Thanks Roger. I have one of the Mudhole tools for holding small guides which does the same thing. The lamp is a good idea. I just put a halogen desk lamp next to the sander when I use it. Works fine. David
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Last weekend fly fishing club ( The Wild Trout Flyrodders chapter of FFF) held the first of what we plan to be an annual Casting Rendezvous at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum in Livingston Manor, NY. One of the events was a lecture on the use of technology for casting instructors. it featured the use of a FREE application called Ubersense. This enables one to analyze video i
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I recently bought a $39 Central Machinery unit from Harbor Freight specifically for grinding guide feet. I wasn't sure what to expect but it turned out to be a great tool for the job. It's sturdy and reasonably accurate. It came with an 80 grit belt which is quite aggressive for this application. I ordered some finer belts from another source which I think will improve the process. Overall
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Is it possible you are mounting the collar nut backwards?
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Just be thankful the sinker didn't hit a passerby. A 2oz weight launched by a surf rod can be lethal. For example: My brother (a FD Paramedic) told me of a surf fisherman at Jones Beach (NY) whose end tackle got snagged. He raised his rod and applied full pressure to set it free. Suddenly it did free up and the sinker came flying... and sadly... hit him smack in the eye imbedding itself
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Raymond Adams' great web site The Rod Builder's Library has excellent videos and instructional guides for this and many other rod building procedures. You can get a great education by practicing what is presented there. Here's a link to the thread work there: Tight wraps, David
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I have the same lathe and it's very good. I do dream of adding second unit with variable speed to the shop. Then I'd make the first one a dedicated buffing station with a Beall or PSI 3 buffer system. I got the One Way Talon 4 Jaw Scroll Chuck and added the Step Jaws for holding smaller round items. It's also handy to add a Live Jacobs Chuck for the tailstock of the lathe. This way you
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Kerry Burkheimer does sell blanks. He quoted me about $300 for an 11'6" switch blank a few months ago.
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A close friend who is a highly regarded professional guide told me that whenever she fishers her Winston BXII 13'3" - 7/8 the other guides want to use it. She has fished just about every top Spey rod and says this one (and the 9/10 model) really stand out. This Winston also gets rave reviews on forum of Speypages.com. This is a great resource for info on all things related to spey fishin
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Any idea when the new units will be available and the cost?
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A two night weekend stay is easier on the pocket too. More money to spend on goodies. I like the idea.
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As a member of the Board of Directors of the Wild Trout Flyrodders Chapter of the Federation of Fly Fishers.... I am pleased to invite you to our first Casting Rendezvous. It will be held at The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum April 19, 20 and 21 of 2013. Please check out the info on our web site: www.wildtroutflyrodders.org and on our Facebook page: Wild Trout Fl
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I wish I was able to attend this year. Wishing everyone a great time. Count me in for next year, God willing.
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90% Isopropyl alcohol is the main solvent I use for cleaning up Rod Bond and whatever thread epoxy I use. U40 Brush Cleaner is my favorite solvent for keeping brushes clean. I keep a good sable brush immersed into the bottle through a hole in the cap. It's always clean and ready to go. I just clean it well after each use and return it to it's place. One brush lasts many years this way.
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The good news is I found a source for white agate stripping guides. The bad news is they only come in 10mm size.
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Gary, if you're talking about burl cork Tru Oil is my favorite finish. It darkens the color while bringing out the grain. You can adjust the tinting the final feel of the grip by the number of coats and sanding in between. I love the look and feel and it provides a lot of protection.
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Gary, if you're talking about burl cork Tru Oil is my favorite finish. It darkens the color while bringing out the grain. You can adjust the tinting the final feel of the grip by the number of coats and sanding in between. I love the look and feel and it provides a lot of protection.
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My first impression was that this is a Japanese rod from the post WWII era. The deciphered markings seem to support this assumption. As noted these were not the top quality heirloom grade bamboo rods one would most desire. The personal history is it's strength and as such it is certainly worth caring for it. Refurbishing it would be a nice project. It might even turn out to be a very ni
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I use a surgical scalpel with #11 blades and a Tweezerman 1/2 jaw cuticle nipper. The nipper is great for cutting tag ends really.
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When wrapping under power I press my thumb nail against the lead edge of the wrap. Assuming the thread tension is correct it works flawlessly.
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Common practice among surf casters on Long Island, NY is to forego the use of any reel seat. Instead they simply bind the reel to the rod with electrical tape. This enables them to reposition the seat easily as needed when changing the weight of whatever they're throwing. Casting dynamics are easily optimized this way. They usually wrap the butt with cork tape, rubber tape or cord.
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Thank you for the info. Will do.
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Tom, Am I right with the size 5 minima guides and a 16 stripper? Any suggestion for the top?
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Thanks for the tips Eugene. If the #1 single foot Recoil guides are better than the minima's I'd rather use them all the way. And if going with Recoils I could use their light weight double foot casting guide for a stripper. I don't mind the fact that it has a different finish.
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I'm building up a new old stock Fisher Fiberglas 8ft - 4wt fly blank. I'd like to optimize casting distance. Forum searches have leaning toward Minima running guides in Size 5 in TiCh. I like a high stripper guide so I'm looking at the Minima CTV4CG in size 12 or 16. The top will be a Fuji TFST 8 ring / 6Tube. I'd appreciate input from experienced minima users and any other fly guys
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I found an old bamboo 2 piece spinning rod. While not a particularly high end rod it is quite functional. I fixed a small crack; reseated the male ferrule; refinished the rod and put on new guides. A gentle cast will empty the spool of 6# mono from the little Quantum reel. It's my favorite spinning rod now.
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Save one for me, too. Sending an envelope tomorrow.
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William, The VS 150 fits seats as small as 18mm. I suggest you use a 20mm reel seat. If you ever change to a VS200 size reel it won't fit anything less than 20mm. I prefer the Fuji DPS style reel seats for surf spinners as well as Alconite guides. They're both reasonably priced and excellent for this purpose.
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I agree with you. They are very well made and quite beautiful.
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I forgot to mention one of my best adaptations: I made a neat vertical blank storage unit out of an inexpensive PVC shoe storage kit. The shelves are an open grid so I mounted one shelf about 2 feet above another using 5/16" Threaded rod at each of the 4 corners.. using washers and nuts. The base is from a scrap of plywood I had laying around. The grid openings are about 1&quo
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