The link may be getting removed because it's a link that allows the purchase of the rod. If the site isn't a sponsor of this board, it would be very understandable that such a link would be removed. Pretty much like when Barney Fife told those two farmers selling produce by the road, that they had to move along because their business was cutting in on the local merchants business. Anyhow,
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All great advice given, I really don't go as far as some. I use a coping saw and cut by hand with the blank laying on a piece of 2 x 4. The first blank I cut I wrapped with masking tape, but I haven't done that since, and I've had no problem with splintering And since I am sawing slowly by hand, I don't worry about eye protection, or a dust mask. They're great ideas, but sawing by hand I just do
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I learned the hard way, that Tom is absolutely right. I caused myself more problems trying to put on perfectly level and thin coats, and then playing with it trying to get it perfect, than I ever have by just putting it on, and letting it do it's thing. And personally, I use high build, either Flex Coat with Ultra V, or the Gen 4, and I put it on heavy. I purposefully want it to sag as the rod
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Ken, my primary drop shot rod is a rod I built on the DS 6107 IM blank. You are absolutely right, it doubles as a dandy crappie rod, IMO it's a little too much for the under 1/16th oz stuff, but otherwise, it works great. Also a great perch rod. Especially if you're using a double hook rig. I actually think it's a little under powered as a drop shot rod in some instances. Really good on the i
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LOL Lynn. Amen brother. And Ernie ..... as I mentioned above, I've only used masking tape arbors one time, but I will readily and gladly admit that I covered and encapsulated not only the masking tape arbors, but all of the exposed rod blank between them. I had that stuff gobbed on there. lol I'm like you, not only am I not trusting just having the surface of the tape arbors as epoxy conta
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I can see the point of using a larger tip top along with larger running guides, if there are conditions possible where something like that would help, like guides potentially icing up, or on the water debris clogging up the guides. But that kind of stuff affects the entire guide train, not just the tip top. I'm with Tom ..... I don't see any scenario where just a larger tip top is going to be
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I've only used masking tape as arbors once, that being on the rod I mentioned above where I used an XO skeleton grip. I used 1/8" wide masking tape for the arbors, and spaced them about 1/4" apart.
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Michael, I totally get your reason for posting this thread. The reason I bought my jewelers scale, and the reason I've posted the weights of various components in the past, is for the same reason you posted this thread. I wanted to show that maybe some of the things builders worry about weight wise, don't add up to what they think they might. I've had more than a few "you gotta be kidding
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Personally, I think worrying about the weights of a polyurethane arbor versus masking tape arbors and the epoxy they required for use, is well .......... kind of silly. The weight is at the reel seat. Does anyone really think they'd be able to feel the weight difference? But, since I have nothing better to do at the time, I figured I'd weigh and measure a couple of things, and post the result
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If you want to use the 20H, 10H, 5.5M reduction guide group because you might at some time be using heavier line, or a larger reel on the rod, then use the spacing given for the 20H guide group. And while I am pretty sure you could use the spacing for the 16K guide group with the 20H guide group, if you're using the 6 - 10# braid you mention, why would you want to do that? If you want to use
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Just to be sure we're on the same page ..... when I said I'd be adding more guides. I meant I'd be stripping the guides off the rod and repositioning them so that they were closer together in the area of the blank where needed. Which means you'd invariably be adding more guides. In your particular circumstance, there is no substitute for setting up a two line static load, and using it to place th
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Dan, based on my experience with the carbon sleeved grip that I top coated so it is smooth, if you're talking about your hands just being wet with water, then it will not be slippery at all. Fish slime or any other oily type substance on your hands will of course make them slippery. But as long as you wipe that kind of thing off your hands and the rod grip before going back to fishing, you'll ha
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I'm building a casting rod using the XO skeleton casting grip, so I figured I'd post a picture of what kind of pieces I made and will be using to put the rod together with the grip. The blank I'm using is an NFC MB 725 C6O2 X ray blank. That particular blank will pass all the way through the grip so it makes installation super easy, Here's the picture I took, with a description to follow,
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Based on your description of what is being done with the rod when the line actually touches the blank, if you aren't going to add more guides to protect the blank from over flexing between guides, because that's more than likely what is happening, then I agree with John, and I'd leave it as is. A spiral wrap is going to eliminate the line touching the blank, but unless the guides were poorly
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I'm with those that would strip the rod and do it over. It won't be fun, but you will gain valuable experience, and you'll learn, albeit the hard way, that there are certain aspects of rod building that you need to follow specific procedures, or risk having to do something all over again. I say this being someone that had difficulty when I first started wrapping guides, so I understand how fr
