Got a nice fly rod order from the UK last night (Im in CA). The guy wants to avoid paying duty. Wants me to enclose no receipt but instead a dummy repair receipt. Also wants me to state on the postage/custom form that the rod is being returned for repair. Id like to see what you guys think about this one. What would you do?
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The guy sent me the weight of reel, line, backing (he's in Australia). I'll duplicate this weight with lead when I go to do my balance tests. I'm gonna try to do it as outlined by you guys. Yes we want the rod reel combo to float without teetering right at his balance point. Thanks for the posts.
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I have a customer who wants me to build him a fly rod to be used with a certain reel and a certain line. He wants that combo to balance 1" down from the front of the grip. He will send me the weight of the reel spooled with line and backing. I know what components I'm gonna use too. What I don't know is how much the grip will weight once it's turned to his spec, nor do I know how much thread
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Awesome, John. Many thanks.
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Thanks Billy. I'm reluctant to put unstructural metal on this fly rod, so I opted for acrylic. I'm willing to bet that it comes in silver. It's just the finding of a source that I'm needing help with. Any ideas are appreciated.
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Good evening folks, A customer wants silver-colored rings interspersed with the cork in his grip. He suggested aluminum, I suggested acrylic. Something in sheets or squares or rings, around 1/4" in thickness, give or take. It would have to be something silver, not gray, with metallic flake to it. Does anyone have a source for this?
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Seems like I'm having a lot of problems lately with Tru-Oil grip finishes on wood/cork grips eroding in short time. Had to refinish a couple grips lately after about a year in the field. Regardless of the fact that these rods were fished super hard, it shouldn't be happening. This is sometimes happening for freshwater as well as saltwater fly rod grips. Hate to say it, but I'm now looking for an
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That's awesome Andrew. I didn't know about that change. It makes these blanks even more perfect... Take care and I'll be in touch.
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Hey guys I have a good customer looking for this 6-weight XP in a 10-footer, 4 pc. I'm sure he'd be willing to pay top dollar.... Any leads would be awesome,
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I had a TERRIBLE experience with one of the prominent wood stab. outfits. I won't get any more specific here, but, anyone, feel free to email me for better details. That's just how BAD it was...what I call business at its worst. I had a beautiful batch of hardwood blanks conpletely destroyed. I'm mean every single piece was unturnable with uniform 1/16" checks throughout. It's all garbage
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Looks awesome Mark. Love the slide bands and integrated grip/seat, keeping the weight to an absolute minimum.
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Thanks so much for the input guys.
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I'm talking about those big names who make videos, write articles, appear prominently in ads, etc. Not simply guides and such in the fishing business. BIG, recognizable names...
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I'm talking about the BIG name pros that endorse fly rod company stuff. Do these companies build them custom rods? If so, who builds them? Do several people in the factory work on these special rods? Thanks for offering ideas guys.
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The "guy" I'm thinking of is Cathy Beck, for example. She endorses and fishes Sage rods. In close up photos of her, holding fish, etc, etc, you can see the custom lettering on her fly rod. I take this to mean that her Sages are custom built to her specs. I want to know how this goes down. Is it customary across the spectrum of rod companies that do endorsements? Does the pro go to the f
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Hey Stan and Mr. Hesser, Thanks so much for getting the site back up. It's much appreciated. Happy 4th,
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What does salt water DO to Tru Oil??
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When a fly fishing pro joins a fly rod company's "pro team" and accepts endorsement arrangements, is it customary for that company to build the pro something customized or does the pro generally just fish (a) free, off-the-rack rod(s) with that company's name on it? How does it work?
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I realize that there are other options, but I'm concerned specifically with wood. I mean professionally stabilized wood vs. raw wood with multiple Tru Oil coats.
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Wow. It's amazing the extent to which I took that site for granted. What will it take to get it back online?
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My question: Is stabilized wood for saltwater really necessary, or will a nice Tru-Oil finish do the trick? I'd like to see what everybody thinks about this one. Tru-Oil and saltwater experts, please chime in.
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Oh no. Don't tell me. Is the CCS data site gone?
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From the rosetta stone section on the CC info page, it actually prints off pretty clear. Thanks guys.
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I should have figured it would be in there. Thanks Tom.
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Looking for an easy-to-read copy of the Common Cents Rosetta Stone. Thanks for posting the one in "photos" Tom but the numbers are too scrambled. I think there was a clear copy in a past RodMaker but I can't get to/scan it right now. Any help would be great.
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I'm in Pittsburgh Tom which is about 45 miles from Derry, Westmoreland County.
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Mr. Ballard, your email is hidden but I'm looking for a source for those heat-cook, reuseable dessicant bags you write about. If you have a source and could share it, that would be great. Thanks in advance.
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I wouldn't recommend using CA on a materials that flex such as cork does, but it's great for use on wood, as a finish, to fill grain or checks, etc. It would be a poor choice for filling pits in cork, for instance, because with use the cork will work itself away from the hardened, rigid CA filler. I'll second what Stan says.
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I wouldn't recommend using CA on a materials that flex such as cork does, but it's great for use on wood, as a finish, to fill grain or checks, etc. It would be a poor choice for filling pits in cork, for instance, because with use the cork will work itself away from the hardened, rigid CA filler. I'll second what Stan says.
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I personally love using pure acetone on the first epoxy coat. About 4 drops per 1 cc of mixed finish. Add the drops halfway through the mixing process. No more worry about filled tunnels. I'm not too worried about the health effects of 4 drops. I 'm not drinking the stuff, it never touches my skin, and the fumes are minimal. Apply just enough to penetrate the thread wraps, so no need to torch thi
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