cork,using various kinds of other burl cork,gasket material,and foam for trim rings,mounted on some of Andy Dear's cork turning mandrels.I used a rough file to get the grip concentric and then used sand paper from there like most do.I started by using a home made drill lathe set up at first and then my Pac Bay po
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I was just watching over Andy Dear's Wood Lathe DVD again and am planning on ordering some new wheels for buffing wood(been using my Dremel for this until now) as well as sharpening lathe tools.I have a rather large selection of very nice Bellinger and Venneri reel seats(most have stabilized wood inserts) that I've collected over the years so I probably won't be turning too many seats.Most of my
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As far as straight up comparisons in performance in fly rods between the big name brand's like Sage,Loomis,Winston,Scott,etc's high end models there are several blanks that immediately come to mind for me.All of them offer VERY high end performance and considerably better bang for the buck than the big names.Here are the ones I would be looking at, * Batson RX7+ & RX8+ - The RX8+ is report
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I would also say that the Recoils are hands down the lightest and one of the most corrosion resistant guides out there,and if you want the lightest,crispest feeling fly rod then you won't do better than them.If other issues such as longer fly line and guide life,and smooth,quiet casting are more important to you that that then high end ceramics like the Fugi Ti SIC Concepts are the ticket(your ro
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How would this product work as a topping for burl cork or even wood seat inserts,grips,etc?
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Thanks for the tips everyone(great one about using the forstner before drilling out for the mandrel Mark B). There don't seem to be too many sizes of forstner bits available to fit most average fly reel seat hoods and I was wondering what other options there might be besides using the old Dremel to enlarge them(been using a Dremel with the barrel shaped grinding stones to inlet cork grips for
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Just curious but what are most guys using to inlet(for the reel seat hoods) the end of their nice wood ended fly grips? Forstner bits,spades,or...? Did a few searches but found limited info(maybe I'm just not inputting the right info). Thanks, Tony
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Thanks everyone.
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I was wondering if anyone makes a bed extension for the smaller,more portable mini lathes(the ones with 12" or so between centers) like the Penn State Turncrafter Plus and similar sized models? If not,has anyone here ever made their own for little lathes like these? Thanks, Tony
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Based on the CCS numbers that have been listed for both over the years it would seem that the action(where the blank bends) is very similar,if not the same,but the ERN(power) of the new blanks is not as great and the older 3pc ones. If it were me and I wanted a new SIG V that was similar to the old ones I would move up a line weight with the new blanks.I would think a new model 9ft 5wt for exa
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I found another device for holding small single foot guides that I prefer to the nylon bolts. There is a bit that comes with most Dremel type tools as well as the large assorted Dremel type accessory kits which has the screw in the end with 2 nylon washers for holding the thin cutting discs.It works just like the Mudhole tool but instead of a full handle there is just the shaft that usually go
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I'm really looking forward to trying one of these blanks out. Based on the CCS numbers I think these should make an excellent fit between the SIG V's and the FT's.I'm guessing they will be similar to the old 3pc SIG V's,but with a little faster action. Dan really does know how to make an exceptional blank,and at a great price.
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Good points Ken.I didn't really think about how far up the blank it may or may not go. I think I'll probably just align it with the straightest axis and forget about it(no point in over thinking and worrying about something that probably isn't going to be an issue).
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Unless you are fishing from a boat all the time fishing rods get stood up or laid down on the ground quite frequently and filling the hole in the end of each male ferrule helps to keep dirt from falling down in to the shaft. Many factory rods come with the ends filled already but if not then a little plug made of silicone or flexible epoxy like Rod Bond does the job nicely.
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Thanks for the feedback everyone.I just re checked the blank and compared it to others I have and I don't think it will be an issue. I don't want to say the name of the manufacturer(not a sponsor,excellent blank and not an @#$%& off blank) as this is a blank that was discontinued a while ago and I should probably consider myself lucky just to find an extra tip section for it. The blank is a
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I recently sent a fly rod I built back to the blank manufacturer to have a broken tip section replaced and got the rod back last week.Upon looking at the new tip section a bit closer I noticed that the wall thickness of the female ferrule was not the same all the way around the opening.When looking in to the female ferrule opening it is quite noticeable to the naked eye(no need of a magnifier) as
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Thanks for the feedback everyone. Like Mo,I am looking for a chuck to put on a smaller,more portable lathe that I have.I already have a 4" 4 jaw chuck that will work for some things,but the smallest diameter shaft that it will hold is around 1/2" to 5/8" I think.I want to find something for holding the smaller(1/4" to 1/2") cork and wood turning mandrels. I have a f
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I was wondering if anyone has used the Penn State Woodturners 3-Jaw Micro Chuck( I think this is the link ) and how it handles cork and wood turning mandrels compared to say a drill chuck? Thanks, Tony
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I think American Tackle use to offer a hard chrome frame option with their colored zirconium rings but I no longer see these on their website now,just the TiChrome finish which is similar to the other brands' TiCH frame finishes. Does anyone know if American Tackle or any other company still makes a gold ringed double foot guide with a chrome frame? If not,does anyone out there have any of
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Many thanks everyone!
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I was wondering if any suppliers out there who sell Batson products have any of the stabilized wood blocks in stock or if these are a special order item? I am looking for larger 1.25" x 1.25" x 4"+ sized pieces of stabilized tiger maple and maybe stabilized maple burl and black ash pieces. Also,Ii anyone knows of any other sources for these larger sized pieces of stabilized w
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I use a double foot guide for the stripper guide and tamer guide,but then drop down to single foot for the rest. That said,there is no reason that a single foot guide couldn't replace the double foot as the tamer guide as well,and doing so will cut a little more weight from the rod.
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The first rod would probably be OK,although I would spend the extra money on the lighter titanium framed SIC's if it were me,and "maybe" even go with size 5.5 for the running guides on a 5wt.That said,6's work fine for most people and I've used 6's on a few 6wts and been happy enough with them(although I wish I had used a lighter tip top than the ones I chose at the time). I would us
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Thanks everyone. Looking at the chart Mike B created(thanks for listing that John,I had completely forgotten about that chart!) it seems like the Fugi TFST tops are pretty light compared to most other tip tops available.They are not as light as the Recoil tops of a similar size,but probably lighter than both the TLST I have been using as well as the standard plated wire fly tops.I think I'll h
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Thanks guys!
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I have used a couple of Fugi TLST titanium frame/SIC ring tip tops on a few 5-6wt fly rods and while I like the shape of them(they look the closest to a fly top) they do seem a bit on the heavy side.The ring size is listed as size 7 but the inside diameter is much closer to a size 6 so they are a bit too small for any of my heavier rods(on 7wt rods and up I use multi tip fly lines so I need guide
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I have several Recoil fly tip tops with the small loop(RTTUL-S) and can see that the loop size of this tip top is pretty close to that of a size 2 single foot Recoil fly guide. I don't have any of the large loop(RTTUL-L) or extra large loop(RTTUL-XL) models though but will be ordering some soon to fit some heavier fly rods.Before I order some though,I was wondering if anyone could confirm the
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