I use the this method except I just use my index finger instead of a small tool of some type. There are no tag ends to show under your main wrap. I've seen this done with a cocktail straw or coffee stirrer as well. It takes a little practice at first but the results are superior to any other I've used.
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Pro Wrap 216 (tangerine) - replacement for old Gudebrod 257 (rust). Apply is without CP and it will be a rustic brown/copper/rusty color that compliments most shades of green or blue blanks. If used with CP it will keep much of the orange character like it appears on the spool. It looks good with CP - but better without CP IMO. Also try Pro Wrap 740 Copper; 755 (chestnut) also looks very nice
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Customer wanted a rod in University of South Carolina colors (the original USC). Castaway blank and reel seat.
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Reel seat made from dyed frog leather; rust wraps with teal trim.
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Pheasant feathers and split grip. Castaway reel seat.
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Pheasant feathers and split grip. Castaway reel seat.
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Pheasant feathers and split grip. Castaway reel seat.
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I use pieces of wood veneer that I get from from my local Woodworkers Supply. The veneer comes in a variety of colors so you can use the veneer to complement a variety of blank and thread colors. The veneer is thin enough to cut with scissors. Just glue a small piece or 2 of veneer between the cork rings the same way as you glue up the cork. You will not be able to pre-drill a hole in the veneer
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Try a base of NCP thread that is close in color to that of the epoxy. The tricky part will be having the epoxy completely cover the thread but stay even with the edge.
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There's an article in the site library on narrow trim bands and inlays by Tom Kirkman. It's the method I adopted and find it very easy - no nails, straws or needles - just my fingers. With just a little bit of practice it is quite easy to master.
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Alex Spencer has a good thought about how to improve sensitivity and others may chime in with thier thoughts. I think the HMX would be a good choice but not necessarily a better choice than what may already have. I suggested it because I had one in my hand and I liked the nice, light fast tip that jigging rods have - after all they were designed for fishing jigs and the feel or touch of the r
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Alex I was building for someone a couple of weeks ago and using one of the MHX spin jig blanks and I was wondering at the time how well that blank would do in a situation like your describing. Take a look at the SJ782-MHX. I think that if you were to trim 6" - 8" off that blank you would wind up with a mod-fast blank that would perform well with light line and light lures. I have a
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I'm with Tom on this one....I only use the hot melt and have never had a problem AFTER someone on this forum posted a tip on his installation method that I adopted. Cut small slivers of the glue and fill the tube with it. Heat the glue inside the tip top until it's soft and begins to expand and ooze out. Be careful not to burn your fingers. Slide the tube into place and you're done. I've never h
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There is no reason to use CP on NCP thread. One of the advantages of NCP thread is that CP application is unnecessary. Bear in mind that the finished appearance will be different between regular nylon and NCP thread. The NCP will have a solid. opaque appearance. You will not be able to see the character and detail of the individual thread such as you will when using regular nylon treated with col
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Just for fun I once tried a white, liquid acrylic floor polish. I thin k it was Johnson's Floor wax (forget the specific product name). It handled very similar to regular color preserver. It had a milky white translucent appearance and soaked the threads very well and dried very quickly to a nice clear coating in the filaments. I think I used a 2 application and let both coats dry thoroughly. T
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Ray I've used wood veneer. You can buy an assortment of it from a Woodcraft Store if you have one in your area. It comes in a variety of natural wood tones but can also be dyed. It is thin and brittle so I'll normally cut it in small squares with scissors and then glue tho pieces together with the grain of one piece running 90 degrees to the grain in the second piece. When the glue dries, I dr
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You won't have many options if you need a slow blank in a graphite model. There are some slow fiberglass blanks available; Lamiglas comes to mind. Take a look at the Pacific Bay Tradition and Rainforest II models. They have some moderate action blanks that are an excellent value. I built on a 7 Ft 4 WT (2 piece) that was my favorite for dry flies on small streams until I slammed it in the door o
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The one thing you need to careful of with heat guns, blow dryers etc. is the dust that is created which can affect the appearance of your finish. There are a number of people who prefer the heat gun and they get good results but I prefer a clean flame. Just don't ask me how many times I got careless and scorched or set on fire a cork grip! Sam
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I thought the trouble with fish eyes using Bubble Buster was my fault because I had read a few positive comments about it. I bought a bottle of it at the ICRBE show last year to give it a try. I thought it might be easier than trying to guard against and remove bubbles using more traditional methods. After 2 severe cases of fish eyes (and never having previous problems with fish eyes) I quit usin
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South Carolina is pretty close and there are a number of talented rod builders on our side of the river. I could name a handful off the top of my head and I'm certain that there are a good many others that I'm not familiar with. Sam
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The problem could well be your installation method. Thanks to someone on this forum several years ago (whose identity I don't recall) I have never had another problem with a tip twisting out of position. Prep the rod tip in your normal fashion. Using a razor or some other sharp instrument shave small slices of chunks of glue from the glue stick. Push the glue pieces down into the tube of the tip
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Riley Rods is the only one that I'm familiar with but there are probably others.
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Michael, For very thin accent rings I've used thin sheets of wood veneer that I purchase from my local Woodcraft Store which eliminates some of the problem you mentioned. You can buy packets of all one color or a variety pack. Keep in mind that you will need to glue 2 or more sheets together to keep the wood from splitting when you bore the hole necessary to glue up your grip. The wood is very
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Tennessee grips with the reel taped in is the most comfortable spinning grip there is for freshwater spinning rods, in my opinion. They may not be as cosmetically appealing as other grips but in terms of comfort and practicability, nothing can beat them. I had issues with black electrical tape because it will stretch and loosen up in the hot sunlight. I use a couple of turns of packaging tape; th
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Mudhole has pink blanks in their "Custom Builder" series. Click on their link in the sponsor's list.
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I've used both LS Supreme and Threadmaster over waterslide and peel n stick decals without difficulty; both are good products. I've never used Krylon over a decal but suspect that may be the problem. You may want to apply another coat of CP before your finish goes on to see if that makes a difference although CP may not want to adhere to the Krylon either.
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Sammy I'm glad to see that you posted something about the product. I was thinking about posting something here about my experience but wasn't sure of the product availability so I was a bit relunctant. I had it in mind to send you a personal email today so I'll make my comments here knowing that you've got the product available. I picked up some Liquidglass from you at the ICRBE and finally go
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Whenever I've been asked to do something similar to this I always try to make what I would term a "universal bass fishing rod" even though I know there is no such thing. I try to think of of the finished rod as being the one I could take fishing if I were limited to having only one rod, recognizing that it may only perform really well with one or two techniques but will perform reasonab
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Jim, I ran into the same thing not long ago and accepted peel and stick decals as a substitute. I was so pleased with the result that I'm not certain that I want to go back to waterslide. They were very easy to apply and the result was just as good as any water silde I've ever used. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Decal Connection peel 'n stick to anyone who hasn't used them before...and
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