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If they're like the ones that come in the extra locking ring that comes with Alps MVT reel seat hoods, and they most likely are ...... then they're like Ron said, and they're plastic. Like he said, they're just there to aid in holding ability and prevent metal to metal contact. I suppose if it was really a concern, you could just slip a proper size O ring between the two pieces so it prevents
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Those look much better than the earlier versions you were showing. The guides themselves look super sweet. The tip tops, not so much. But I don't imagine there is anything you could do much different with the tip tops. Curious as to what the running guides will look like? Are you shooting for a Fuji KB / KT type frame, or a simple Fuji L type frame? I would think a L type frame would be easier t
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Ed, since you're aware of how I've detailed aspects of the XO skeleton grips, I hope you understand when I say, sorry but I won't do as you ask, and just insert 3 - 5" of blank into the grip to test it. I wouldn't trust it. The casting version is no different than the spinning version in respect to how much of the blank is actually fully support by the ID of the grip. If you're not passi
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Ok, I just got done checking the CCS numbers for the spinning rod I built using an XO skeleton grip. And a casting rod I'm building using an XO skeleton grip. For the spinning rod I used an MB 733 X ray blank. I had to trim length from the butt of the blank to get it to fit into the thread barrel on the XO skeleton grip. I took 7.375" off the end of the blank, and have 7" of the blan
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I have a spinning rod that I built using the XO skeleton grip. I took CCS numbers for the bare blank, and sometime today, I'll take CCS numbers for the completed rod. I'm also into the process of building a casting rod using an XO skeleton grip. As with the spinning rod, I took CCS numbers for the bare blank, and I'll take numbers for it at the same time I take them for completed spinning rod.
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I've never been one to try and build the lightest rod. I put zero effort into trying to make the rod I mentioned earlier, as light as it is. It just came out that way. As soon as I get the build I'm doing on an SB 724 blank finished, I'll be working on a build on an MB 725 C6O2 blank. I'll be using an XO skeleton casting grip on that rod. I've mocked it up, and without epoxy to hold everything to
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I completed a build not long ago, using the spinning version of the XO skeleton, and am in the process of building on the casting version of the XO skeleton. I love them, but ........ I am the one that has the pretty lengthy discussion on a build that Aleks is referencing. The discussion deals with my build using the spinning version of the XO skeleton, but after receiving the casting version, it
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Larry, that's a great idea, and definitely something I will keep in mind for possible future use. Thanks for sharing !!!
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Brent, I just finished a build on that blank. I built is as a spinning rod using a standard 3 reduction guide KR guide train. Fuji T2's 20H, 10H, 5.5M, KB 5.5, and 7 KT 5's plus tip top. XO skeleton reel seat / grip. It's my lightest build to date. It came in at 3.55 oz. I have a 2500 Vanford on it. It feels like it's going to be really good. We're supposed to have great weather this weekend, so
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Brent, thank you for revisiting this thread and posting your thoughts on how your rod casts. I know I appreciate it. I also appreciate you describing your thought process for the placement of the high choke guide. I'm using the same guide train, on the same blank that you built, and while my guide spacing is slightly different from the numbers you posted, they aren't that much different. The bigg
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Not on the topic of the original post, but some information regarding the weights of casting guides with Torzite rings versus the same size guides with SIC rings. Frames for each ring type are titanium. The guides with the SIC rings are the black titanium finish T2s KW 10 w / Torzite ring .647 grams price $20.39 KW 10 x / SIC ring . 690 grams price $
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Fuji KL-H 20, Fazlite ring, $4.19 Fuji KL-H 20, Alconite ring, $5.45 Fuji KL-H 20. Torzite ring, $43.45 You can get a complete KR spinning rod guide train, 10 guides + tip top, with either Fazlite or Alconite rings for basically 3/4 of the price of a KL-H 20 guide with a Torzite ring. Granted that same entire guide train with Torzite rings is going to weigh about the same as a KL-H 20
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Spencer, perhaps and I would say that it's more than likely, that the NFC guide spacing tables are based on specific guide types and sizes. It seems to me that what you're saying is that the spacing in those tables will work regardless of type and size? I'm using a KW 10 as the butt guide, and a KW 5.5 as the guide next to the butt guide, with the rest of the guides being KBs (3 of them) and K
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If one type of guide is taller from the bottom of the inside of the ring than a different type of guide, the spacing will change. Unless of course you don't care what your line path looks like, or if the line touches the blank. As far as what I could find of NFC guide spacing charts. If it's the guide spacing table linked on their web site, that things a joke.
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You don't actually need winding checks anywhere on a rod that I am aware of. It's a trim piece used to, in some instances, add color to areas of the rod, and in other instances, to make the build more finished looking. The only thing you really need to do is make sure that water can't and won't get into the reel seat, by at least filling the ends of the reel seat with epoxy glue.
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