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Cappucino blank color with translucent orange wraps
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Bamboo fly grip turned from a laminated countertop sample. Very light with a great feel.
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Simple feather inlay to dress up a switch rod.
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6 Wt. switch rod with diagonal cork inlay. Deschutes Redsides nice enough to complete the pose.
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description on line angle and guide force.
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Guide force calculations based on a discussion with Cliff Hall
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Thanks Dean, I bought one of the Proof Blanks. Great price. I haven't built it yet. I have a 2 and a 3 Wt. 11' on the way from CTS as well. These will all fill my euro nymph line up pretty well.
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Thanks Bill, I'll see if I can snag some of those. I like building on CTS blanks. Terry
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Heavens yes. It's a great blank and still prominent in my booth at shows. A great rod for big trout, light steelhead, throwing streamers, indicator fishing, on and on. It's a moderate action rod as a lot of switch rods tend to be but every customer I've built one for just loves them. I also use a 250 Grain shooting head for shad in the springtime here as well. Just a great rod. The Im
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Hi all, It's been a long time since I visited here. I've still been very busy in the custom rod business. Just finished my first show of the Fishing Show season. I'm on a search for good options in the Euro Nymph blank class. I've had great luck with the Batson's Eternity 2 10'6" 4 Wt, but I'm looking for some lighter weights in the 2 and 3 Wt. category, 11' length would be best. I
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Hi all, It's been awhile. Too busy building to post much. :-) If any of you use Harding and Sons for Cases, and have talked to Etivse' lately, any info on their status? FAX line is continuously busy and the phone number is disconnected. Not a good sign. Of course, I have a case order that I really need filled. Thanks! Terry Turner
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Try Tony at True West Rods. He's making a version of that extendable butt. Terry
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Hopefully you just got lifting along the edges. After the CP cures, you can shave away the lifted edges with a razor and recoat. I too use CP or fixative over decals to ensure they are sealed before finish. With fixative, it's best to use 2 thin coats. If you spray too much, it will creep under the edges and lift them. Same fix as in line 1 above however. This process will prevent l
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Ralph O'Quinn had a great article about CP in a Rodmaker Issue awhile back. Two takeaways from that: 1. Don't thin it. (although if it's old and has had some evaporation, it's always worth a try) 2. Don't wipe off the excess. X2 on Tom's suggestions. You really have to make sure that all the edges are sealed and you get CP in the tunnel under the foot. All it takes for one missed spot
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I typically use the method that Tom described with very good results. The key is to get enough finish loaded on your brush or spatula so you can have an even application in one rotation. In the event that I miss a spot, I will take my spatula, loaded with a little more finish and turn it on edge for another rotation right against the wrap. This gives me a clean edge just past the wrap. Te
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Many of the 11'-12' center pin float blanks in salmon size range would serve him well. Rainshadow IST1446F comes to mind that fits the specs you are looking for. Terry
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There are end caps and front trim that you can buy that also act as spacer shims for mounting. What I usually do is turn a rubberized cork but that fits the OD of the blank, the ID of the tubing and then a small shoulder so the OD of the cork is flush with the tubing. Same drill for the front. I make the portion of the shim that fits inside of the tubing about 1/2 to 1" in length. I on
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I guess I'm lucky in that I can use a pair of cheaters at 1.25 or 1.50 magnification with a good light for all my close work. I do have a head mounted magnifier with interchangeable lenses but it's not very comfortable to wear and the lenses are too strong and seem to have a very short focus area. I have to have my head in just the right spot to have clear vision of my work area. I find th
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Unless you plan on building a "line" of rods to have for sale, I would propose that you don't stock anything except maybe the guides and tip tops you plan to use. There are so many styles of reel seats and variations on what customers want that it doesn't pay to tie up your cash in inventory. There are many distributors that can fill your needs pretty quickly so you can have your part
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Yes, I use it on almost every wrap, sparingly. Like any tool, you can have too much of a good thing. The mini alcohol torch puts a focused amount of heat where you direct the flame. If you over do, you can cook your finish and make it cure unevenly. Just a light squeeze is all that is needed and avoid multiple "hits" on any one location. Used wisely, it's a great tool for your be
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If you are having trouble starting guide wraps, I've found this process useful, especially on light rods near the tip. Assume we want to put 5 turns of thread on the blank before the guide foot: With the tag end, make 2 turns of thread around the blank Cross the main thread over and put 3 turns on the blank While holding the tag end, continue to wrap until your wrap arrives at the guide f
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If you're using NCP thread, or CP on your wraps then all the pull through methods work great. If you are going without CP and your thread is translucent, the metallic tag ends will show. If you don't want this, then the nail knot or single turn with super glue is about the only way that works. Terry
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If you're using NCP thread, or CP on your wraps then all the pull through methods work great. If you are going without CP and your thread is translucent, the metallic tag ends will show. If you don't want this, then the nail knot or single turn with super glue is about the only way that works. Terry
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Switch rod ratings are all over the map. As Curtis mentions, a 6WF line would be a little light for a rod rated for 350 grains. All rods have a "grain window. Also not all lines conform to the AFTMA standard so if you have a 6 Wt line already, weigh it to see where it sits. If yours is on the high side of the 152-168 gram standard, then you might be fine. Build it a cast it to see how
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Hi DeWitt, I built and fished the 4F908 a fair amount. I found it to be quite fast and not really to my liking. If you enjoy a very fast rod, you may like this one. It fished better with a 9 Wt. line which matched the CCS info I measured for that rod. I haven't built the SCII blank you speak but I find them more moderate but a bit heavy in the hand. The best line of fly rods (for me) f
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If he's fishing mostly dry flies, you might consider one of the fiberglass blanks. Lamiglas has a nice 7' 3Wt 2-piece in glass that many small stream dry fly anglers really like. It's significantly slower than the graphite blanks you discussed however so might not be exactly what your customer wants. Terry
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This gets covered a fair amount from time to time. Each type of finish epoxy has a range of difficulty for removal. The UV type cured stuff is very hard to remove. Relatively new applications of 2-part finish are pretty easy to get off. If the thread and guides are removed, you'll end up typically a ridge of finish at the ends of the wraps and finish where the thread wraps were. First step
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Yes, it really does matter. There is a good chance the bond will break over time if you leave a glossy finish. Most of the repairs of loose grips I have done are because there was a nice shiny surface where the epoxy didn't adhere and the grip was loose at that point. Ream the grip to ensure a snug but not overly tight fit, prep the blank to a water break free surface and epoxy away. Hav
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