Why not incorporate a decorative ring at the pressure points. I would think a thin piece of walnut or aluminium strategically placed on the handle would be attractive and functionl!
Forum: rodboard

The term "slip fit" can have many meaning to many different people. Those of us who have been doing this for a while know what it means. But when teaching classes my students have no idea what it means and the way I explain it to them is that the reel seat (or handle) should slide in place using minimal force and not "wiggle" when you try to move the blank back an forth in t
Forum: rodboard

I have been building rods and teaching rod building for a few years. When I get to guide placement I use the same process I think most of us do. Place the guides where we think they belong, then test to see if the "arc" looks right and adjust from there. I have been doing that for probably 30+ years of building. But in all those years I never knew (or really tried to find out) why I
Forum: rodboard

I have read with great interest posts on what speed to use for rod drying. I have come to the conclusion that the speed is very dependent on the viscosity of the epoxy that is being used. Hence the speed may be brand and temperature sensitive. Here's what I mean. As the rod turns the epoxy wants to seek the lowest spot hence the term self leveling. If the rod is turning at a speed such tha
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Roger, Nicely done again. I am constantly amazed at your work. I was wondering what you used for rollers? They look commercial and about the right size, I have not been able to find anything and so have been making my own from Nylon stock or recycled HDPE plastic. Also, have you ever considered using stepper motors instead of gear motors? I have been playing with them for a few months now
Forum: rodboard

James Taylor Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi Brennan, > What area are you in? > Maybe we can find a shop that you can pull on some > of the RainShadow blanks. We will be at the Custom > Rod Building Expo this weekend and in two weeks we > have a booth at Fred Hall Long Beach where we will > have a large assortment of our saltwater b
Forum: rodboard

I am finalizing my rod lathe design. The last piece I need is the tension rod. That little item that applies tension to the thread so I can unwrap the rod without completely loosing the wrap tension. Most I have seen appear to be made out of some kind of steel wire. So my question to the forum is, what do most builders make this rod from. I have been looking at High Carbon Steel 2B with
Forum: rodboard

Roger, Have you considered stepper motors? I get them from a surplus store that salvages old printers and copiers. They are very flexible and relatively quiet. I especially like the ability to stop and lock the motor at a specific place. I can also set them up to rotate a specific number of degrees then stop and hold, great for things like chevron wraps. Of course easily reversed etc. Th
Forum: rodboard

Most of the boards I subscribe to have a feature that lets me see all the messages I have posted or started. I have tried searching using the search function here and it just does not seem to work the way I am used to. So any help on finding my own posts? Thanks. Never mind. I just found the box at the bottom of the search that limits the time of the search.
Forum: rodboard

Matthew Paul Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I my self use a super sharp thin blade kitchen > knife to cut eva and I bore it with a rotary file > to cut the angles I hobby craft a miter box and > hold it snugly so that doesn't roll or slide and > cut it with a smooth single stroke that keeps the > face ends square but make sure you hav
Forum: rodboard

roger wilson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > John, > A really simple way to do the cutting is to use a > miter saw with a thin abrasive wheel installed on > the saw > > Set the angle that you wish to cut, lower the > wheel and the cut is done. > > You do not mention, if the EVA block is square or > round. > >
Forum: rodboard

When I do a cross wrap I will cut three or four lengths of thread, Tape them to the but section then warp all four at once up the rod. When I get to about 1/2' beyond where I want the pattern to end, I continue around the rod to the opposite side and wrap down the rod, then tape the thread at the but section. Grab the next three or four threads and repeat until pattern is done. I can normally
Forum: rodboard

Thanks everyone. Lots of really great ideas. I can see I will be doing a lot of testing in the next few months. Will post photos of the result and the way that gave me what i am looking for.
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I am designing a set of rods (5 wt and 7/8 wt) that I think will be used as prizes for a tournament we are planning. The blanks are a matte black and I am going with black EVA grips with red inserts. What I want to do is place the inserts at a 45 degree angle to the eva on the front and rear third, and two inserts crossing at as 45 in the center. The question I have is what is the best way to
Forum: rodboard

