I find, especially with bigger rods and saltwater rods, bigger is better and all my grips look huge compared to factory but when the rod is in your hand for 6 straight hours, they certainly reduce fatigue. i was taught a long time ago that aesthetics sell rods but don't necessarily mean a great casting or comfortable rod, especially with fly rods. When I build rods, I try to bring a factory rod a
Forum: rodboard

How long under room temp conditions does lumaseal typically take to set to fishable condition on threads assuming 2 coats? I have always used 2 part finishes and keep my basement around the 70ish degree mark and have never had an issue with flexcoat or diamond coat but would like to try a one part finish on a 5 wt and want to know if I can rush it by adding heat and or humidity (specifically, if
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I use broken carbon arrow shafts to test finishes, inscriptions etc. If you have an archery store nearby, ask for a couple broken shafts or wal-mart usually sells cheap carbon shafts for a buck or two each, same construction and similar finishes to matte finish blanks and perfect for testing as they are as much of a pain to write on as a rod blank.
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Forecast 8.6", 4 pc 3 wt extra fast, built light, its a rocket. I have built 4 so far and everybody who fishes one, tells a friend, who then gets me to build one for them. Its a touch fast for me as I learned how to cast with a 9" fiberglass 8 wt major rod with a jar of peaches under my armpit but for a fast light, responsive rod they are nice. not pretty but can be dressed well. I am b
Forum: rodboard

So what is the reasoning behind using the same size guides after the stripper on a fly rod and would it matter if you were using snakes vs single foot ceramics. I am building an 8'6" 4 pc 3 wt on a blank design that I have used twice already and I have used oversized guides on the previous 2 (stripper, snakes on both). The third one I want to build with a conventional stripper and single foo
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A local rod builder showed me a matte finish fly rod blank he has applied a coat of semigloss polycrylic onto to bring out a bit of shine but had not finished buiding the rod. Would this finish hold up? I use quite a few matte blanks as I like a very low key looking rod but need to build a donation rod for a TU dinner in a couple of months and a swipe or two of polycrylic looks pretty good but I
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Thanks for the info, where would I get cork seal?
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Right now its about as light as I have ever seen cork that has not been bleached. It is on a dark green blank, gunmetal skeleton reelseat with a dark wood insert so the grip really stands out.
Forum: rodboard

I built a fly rod for a friend and now that it is done, I noticed that it would look better if the grip was much darker than it is. The grip was preformed and my friend liked the feel so it has not been sanded or changed in any way. Is there a way for me to dye it without subjecting it to a bath in hot water for ten minutes (which is how I usually dye my grips)?
Forum: rodboard