I use a small bernzomatic micro butane torch. It is instant on and off and you can direct in any direction you want. After mixing my epoxy I flash flame it with the torch and the bubbles instantly disappear. When I say flash flame, I mean quickly, zip zip, pass the flame over the epoxy a few inches away and watch the bubbles disappear. Takes just a couple of seconds. After applying the epoxy I ma
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A long full length cork grip can get to be quite expensive at $3 to $4 an inch for relatively decent cork rings. One of the reasons that split grips are so popular. Anything between the butt grip and rear grip is basically wasted cork. On a 10’6” rod the grip will be rather long and will depended, as Herb mentioned, where your hands fall for a comfortable two handed casting stroke, and this len
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I have not built on the new Rainshadow Testament blanks so I know nothing about their power and actions, or how they compare to the Eternity or Immortal series. I do know the ETES68MF had an Intrinsic power of 455 gm, so if the TESS610MXF is similar in power it might not be powerful enough for you. I also know that the Immortal blanks are more powerful than the Eternity blanks for the same power
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How about the Rainshadow RX8 XST1082F, or the RX7 IST1082F. Norm
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What kind of casting reel are you planning on using? If a low profile reel a KW 10 (or RV6) is sufficiently high enough and will cast quite well. If you are going to use a casting reel sitting higher off the blanks, then a larger Stripper may be warranted. I have a 9’ Salmon/steelhead casting rod I use with a Curado 201 reel. It has a KW10, and a KW5.5 followed by KB/KT5 runners. Norm
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You may be able to improve the rod you already have by cutting off the guides that are currently on it and replacing them with KR concept micro guides. The micro runners and tip top may lighten the tip section and make the rod more responsive which will help to reduce or even eliminate the wag you don’t like. Is your current rod graphite or fiberglass, and what kind and size guides are being used
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In my opinion, fly rod blanks made into spin rods are just too sloppy for my taste, but some like them. Phenix makes a number of longer UL blanks, from extra fast to moderate soft. I have built using a few of them and I like the Elixir series they make very nice rods. For 7’ UL Rod blanks I like both the MHX and Rainshadow Revelation models, they are quite similar to each other. As far as guide
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This might be similar to your Angler’s Roost Blank. Norm
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I have personally checked the CCS data on several MHX fly rod blanks and the numbers I got were pretty close to those published. So in my opinion the CCS data for MHX blanks were not inflated. Norm
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Happy to hear it worked out well for you! Many people don’t realize how easy it is to sand a cork grip by hand. You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to do a very good job. Norm
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Hand sanding will work just fine, you’ll be surprised how easy it is and the results you get. When I first started building rods I hand sanded all the cork handles I made on my rods. Take your time. Mask off the reel seat, and any thing else you don’t want scratched. Use a quartered piece of sand paper folded over to fit your hand, and wrap the paper around the handle. Start with coarse and move
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The new site has a quite different look from the old one, so it took me some time to find my way around, but I like it. All of the information I have found useful was still there plus some new stuff. The new site does have a clean modern look about it and is still extremely useful. Anglers Resource/Fuji does an excellent job educating people on how to use their products, no other company does t
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Use the CCS database in the left column, it contains CCS data on a lot of different fly rods. One blank I noticed with the approx CCS numbers you wanted was MHX F905-4 ERN = 5.65, AA = 70, wgt = 1.55 oz. Norm
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I noticed Schneider’s RoD shop still had them listed. Also check with Mudhole, they recently had them on sale, and with Utmost, they are located close to PacBay. Norm
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It certainly does not eliminate the fuss over guide height. What has been discussed so far is a static load test. A dynamic test will require test casting to determine if there is line slap or line bunching which can certainly affect casting performance. Short small ringed guides can be placed perfectly to follow the natural bend of the blank, but it may cast just awful. For a spinning rod the re
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In what state are you located? Norm
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With the two line static test, the first line is tied to the tip top and then tied to a heavy or immovable object. This line is used to flex the rod into it natural bend. The second line is run from the attached reel through the taped on guides and tip top and is tied to a light weight which just hangs in place from the tip without causing the rod to bend. This second line is used to align and vi
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The two line static test works for me. Norm
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The ThreadMaster one is useful if you need a quick fix for someone needing the rod in a hurry, such as a tournament fisherman. I reminds me a lot of the old Gudebrod hard as nails finish. Both are water clean up, dry fast, very hard and flexible, and need multiple coats. However, the ThreadMaster one is a little more viscous. After it’s cured you can overcoat with epoxy if you wish, I other words
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My shop is part of my boat house, and during the winter months I warm my work room using a small space heater. Works great! Norm
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They are almost identical to PacBay Minima guides, hard to tell them apart. The use of a ceramic ring tip top, as Spencer mentioned, will prevent grooving. Just find one you like. Their Hard Crome insert tip top will work just fine, but may groove over time. Norm
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Well that’s not exactly the case. Regular thread when coated with CP will have a brighter and truer color than than the NCP thread, which tends to have a flatter, more opaque and duller look to my eye. As Lance states, Regular thread when coated with just epoxy will darken and have a translucent look, which is the look I prefer. With both CP treated regular thread and NCP thread, epoxy does not p
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Yes clove hitch. Fat fingers on my part! Norm
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I don’t know about a single thread stand alone trim wrap, but a two tread trim could be done via a Clive hitch. Tack in place with a drop of color preserver, and when dry trim the tags with a razor blade. Might work. Norm
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I’d use the 2 Ton Devcon epoxy. It’s a 30 min epoxy and works quite well and can be found in most hardware stores. Similar to Flexcoat rodbuilders epoxy. Never had a problem with it. Norm
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Ye Olde English Fly shop sell a 3 piece,6’, 2 wit Fiberglass blank with slip over ferrules. They sell some of the same stuff as Anglers Roost used to sell. Contact them they might be able to get you want you want. Norm
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The NFC MB709 HM has an intrinsic power of 941 gm with an AA of 66 which is listed as moderate fast. The PB691MHXF has an intrinsic power of 785 gm with an AA of 77 which is listed as XF. The Point Blank will easily handle 3/4 oz with no problem, so it plenty powerful. Cutting 3” off the MB709HM will slow the action, and decrease the power. The XF action of the PB is a plus for skipping baits, in
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I live in the South and usually don’t have icing problems. If it’s that cold, I wait an hour or two for it to warm up. Using size seven runners is getting out of the KR micro concept and into a more conventional concept. You could go with a NGC, or use a conventional KR set up using one of the following KR reduction trains, followed by KT7 runners: KL20H, KL10H, KL7M KL25H, KL12H, KL7M KL25H,
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Lynn, I agree it’s been tried but to no avail. I think they are trying to modify the KR to be more NGC-like. Norm
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PS - I should have mentioned earlier that the KL-H guides for the same ring size have a higher frame than the KL guides. Thus they are considered small ring high frame guides. For example, a size KL20H is about the same height as a KL25. The height plus smaller ring helps to better control and choke the line loops coming off the reel. Norm
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