Maybe he's trying to save you a bundle on fishing rod insurance.
Forum: rodboard

I'm thinking about building a spinning rod for redfish and specks. It would be used to fish popping corks, 1/4-1/2 oz spoons, and rapalas. It probably needs to be a 7 footer with enough backbone that it doesn't collapse when you try to pop a cork. I would prefer something inexpensive in a 2 to 4 piece configuration. Any recommendations? Also, can you recommend some affordable guides that w
Forum: rodboard

The all chrome Minimas are cheaper at Bingham than the comparable SS304 at Janns.
Forum: rodboard

The rings are thicker in the Batson and Alps guides than the Alconites. I don't know about Amtak.
Forum: rodboard

Are these the same guides? They have the same dimensions. They both have the size engraved on top of the foot. They also have a little bump on each side of the frame left over from the manufacturing process. The only difference I can see is that the Minimas have "PB" engraved on the back of one of the legs. Hmm.
Forum: rodboard

I was wondering if spinning rods tend to have a softer tip relative to the rest of the rod. I have experimented with different weight fly lines on a few different spinning rods, and that was the impression I got. The tip was prone to flopping around excessively, bouncing after the cast, or opening up the loop. Maybe it is my inexperience with spin fishing, but it seems most fly rods will do
Forum: rodboard

I know it is hard to generalize, but I have been wondering how good spinning rod tapers differ from fly rods. More to the point, what action makes a blank a good candidate for a spin/fly rod? I have come across a few rods that work well for spin/fly purposes. However, most don't.
Forum: rodboard

I've been using Permagloss, but I was curious about 2-part finishes. It would be nice to get just a big more depth with a single application. Maybe I'll just keep using the Permagloss. Thanks for the info.
Forum: rodboard

I remember seeing a post about applying epoxy finish very thinly and not needing to turn the rod while it dries. Has anyone had success with this? What finish do you use?
Forum: rodboard

I've never seen these vintage guides on a rod before. They have a long foot and a short foot. Which end should point towards the butt of the rod?
Forum: rodboard

Phil, Would you agree that it is better as a 3 wt?
Forum: rodboard

Bear in mind that I like slow rods. I think it is slightly underlined with a 2 wt, but it is able to make short casts with this line. The tip is not very soft. So, it doesn't really cast like a fast action rod. It has a lot more feel with a 3 wt line, as far as I'm concerned.
Forum: rodboard

I have always thought this was a remarkable blank in the 2 piece version. It casts nicely with anything from a 2 to 4 wt line. I accidentally caught a carp on it once, and the rod never felt close to breaking. Has anyone built on the 4 piece version? How do the additional ferrules affect the action?
Forum: rodboard

I'm thinking about building a ultra-ultralight spinning rod on a 6.5 ft 2 wt fly blank. It would be used more for spinning than for fly fishing. How many guides should I use, and how should they be placed? I have only built fly rods before. Typically, I use the length of the rod plus 1 to determine the number of guides. The charts I have seen for spinning rods suggest that you typically us
Forum: rodboard

I was prepping a couple Fuji alconite guides last night, and the chrome plating flaked off. It started where I was filing on the foot and peeled all the way off the leg. I've never seen this problem before. Did I just get a bad batch, or is Fuji quality not what it used to be?
Forum: rodboard

Is it best to go a little past the edge of the thread wraps when applying finish? I've gotten in the habit of covering only the wraps. I use permagloss, but this could apply to other finishes as well. It looks good, but I'm wondering if this leaves the finish too thin at the edges to protect the thread. This could explain some fraying I noticed on a recently completed rod...
Forum: rodboard

Thanks Bob. How many coats do you use?
Forum: rodboard

The thread was all smooth and nicely burnished before coating. No frizzies. You can see how it looked right after it was completed here:
Forum: rodboard

The reason I asked is that I noticed some minor fraying on a rod that has only been fished 4 times. I had used CP and 4 coats of Permagloss on the wraps.
Forum: rodboard

How does refrigeration and heating affect permagloss? I've been keeping a bottle of it in a little zip lock baggie in the refrigerator for a long time. The cap sticks, but it comes right off after a 30 second dunk in hot water. So, this bottle has been heated and chilled repeatedly. Could this cause the finish to be less durable?
Forum: rodboard

I got a good deal on the 7 wt Batson Switch Rod Blank. However, I'm realizing that this is going to be very different from any of the rods I have built so far. What guide spacing and sizes do you recommend, considering that they might need to pass looped shooting head connections? Would single foot guides be OK, or do I need to go with doubles? What size and shape grips should I use? I was p
Forum: rodboard

I had to replace the O-ring on an old Heddon glass rod. The regular O-rings from hardware stores worked fine. The first one that I tried seemed to be the right size, but the female part of the ferrule would not slide over it. I had to go one size smaller. It was very difficult to slide the smaller ring around the male ferrule. It finally popped right into the groove, and the female ferrule f
Forum: rodboard

I've used uncoated SS316 wire guides on a few fly rods. It has been suggested to me that they will be prone to grooving and eventually need to be replaced. Has anyone noticed problems with the durability of this material?
Forum: rodboard

Actually, I just spoke with Kerry Batson directly. He said the rods were designed to work with conventional lines in the weights specified for each rod. Each rod has a grain window with a maximum that is almost twice the recommended AFTMA weight for the rod. Anything beyond that maximum overloads the rod. That's quite a range of line weights that can be handled by each rod!
Forum: rodboard

Which blank would work best with a Cortland 7 wt chage-a-tip line and/or a WF8F? I've heard that the listed line weights for these blanks is for overhead casting. Some people recommend going 2 sizes heavier for spey/switch casting. Is that a good idea?
Forum: rodboard

The article should have been called, "Fly fishing for dummies, by dummies, with an expert...who is a dummy".
Forum: rodboard

I used Hopkins & Halloway on a fly rod that I built a couple years ago. I remember that it was really difficult to align the guides, and I eventually decided it was close enough. The crooked guides continued to bother every time I fished the rod. So, I finally decided to cut the wraps off and start over. Upon closer examination, most of the guides were poorly shaped. Many of them had r
Forum: rodboard

Is there a problem with the heat generated by power tools damaging the guides?
Forum: rodboard

One more tip: I did an inscription in gold acrylic paint and covered it with Permagloss without CP. I did several tests and discovered that going around the rod led to an uneven finish. Also, going over the same area twice smeared the inscription. It worked very well with a series of lengthwise strokes.
Forum: rodboard

Thanks for the advice! I might try using some fine fly tying thread to close up the rest of the gap. One more thing. The butt of the rod was originally 1.5" short of going to the end of the reel seat. They used masking tape for the arbor and just let it hang off the end of the rod to fill up the gap. The blank goes 2" into the reel seat. It worked well enough to last more than 3
Forum: rodboard