Thanks everyone. After some additional consideration and a review of my current inventory, I have decided to go with some EVA that I bought a while back. I ordered some black and red pen blanks that I will turn for the reel inserts. Should work fine. Again, many thanks for the advice, I still want to use Ebony on future build, but maybe just as accent rings.
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ben belote Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Most of my rod wraps loose their gloss after a few > fishing trips..lol. Good point!
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Jay Dubay Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Mark, Did you end up using natural white? And yes > I would assume a warmer environment, Or a quick > blast with a hair dryer would have helped with > your tunnel voids. I am just starting my first rod with silk thread and this is an interesting thread for me. Just one question, you use the term "
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I'll give that a try. Thanks.
Forum: rodboard

I purchases a couple of blanks that are matte black finish. I want to keep the matte black theme and was wondering if anyone knows of a way to give epoxy a matte finish. I saw this rod with regular epoxy finish on wraps and it really didn't look very good. So I was looking around to find a way to give the epoxy a matte finish. Otherwise I guess its old school and semi-gloss varnish.
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I am building a new rod and want to use ebony insert and ends of the cork handle. Has anyone ever used ebony? How difficult is it to work? Thanks.
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I actually did find an automatic reel. I used one when I was a kid, many moons ago. It works well on the retrieve, but the problem is stripping line off the reed with one arm. What I need is a reel that will automatically retrieve line and some way provide line at a controlled rate while casting. I've been playing with small dc motors and Arduino micro-controllers for a rod lathe and epoxy mi
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Phil, Tenkara is one that actually did come to mind. I have introduced it to my Vets and some seem to enjoy using it. Only problem of course is distance. We fish on lakes so often need to get a little further than tenkara will work.
Forum: rodboard

Donald La Mar Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > John > > Have not been involved in a juried rod > competition, but have stayed at a Holiday Inn, so > . . . > > Seriously, if you have to roll your on criteria, > think about scoring three areas, quality & > suitability of the components, build quality, and > aesthetics.
Forum: rodboard

I am the Program Lead for Project Healing Waters in Omaha, NE. We have just started our annual rod building contest and I have about 10 Veterans building Fly Rods. We would like to hold our own local competition before we send the rods off to National for judging, however I have been unable to find any information on judging Fly Rods. I have asked our National organization for their critera fo
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roger wilson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Steve, > One thing that I do about every 6 months, is to > put the containers of rod finish in the microwave > for 10 seconds or so, to be sure that each of the > finish containers have dead clear liquid in them. > > > If any crystals have formed, short bursts of the > microwave d
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Phil Erickson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It is not a shelf life issue! The reasons for > epoxy not curing are these, 1) improper mix > quantities (ie. not 50/50) 2) Not thoroughly > mixed. 3) Cold temperature where curing. If you > can eliminate #3, it is one or both of the > others.. We are testing the epoxy now. I should have
Forum: rodboard

Phil Erickson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It is not a shelf life issue! The reasons for > epoxy not curing are these, 1) improper mix > quantities (ie. not 50/50) 2) Not thoroughly > mixed. 3) Cold temperature where curing. If you > can eliminate #3, it is one or both of the > others.. We are testing the epoxy now. I should have
Forum: rodboard

roger wilson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sam, > There is an easy solution for your question. > > Use a DC gear motor with a speed of about 50 rpm > along with a DC speed control and a DC power > supply for a power source for your dryer. > > This way, you have the best of both worlds, you > have a faster motor for apply
Forum: rodboard

I have been conducting a rod building class for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing here in Omaha. Its been great fun and the rods are coming along really well. But, and a big but, some of my Veterans have complained that the epoxy isn't drying. That it stays tacky forever. They say they are mixing according to the directions, 50/50 mix. I checked the epoxy and it is a 1;1 mixture. So I am a
Forum: rodboard

Hi all, I work very closely with disabled veterans here in Omaha. One of the areas that has bothered me is what seems to be a lack of fly rods for one armed veterans. I think something can be done with a simple 12V motor connected to a reel, and controlled by buttons/and or switches affixed to the rod handle. So does anyone know if something like this has been done already, or do I need to
Forum: rodboard