Many of the top tournament distance casting competitors tape their guides in place so as to protect the guides when they travel from place to place. They are casting weights close to the 300 yd mark. You can imagine the stress placed on these rods and guides. Norm
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I use a cordless drill for applying PG to the carbon fiber grips all the time. I use my lathe outside for m turning grips, so it’s a pain to set it up for something this simple. Just snugly fit the grip onto a mandrel and chuck into the cordless drill and apply the PG as shown in the video. I have also chucked the mandrel onto my 20 RPM drying motor and coated the grip that way, plenty fast enoug
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After 24 hrs both mix ratios were certainly hard enough to go out the door. Checked again this morning after 36 hr and really can’t tell any difference between the two. I think when I do another rod with Crystal Coat I will use the 3R:2H volume to volume ratio just because it worked,, volume to volume mixing is easier to do, and the 3:2 ratio is easy to halve when mixing a smaller batch. Becau
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Go for it and see what you get. If you don’t like it you can strip it down and rebuild it, or sell it or give it away. Experimentation is the best way to learn things and gain experience. You never know until you try it. Good luck! Norm
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Although Junior is a young guy, he is a very accomplished and proficient rod builder. Since starting his business he has made over 800 rod per year. He has made more rods in the past 4 years than I have made in the last 10 yrs. He has also built rods for some some high profile bass tournament fishermen, and is one of the few if not the only person in Mississippi who sells rod building components.
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Many people prefer casting reels, it’s a matter of personal choice. Down here in the south I build 8 casting rods for every spinning rod. Many bass fisherman don’t own a spinning rod. It’s all a matter as to what you like like to use. Modern casting reels will throw very light lures on very light line a long way. The drags on these reels are superb and most are lighter than many spinning reels.
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When I punch in your numbers I just get 5 running guides, KB vs KT type and ring size not specified. So use the runner size of your choice and use one or two KBs followed by KTs. I like to use one more runner than recommended. My preference for runner size is 4.5, but anything from 5.5 to 4 will work, that’s your choice. If you have never used the KR concept before you will quickly realize it’s
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Sorry Herb, I thought it was a picture of the Crystal Coat instructions, which be part of the CTS link I posted. Norm
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Checked this morning on the two mix ratios I did last night, my 3R:2.5H and CTS’s 3R:2H . Surprisingly both were set and tack free but still on the soft side. The room temperature was in the 70s. If one wanted to recoat they could do so with no problem. What was really surprising was both mix ratios cured quite well. How’s that for being tolerant to mixing inaccuracies! Both of the mix container
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I think this is the link Herb wanted to post. Click on the specification tab to get more information. Norm
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Are you going to set it up as a spinning rod or a casting rod? Both the PB701LXF and PB661LF have a very fast tip, almost identical action angles of 78 and 77, that allows one to cast light lures a long way, but they also have a lot of power in the midsection of the blank which allows you to move a fish when you need to. The intrinsic power of both are in the 410 to 440 gm range which are quite
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Junior, thanks for the compliment, it’s greatly appreciated. Welcome to the rodbuilding forum, and I certainly agree with Jim about this being the best rod building forum around. I have learned a lot for this site. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people here, and they are all all willing to share their knowledge and expertise. This site will really up your game. I saw your PB build and it
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I was not calling you out Herb, I was just trying to let you that you are very welcome to your opinion, and I respect that. It came across to me that you were clearly happy with the ThreadMaster you now use, and because of this you were not interested in trying this new product. I just wanted people to keep an open mind and not be dissuaded from trying it. If you took it as offensive I sincerely
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Looks great! Keep it going. Norm
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Robert is correct a 1R1H volume to volume ratio would be heavy on the Hardener side. The CTS volume to volume ratio of 3R:2H would be heavy on the Resin side and would result in a softer finish. This is based on my weight to volume measurements given above in the initial post. I know my volume to volume ratio of 3R:2.5H works because I used it and got excellent results. My weight to volume measur
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That’s fine fellows keep on using what you are using. As I mentioned before, if you likeit, use it. I know a lot of people don’t like to experiment or try different things and that’s fine, but I do, This product is quite different from any other finish I have ever used and is certainly worth trying if you want a colorless, smooth and glass-like finish. I think this product will remain water clea
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Tom, I sometimes get a little impatient with slow cure times basically because I want the rod done and out. One of the reasons I switched to ThreadMaster, very short cure time. However, I now have to admit that patience is a virtue. The Crystal Coat finish is superb, and is worth the wait. The finish is hard enough after 24 hrs for a second coat, this wait time is the same for most other epoxy fi
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Herb, thanks for replying. I was initially concerned that after 24 hrs the finish was still a little soft, I thought I had done something wrong. However, on day two it was rock hard, beautifully clear, bubble free and level. The second time I tried it exactly the same results. I have also used it on a few more occasions with no complaints, except for the long cure rate. The odd mixing ratio is no
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Jonathan, thanks. The titanium Minimas are nice and light a little under 3 gm. My old balance beam scale came with a set of calibration weights, only proble is I cannot find them. Part of the problem when you become an antique. Norm
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Thanks Roger. They look look like a great deal. I have two scales one is digital and weighs to the nearest gram. The other is a very old scientific balance beam scale and weighs to 0.1 gm, it’s quite accurate but it’s an antique I think it is older than me, and that saying something. Norm
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I have been lusting after one of those scales. I seem to be be weighing more and more stuff these day. Back when I started building nobody cared what things weighed. As long as you could lift it we were happy. Norm
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Anthony, I posted some of this information before, and if I remember correctly a complete set of Minima4 guides (3 reduction guides and 6 F4w runners) with the stainless frame and an appropriate size 20 M reduction train weighed a little over 4 gm and the same 20M set in the Titanium Ti black frame weighed approximately 3 gm. The size 16M set in stainless weighed approximately 3 gm, but I did n
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To answer Steve Gardener’s question. I don’t know of anyone in the US is selling this product. You can certainly order it from CTS, but I’m sure this will add to the cost. Herb Ladenheim is the US distributor of CTS products, I would think that he would be able to supply this product to anyone who might want to try it. Maybe Herb will respond to this question and give us more direct information c
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The major advantage to Crystal Coat is that it is absolutely water clear and does not yellow. I can see this being an advantage for people that like to use white or light colored blanks, or do light colored wraps. Might also be of use to people who do decorative wraps or weaves to maintain that fresh wrapped appearance. May also be of benefit for maintaining the look of decals over time. Also th
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Nope speeds not the the problem then. Try a different brand. Norm
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Thanks Lynn, I appreciate it. All of the folks I have personally.corresponded with from this forum are very friendly, warm and generous people, with a passion for rod building. It seems like we are all family. Norm
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At what speed do you rotate the rod? Try a slower speed to reduce centrifugal force. Norm
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As I mentioned it covered very well with just one coat. I was really surprised with how well it covered and leveled, I was expecting to use multiple coats, but got excellent coverage with just one coat. However, it could be user dependent. Norm
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When I was at the Expo this past February, I bought a CTS fly rod and some Crystal Coat rod finish to try. Even though it has the same name, it is not the crystal coat finish once sold by Clemens. The CTS Crystal Coat is a two part finish that is absolutely water clear without any hint of yellowing, and it is supposed to stay water clear. Because this is a very new product that most of you have
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Anthony, It really breaks my heart to hear of such a tragic and horrific event, but it also greatly warms my heart to hear of people like yourself who are willing to step forward and help a family in need. You have my deepest respect and admiration. You really do have a good heart! Norm
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