Sounds different but good.
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Hi Roger, Thank you for informing me about the 200 rpm setup. Looks interesting but sooo fast.
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Hi, Why so high a RPM? Will you be reducing the speed? Might you be spinning finish off the blank at that speed? 50 RPM is the highest rpm that I have heard used.
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Hi Dave, You will love being at the EXPO and visiting all the booths. Ask many questions at the booths. I used a Pac Bay RodSmith lathe hard for 5 years. It performed!!! And the price is reasonable. You can wrap a rod and then move a belt/flip a switch and you have a drying machine. Tackle shops have been using this model for many years. Be sure to visit the decal Connection booth a
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Hi, This is what I have experienced using different brands of finish. Epoxy dries by a chemical action and some are hotter than others. Flex coat was dry to the touch after about 4 hours. Other popular finishes would be dry to touch in about 6-8 hours. I have been using Aftcote for many years and it is dry to touch after about 10 hours using a couple light bulbs in the drying box for heat.
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Hi Randy, Call Debbie at Decal Connection. She will answer all your questions. Yes, you can order one decal at a time and she turns the order around very quickly. Order your business logo by the sheet and the cost goes way down per decal. After ordering from Debbie for many years it was a treat to meet her and Chuck at the EXPO several years ago.
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Hi Ken, Good fortune to you and the youths. You are starting on an adventure that will bring great joy to the youth, especially when they catch fish on rods that they crafted. You will be fulfilled. Keep doing God's work. I bet you will find local rod builders willing to help you with this project once they hear of it. Many blank companies work with schools and youth projects as well
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Hi, Have you tried custom made decals from Decal Connection? Check out their site listed on the left. I have used their decals for many years and also they have made specialized decals for me, one of a kind.
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Hi Jason, I have built on the Batsons, Rodgeeks and Hydras. All are excellent choices and my customers enjoy fishing them as I. Presently my go to blanks for myself are RODgeek SG's, XC's and next season the SWB's. You selected good companies who make excellent blanks.
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Hi, I would call Flex Coat and ask if they can install the motors you need before shipping it to you. I have been using their 4x18 for many years of hard service.
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Hi, In the 70's everything was a secret. Very hard to get info. Dale Clemens catalog and book was a great help. I started by fixing and rebuilding our family rods. Then I tackled repairs. Repairing rods is a great teacher. Joined RodCrafters in the 90's and those master builders from around the US of A shared all their info and experience with me and other budding rod builders. No inter
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Hi Barry, That is terrible and I feel your pain. RODgeeks is a welcome addition to the blank manufacturers supplying us with great blanks. It is very easy to sing their praises. They deliver promptly and on time if not sooner. They listen to our needs as is evident by new models. They give us all these colors at a reasonable cost and now we have combo colored blanks. I had been trying
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Hi Gary, Wrap a test stick and try to apply finish without being color sealed first. The finish will not stick and that usually implies silicon contamination. They do have nice colors.
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Hi, Received the latest issue of RodMaker today in an envelope. Also in the envelope was a 2016 Anglers Resource catalog, Fuji. Thank you.
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Hi Chuck, I am sorry to say that I have no fresh water fishing experience. The owner of RODgeeks is a fresh water angler. I would call RODgeeks and ask him. He may have other choices for you. Call Bob at 1-844-763-4335. Ask for him, tell him what you need and if he is not in he will get back to you. You can let him know we emailed.
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Hi Chuck, I have built on the RODgeeks SG79HM. These rods are being used around NY in the ocean and Long Island Sound. So far they have caught fluke, porgys and black sea bass in shallow and deep depths. I use mine on party boats. On one I left the tip alone and trimmed the butt for 6'8" length. This rod easily under hand flips out 2-4 oz sinkers. The other I trimmed the tip for
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Hi, I have been using Minima 3 and 4 guides for over 5 years. 24 rods rebuilt using Minima 4's have been in use on two party boats for 5 years and not one has been returned for service. I fish 50# braid thru Minima guides and top tops and no damage at all. Catch blue fish and black fish using these guides with no problems. Many of my customers choose the Minima's due to light weight, reaso
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Hi, Sorry to read about the break especially after all the time you put into it. I had a very good blank break while doing flexing the blank looking for the spine. A manufacturing defect. If your build was a brand new blank I would suspect that also. Call the company who made the blank. Hopefully you have a warrantee. Send it back to them to analyze and tell you what happened.
