Thanks, Guys, for the advice. It looks like I'll wait the extra days just to make sure things are nice and hard. Ed
Forum: rodboard

before actually using the rod? I've been waiting a week before exposing the rods to flexing or damp. Is this length of time necessary? Right now I'm applying one coat of varnish every 24 hours so adding up 5 coats... that's five days and then another week to cure makes almost two weeks to finish a rod. I live in Colorado where its very dry most of the time so I was thinking this length of time mi
Forum: rodboard

I polish the wood through 400 grit and then with MicroMesh all the way to the finest grit. I apply the CA with a folded paper towel spinning the blank on the lowest lathe setting, allowing the layers to dry between applications. You will probably notice the drying CA has a raised grain in its surface which I think correlates to the wood texture beneath it. After three or four coats of CA, polish
Forum: rodboard

I'm a newbie also, having built around seven fly rods to date. I just finished a nice Sage SLT with snake guides. All my other rods have had single foot guides. The single foot guides are, in my opinion much easier to do (half the work). I use the small rubber bands to secure them on the blank before winding. I'm not sure what problem your uncle might have had with single foots.
Forum: rodboard

I love the look of non-color preserved thread under epoxy or spar varnish, especially garnet color. The last rod I made had silver trim bands and when the garnet went translucent, the tag ends of the metallic thread became visible beneath the wrap. It doesn't look too bad (my next rod will have shorter captured ends of the trim thread) but I can't think of any way to completely eliminate this fr
Forum: rodboard

You might want to call Ricks Rods in Denver. They actually stock an extensive line of glass blanks and even some original Fenwick glass stuff.
Forum: rodboard

I'm seeing some great looking pen turning blanks on @#$%& which are only 3/4" square and fairly long. Is this diameter big enough for turning reel seats or will I need something a bit larger?
Forum: rodboard

Hi Phil, My understanding is that the extension fits both models. The indexing knob is on the left hand side of the machine, above the hand wheel on the end of the lathe. This knob is on a spring and is threaded. You push the knob in and screw it tight and it locks the lathe from turning so you can drill the product or work on an inlay or whatever (I'm new at this also). On Andy's mandrel... do y
Forum: rodboard

a month earlier than predicted. So no realy delay at present. Now I have to budget for all the extra stuff to use it! My first purchase will be the DVD from Lamar on lathes used in rodbuilding.
Forum: rodboard

How tight do you make the cork grip on a pre-made handle fit on the blank? When I drilll/ream out my factory cork handle it can be made very tight or a bit loose on the blank. Do you leave a bit of space for the epoxy? If so, how much movement or space do you leave? I'm afraid my first two handles might have been too tight. I've been careful to try to not make the lower end of the handle tighter
Forum: rodboard

impressed you (or maybe just surprised you a bit) with their quality of assembly or components in their factory rods? Or is this just not happening?
Forum: rodboard

on a home made wrapper? It has no bearing, but otherwise looks good. Thanks!
Forum: rodboard

Thanks, Guys, for all the advice. I'm going to start "round 3" (the last section on my four piece" tonight and will follow your recommendations. I also found a place here in Denver today that sells Flex Coat finish so I have enough now to not be so stingy. Ed
Forum: rodboard

I prefer the look of having the epoxy applied to the edge of the wrap and not going onto the blank, but my first attempts have usually involved a spot or two where a bit of epoxy gets on the blank. Could I have a suggestion about removing the small amount right next to the guide wrap? Or is it more usual to just overlap the epoxy onto the blank? Also, I'm measuring my Flex Coat in the small s
Forum: rodboard

Thanks, guys, for all the good advice. It looks like I was applying a bit too much. Ed
Forum: rodboard

When you apply the epoxy to the wraps, do you try to get it perfectly smooth or will the small ridges and waves in the finish pretty much smooth out during the rotating/drying process? Can you figure out that this is my first rod? Ed
Forum: rodboard

Hello, I'm just now getting ready to build my first rod. I used to make a lot of cedar arrows years ago for bowhunting and own an arrow cresting motor tool which was used to apply cresting paint on arrows. It runs between 275 and 300 rpms. I was wondering... is this speed too high for applying wrap finish? From reading the posts here it would seem to be a bit high. Many thanks.
Forum: rodboard