I'm starting to hear a lot about these New Zealand rod blanks. Anyone here build one and how do you like the rod? Thanks Bill
Forum: rodboard

I have the Grizzly Hobby Lathe and it worked ok after a few modifications which were support issues. I bought a cheap drill which didn't run true and caused me some problems. Make sure you have a true running drill. Bill
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Thanks guys . I'll try your suggestions. Bill
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Maybe it's me but I'm having a lot of trouble with my brushes. I use a cheap brush made in China that is not nylon. The brush leaves a lot of bubbles. Perhaps I'm brushing too fast. Thanks Bill
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I wonder how the rod companies handle their epoxy? Has anyone taken a factory tour to see how the pros do it? I can't imagine that they have all the trouble we amateur rod builders have with epoxy. Bill
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I'm thinking of building a Beulah Blue Water two handed rod but have not been given that much help from Buela They gave me the dimensions of the fore and aft grip but have not given me the brand of reel seat that they use. My question is if I know these dimension and use an REC Spey reel seat will it be close the the production rod? Anyone built one of these rods? Thanks Bill
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I'm getting a lot of dandruff or small flakes of skin on my rod when wrapping the guides. I'm wondering do you guys use hand cream before you start wrapping? Bill
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I work for The Foxboro Co. and they had a case of horrors. In the case was a drill bit with human hair wrapped around it. It was a constant reminder of what can happen. At another machine shop some got his hand caught in a milling machine which took off the top half of his hand. The operator got lazy and used his hand to move a oil line instead of a metal rod. A carpenter friend of mine told me
Forum: rodboard

On the Sage spacing chart they list a 1/0t and 10t guides. What does the small letter t mean? Thanks Bill
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Ok, so the reel seat is not that critical to the overall performance of the rod. I have the dimensions of the fore and aft grip from the manufacture and it shouldn't be a problem. Thanks Bill
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Ok if I make the handles the same dimensions as the rod calls for then the placement of the reel seat between the foregrip and the rear grip should be correct and will properly balance the rod? Is this correct?
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I plan on building a swith rod and know the length of both the foregrip and rear grip. My question is how critical is the placement of the reel seat placement between those dimensions? Should I contact the manufacture and ask them this question? Thanks Bill
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The reason for the post was I just came back from fishing the Bow River with my old Sage RPLX 5wt rod casting from a drift boat . I was casting a Weight Forward 5wt line about 30 feet and the cast collapsed. I put on a 7wt DTaper line and the rod cast much better. Yes, one of the factors in all of this is the casting style of the angler. It was a frustrating experience . My guide lent me his Sc
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With ;modern fast rods is a 5wt really a 5wt? Note substitute any line weight and the question remains the same. It been my experience that with fast rods one can over-line them by at least one line weight and the rod will perform better than what it's rated for. That being said , I know that it has to do with ones casting abilities and stroke. What do you guys think? Bill
Forum: rodboard

I use a 7"6" flyrod in my yak. It's a Temple Fork and works just fine. I have also used my 9' T&T rod . The shorter rod works well a close distances. The biggest problem is line control. I've tried a towel and a stripping basket to control the line but I now let the line over the side to control it. Hope this helps. Bill
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Thanks guys . This board is great . Bill
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In general what are the dimension for a switch rod handles...upper and lower grips. Thanks Bill
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Who sells these guides? They are used on Beula rods. Thanks . Bill
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I might have contaminated one of my syringes, if so should I clean it out with acetone . In my haste I think I might have cross loaded the hardener in the epoxy syringe by mistake. Time will tell if I've done it. What do you guys recommend if I did. I was thinking of loading the contaminated syringe with acetone. Bill.
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I guess it had to happen sooner or later. But at least they'll still be making rod. Bill
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Great news have you guys tried any of these and how do they stack up against the Sage zaxis rods? Bill
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Thanks guys. Bill
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I have the spacing for this rod but need to know the size of the guides. I know that the stripping guides are size 20 and 16. This is a new rod in the Thomas & Thomas product line. Thanks Bill
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Talk to Scott at the Bear's Den he has the blank. Just Google the Bear's Den to get his contact info. Bill;
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I was told on another site that aluminum rod tubes were not allowed as carry on luggage . Yes, the tubes would be in a rod bag. Is this true? Bill
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What do you guys use to inlet or bore out cork rings? Do you use Pilot Drill Bits or a similar item? Thanks Bill
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I want to thank Amber and Gary at Mudhole Tackle for excellent customer service. It's nice to know that there are still great companies out there . Bill
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I am saving about 100 dollars if I build my Sage VXP rod vs. buying it. Look I'm not in this hobby to save money but it's interesting to see how low the price of rods are getting. It's like when I started tying flies to save money. LOL I don't want to know how much I've spent on flytying materials. Bill
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Thanks guys but I got the information from both the Sage and St. Croix web sites. Bill
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Sorry I for got to say that I was using a 7wt rod with a weight forward line. Bill
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