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Hi, Go to your local post office and ask them exactly what they need in hopes of eliminating delays. Make sure you include any cost incurred in building and shipping the rod. Make up an invoice on you computer. If you can find pics and advertising for fly rods comparable to yours add that in your package so the USPO has a price comparison. Every carrier I have used delivered broken r
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Hi, Every job that I have been employed at deals with servicing people, US Navy, computer tech, working deck on party boats, Capt. of party boats/ launches and rod building. I know what service is all about, good and bad. Being a plain vanilla guy people know that my word is good, no bologna! The above gives me a good start. I knew I wanted to design/build custom rods that the owners h
Forum: rodboard

Hi, Every job that I have been employed at deals with servicing people, US Navy, computer tech, working deck on party boats, Capt. of party boats/ launches and rod building. I know what service is all about, good and bad. Being a plain vanilla guy people know that my word is good, no bologna! The above gives me a good start. I knew I wanted to design/build custom rods that the owners h
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Let's get back to the basic question. Would you pay more for a better thread? Simple enough. Some of us would and others do not want to pay more. That is fine for both sides of the question. I would like to have such a choice.
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Hi Bill, You are certainly entitled to your opinions and feelings. We may or might not agree and that is fine. My posts reflect what I see in my world, an imperfect world at best. Yes, I can not compete with the big boys so I have to have a business model that meets the needs of anglers looking for something different. Over the years I have attended many rod building seminars around the
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Hi Bill, Yes, the cost of building a rod has increased year after year and many of us have eaten part or all of the increase to keep our prices reasonable, in buyers terms LOW. That is fine as the buyer gets the benefit. Have you looked at the increase in prices that factory rods have gone thru in recent years. In many cases they cost almost as much as my customs. The factories have no p
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Hi Builders, Thank you for your responses. I wrote up a post earlier today but I think I screwed up when I posted it. Phil, I went right to the metallic thread as soon as Merrick Tackle started selling it. I liked that I could top wrap with lighter colors than the under wrap, except for pearl. Yes, sometimes it is a pain in the neck but I liked the results. It is a shame that all our
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Hi, I have tried many brands of thread, over 20 plus years of rod building. Metallic thread is my preference for many reasons. I am tired of metallic thread that fades in no time, mylar coming off the base thread in the middle of a wrap, metallic thread that feels like sand paper even before it comes off the spool, blue metallic that is showing silver spots while on the spool, oh and lest we f
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Hi, Sometimes I under wrap and sometimes I don't. My personal rods are used in salt water up to about 100' depths and they are not under wrapped. Some customers want under wraps as they can have an extra color in the guide wraps. Others that don't want under wraps are more interested in lessening the over ll weight. Prior to epoxy finishes we used marine spar varnish to coat the wraps.
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Hi, RODgeeks SG series, fiberglass and durable. I built and now fish on the Sg79mm, mh and hm. They work! Don't laugh now. The old style solid fiberglass. They are cheap and last forever. The smaller ones are reasonably light weight and catch fish. I still build on them for mates on one of my favorite party boats.
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Good morning, My simple thought is this. As weight decreases sensitivity increases and that is good. That is one side of the balance bar. The other side of the balance bar is durability. As one side goes up the other side goes down. The manufacturers are designing and making us fabulous blanks that give us great fish catching/fighting pleasure. Unfortunately anglers do abuse them, mayb
Forum: rodboard

Good morning, My simple thought is this. As weight decreases sensitivity increases and that is good. That is one side of the balance bar. The other side of the balance bar is durability. As one side goes up the other side goes down. The manufacturers are designing and making us fabulous blanks that give us great fish catching/fighting pleasure. Unfortunately anglers do abuse them, mayb
Forum: rodboard