Try bombereyewear.com. I have several pairs of Bombers and have used and abused them for years with no obvious signs of wear. I regret that my eyesight has deteriorated t the point that I just purchased a very expensive pair of prescription sunglasses. In spit of the high price tag, other than being able to see, I still prefer my Bombers!
Forum: rodboard

I concur with Jeremy on his generalization of the MHX blanks as compared to Rod Geeks and others, though I have not built specifically on the musky blanks.
Forum: rodboard

I use the drywall tape for larger shims and like Norm, i tack the tape in place. I use a glue gun to tack down the edge, build it up to the proper dimension and then tack the whole thing together with the glue gun. The hot melt glue is fully cured by the time I mix up my epoxy and I can press epoxy all the way through and around the drywall arbors without the mess of the tape unravelling on me. W
Forum: rodboard

Regular Sharpie pens contain a significant amount of chloride, a compound that causes pitting in metals, including stainless steel. Sharpe does manufacture a "TEC Marker" that is trace element certified to not contain significant quantities of chloride and are the preferred choice for marking metals. Nail polish or paints tend to be a safer bet. I use Testors paint to coat prepped guide
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Would it be an option to tape of the areas of the underwrap so that the blank is not painted white in those areas? That would allow for a consistent base to utilize thread without color preserver.
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I wouldn't use heat to soften the epoxy, particularly on an ultra light (thin walled) blank, You might be better off manually sanding down the high spots and go from there. Your reel seat is plenty big enough to go over any epoxy buildup on the blank and you won't be able to use foam arbors coming up from the butt regardless of epoxy left on the blank.
Forum: rodboard

I wouldn't use heat to soften the epoxy, particularly on an ultra light (thin walled) blank, You might be better off manually sanding down the high spots and go from there. Your reel seat is plenty big enough to go over any epoxy buildup on the blank and you won't be able to use foam arbors coming up from the butt regardless of epoxy left on the blank.
Forum: rodboard

I built a pair of wire line rods for my own boat, one spiral wrapped and the other not. I did this for demo purposes. Hands down, the preferred rod is the spiral wrapped rod. It has Fuji SiN guides on it and they've held up perfectly.
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ProWrap Metallic Twist #807S. white and silver.
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I have used the MHX 1025, built for casting 1/2 to 1 1/2 ounce lures to schoolie stripers. The blank is nice and light, but I found it to be a slower action than some comparable blanks from other manufacturers. I don't know that this relates to the 1142, so it would be good to hear back from others to learn of their opinions. Jim
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.510 .450 _____ .060 Am I missing something in the math?
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A couple of questions: Isn't ProGlu an adhesive, not a coating epoxy? Lou; what have the squirrels been after, the finish, the thread, the blank? It sounds like you live in a tough neighborhood!
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If the gray spots and blemishes are surface scuffs only, recoating with new epoxy should cover them up. Test by wetting the surface of the old epoxy by dabbing alcohol on with your finger and see if the blemishes disappear when wet. Remove any flaking finish as John suggested, before the wet test. If wetting the surface cleared up the imperfections, lightly sand the old finish and apply a light c
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I keep my boat in the Watch Hill area on the Pawcatuck, but its a small boat not suited to the offshore scene. The Batson RCKJB blanks are very intriguing; the specs look great. I would suggest contacting Batson directly to inquire about the blanks. I have had good results building on MHX blanks, though no tuna sticks. My tuna builds were on Seeker blanks and fished/held up extremely well. Email
Forum: rodboard

Rick, it might be easier if you share what you have as it seems like there is a lot of interest. If you'd rather not post, please include me in an email. Thanks!
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Make the transition from blank to guide as fine a slope as you can. When the thread gets right to the guide foot, lighten up on thread tension a little bit and move a few wraps onto the guide foot. With the lighter tension, you will be able to slide the thread down the ramp of the guide foot and continue winding. Within 1/8 to 1/4 inch, you will be able to pack with a fingernail to get the wrps e
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I have several of the following in service with great feedback on them: Seeker CTSF55XH Tuna Rod Blank. I built a pair of these specifically for sharking for a gentleman that fishes in your area from a 25 foot Parker. He loves the rod and now has 3 of them. They are built straight-thru with aftco rollers. Another customer a little farther south uses the same blank shortened a bit to make a 6 foo
Forum: rodboard

Google "Disney character fingernail decal." I would think that you are looking for fingernail size, you'll find plenty available and you'll be getting Disney licensed products.
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I generally tie the wrap, finish with one coat, and then apply the grips over the wrap, concealing any tie off. You can freely apply paste epoxy over the finished thread, slide the grip into place and clean up with isopropyl alcohol. Another coat of finish over the thread and you're good to go.
Forum: rodboard

Grateful Dead, followed up with some more Grateful Dead.
Forum: rodboard

What's the problem with a man modifying a rod to suit his style of fishing? I thought that the whole premise of a custom rod was to match it to the angler and it's intended use.
Forum: rodboard

If only the automotive wax was that resilient when applied to my auto!
Forum: rodboard

I had a lump in my throat thinking it was Bernie as soon as I saw that Al had posted this topic. A finer craftsman and gentleman there never was. He'll be sorely missed by everyone who had the honor of knowing him.
Forum: rodboard

I can't speak from experience about catfish blanks, but I built an 8.5' MHX steelhead blank for striper fishing. It's out in the field with the customer and I've had nothing but positive feedback on the rods abilities. It found it's way into the hands of another builder and he too has raved about how ell the rod casts and fishes. Makes me think I better build on one for myself!
Forum: rodboard

Sharpie markers will mark anything, including metallic thread. Just make sure that your wrap is going to cover the Sharpie mark in the end. I would suggest using a regular Gudebrod black as opposed to the NCP. The diameter is smaller and will match better with the blue and you'll end up with a truer black color after finish is applied. The NCP black ends up looking a little purplish to brow
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I wrapped a lighter shade of olive (Madeira) onto a larger diameter blank scrap and then randomly hit it with black, dark green and brown Sharpies. Winding back onto the small diameter blank to complete the guide wraps yielded some really neat looking patterns. My son loves it! Alternatively, you can use a lighter shade green, wrap the guides and then sparingly apply color preserver in random
Forum: rodboard

I was buying from Harold at Merrick Tackle as far back as 1970. I don't know how long he had been around at that time.
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Are these sets gone yet? If not, put my name on a set and I'll get you paid with PayPal. Thanks
Forum: rodboard

I've never had a shark chew threw Malin 170 or 220 pound test single strand wire. Rust has never been an issue on the leaders. If you can shape the wire, I don't think that durability will ever be an issue.
Forum: rodboard

Just got to setting up one of the extreme camo blanks for my son last night. I installed the camo EVA butt, reel seat and then the foregrip in the usual fashion. When I started cleaning up excess epoxy with isopropyl alchol, I discovered that the camo finish on the blank was coming off onto the paper towel. Do yourselves a favor and coat the blank with rod varnish or PG before getting started.
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