I have to admit I have not made a surf rod since the KR concept has been out. With that being said, since the KL25H is the same height as the RV 25, and the RV 25 is routinely used on surf rods it seems to me you should be able to use the KL25H. I don’t know the size of your reel, but for larger reels in order to get a nice straight line from the spool to the stripper just push the stripper furth
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Don’t worry about the spine, just Check to see if the guides are on the straightest axis. If so leave them. However, you may be able to enhance performance by using more modern guides which can be much lighter than the old set. As a word of caution this might require stripping the rod completely down, which is not a trivial undertaking for a beginner. If guide wraps are in good shape and you wer
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I have used the Kroger brand round cosmetic sponges with great success but my store discontinued them, but they still sell the wedges. I recently tried using cheese cloth and it worked very well, it is lint free so it doesn’t leave any lint behind. Some others on this site use coffee filters, which are also lint free. I agree with Donald that not all cosmetic sponges are equal, same can be said
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Jay, I have used both Torzite and Sic KR guides, and compared then with Alconite KR guides. I will stick to my statement that Torzite and Sic guides are over kill in price for the type of fishing I do and most other freshwater and light salt water anglers do. If you are talking about lightness, yes Titanium frames are lighter than stainless and will not corrode, but titanium guides are more expen
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Micheal, I believe they are the speed ball fine and super fine nibs, and a cheap plastic nib holder.They come in a package of two. Been using them for years, just clean them up after use. If the ink does not flow well a couple of drops of alcohol to the ink bottle will cure that. The iridescent inks need to be shaken well to get everything suspended. Norm
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For Fuji KR guides use the corrosion control frames (BC or CC) with either the Fazlite or Alconite ring. Both are excellent; very durable, and corrosion resistant. A set of Alconite guides will be about $30 and the Fazlite guides will be less. The Torzite and Sic guides are overkill for what you want, very expensive for a very small, if any, increase in performance. If you want a lighter and less
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In my opinion, the absolutely best ink for writing on a blank is Dr Ph Martins iridescent calligraphy ink in gold and silver. Use a fine tip nib. Can buy it at most hobby and art stores like Micheal’s and Hobby Lobby. It will never bleed or smudge when coated with finish epoxy, in fact I have used Permagloss to coat it with no problems. Norm
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What size reel and braid are you using? If a 3000 or larger reel with 15 to 30 lb braid might want to use a KL20H, KL10H, KL5.5M (or KL6M) reduction train with KB/KT runners in the size of your choice. Another option would be KL20H, KL10H, KL7M, and KL5.5L (or KL6L) followed by the KB/KT runner of your choice. The KL5.5L (or KL6L) guide in the second option would be used as your choke guide. For
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I was curious and weighed a few size16 Fuji reel seats I had on hand. Since I did not have any SK2 moveable hoods on hand I weighed them all without a hood. Also did not have the SK2 spin body so weighed the casting body instead, I assume the spin body would be slightly lighter.. All Included the weight of 2” of a batson foam arbor. All the threaded barrels can be cut back to reduce weight. SK2
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It’s at Anglers Resource. Norm
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Just tried logging in to my account at the Rod Room and had no problems. Norm
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The PacBay guides with the designation Ti grey are stainless frame guides with a hard chrome insert where the whole guide has been coated with a Titanium alloy by PVD (Physical vapor deposition). This coating increases the hardness and corrosion resistance of the guide, and gives it a dark grey to black color. Norm
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Adam - I was searching for something in my shop and came across two old Fuji speed stick pistol grips, one Fuji speed stick casting grip with a straight cork handle, and one Fuji speed stick spinning grip. If you want them you can have them I have no need for them. Email me, your email is hidden. Norm
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Here is a video showing the KR concept for both spinning and casting. Might help to answers some questions. Norm
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For a KR spinning rod using a 2500 Shimano spinning reel. You can use a three reduction guide train containing Fuji KL16H, KL8H, and KL5.5M, or KL20H, KL10H, and KL5.5M, depending on the type and size line you use.The reduction guided would be followed by KB/KT running guides in the the size of your choice. You can go to Angler Resources to get all the details you need. Norm
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The only difference between the KB and KT gukdes are the size of the foot. The KB has a wider and longer foot and was designed to be used in the midsection (belly) of the rod to resist the pullout forces generated when the rod is loaded. The KT guides have a shorter and thinner foot and were designed to be used in the tip section where these pull out forces are much less. When wrapped the rings
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If you have not already ordered I would get a KW10 just to get the height to reduce any line slap. I know the ceramic ring on the reel is much smaller, but the line does not come off the reel in a straight line. You could leave everything else the same. A 5.5 KB in front of the stripper is just fine. If you feel nervous about the size 4 runners, then go 5 or 4.5. If you are not nervous then keep
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The RV 6 only comes in a titanium frame with a Sic or Torzite ring, thus it is more expensive than the stainless guides, and does not match the BC grey frames with Fazlite rings. However, it will match the regular bright stainless frame with Alconite ring. For the stainless KR casting guide setup Fuji recommends the KW10 and KW5.5 followed by the KB/KT runners in a size of your chosing. The KW10
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I have never tused a Texalium handle. With that said, if it is anything like a carbon fiber tube handle, you should be able to wet sand it with 800 to 1500 grit wet/dry paper to smooth it out a little and then give it a couple of coats of Permagloss while turning. Permagloss does not give a deep glossy finish like epoxy, but it certainly does yeild a nice shiny finish, which is hard, and durable
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You nailed the blank, I have one for the same purposes you outlined, and love it. The only thing I did different with the guide train was to use a KW10 and KW5.5 for the reduction train, but yours should work fine. I hand turned rods for years before getting dryer motors. I would suggest to turn the rod one quarter turn every 5 mins for the first 15 to 20 min. Then turn every 10 min for the next
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None. Norm
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It’s part of the Y series and it is the 8L versus the 8, which is a little taller. Norm
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The NGC usually has a four guide reduction train, which is unlike the KR concept which has three. Also the choke is further out than the KR. For the reduction guides use a 30Y or 25Y stripper followed by 16Y, 10Y, and 8YL. You can then go directly to your size 6L guide runners. Get your stripper and choke guide positions and progressively place your other three reduction guides between them, an
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Clean the cork with some type of detergent using a scouring pad or brush. When dry fill the pits with a filler. I like Elmer’s exterior wood filler in the golden oak color. It sands very well when dry, and does not stain the cork around it. Can also use pit paste, it also sands well with no staining. I have also used cork dust mixed with Titebond exterior wood glue or epoxy to make a paste. It
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Nick, that was a very good synopsis! Thanks Norm
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Bill, I tried the Hitena braid sample for loops,the only problem was when I laid the loop down couldn’t find it again, it was so thin and colorless it was invisible. Norm
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I use 8 to 15 lb braided line. I use the stuff I would normally throw away when changing line on my reels. I like fluorescent yellow or chartreuse, because it makes the loops more visible. Norm
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Many rod producers used paint to make ‘faux’ trim wraps, this was a cheap way to go because it saved wrapping time. If I were you I would get rid if the paint and do a real thread trim wrap it looks better. If you insist on using paint then select a Testors enamel in the color you want and paint the area where you want it to show. You will need to use a NoCP thread or cp with regular thread to ma
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For me a 6 1/2’ is ‘tweener’, sometimes 5 runners sometimes 6. It will not make a big difference in either casting or fish handling ability. Since it is an ultra light I might go with 6 just to spread the load out a little more evenly. In my opinion it is your choice. As suggested by Tom mock up the rod and test both or as Michael suggests all three. The only thing is to make sure you get a nice
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Permagloss is one of the best choices for clear coating a rod. Do a search here, there are a lot of posts on how to do it. Very easy to apply to a naked blank and gives great results. There also are a lot of posts concerned with refrubishing and restoring old rods. It is not that difficult to do just go slow and easy, and don’t use 100 grit paper. I usually scrape the old finish off with a blade
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