The coatings are fine, and a lot of custom rod builders cover cord and/or turks heads with polyurethane or finish. But over time, this finish deteriorates and becomes white, cloudy, and flaky and it doesn't look good. Using seine twine over paracord helps, as it sticks to the blank better and shifts a lot less. It only comes in black though, and the color fades (which I think looks nice actual
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The coatings are fine, and a lot of custom rod builders cover cord and/or turks heads with polyurethane or finish. But over time, this finish deteriorates and becomes white, cloudy, and flaky and it doesn't look good. Using seine twine over paracord helps, as it sticks to the blank better and shifts a lot less. It only comes in black though, and the color fades (which I think looks nice actual
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Is the cord going to be an open end or tucked? Open ended, Ive had success rolling the section I want to cut in heated rod tip glue, and cut in the middle carefully using a sharp knife or razor. Then dip the end in more rod tip glue. Good luck Nick
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Personally, I don't use any tape, glue, or any coating to secure the cord on the blank. If it is tight onto the blank, it shouldn't shift at all. When using a power wrapper to wrap the cord, it will always be a little loose compared to doing it by hand. Doing the cord work by hand takes more time, but it ensures that all the cord is as tight as possible. It won't shift and it won't need polyu
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Hard Merch. has a lot of Sato Customs. RIP, he was really good.
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They have that blank in ML and M powers, if you're interested. Otherwise Calstar GF900M, Calstar BTG690J, United Composites CE900Mega or CE900Monster. If you like the narrow, slim blanks, United Composites will probably be the closest to what you want. Good luck
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If you have the opportunity to exchange it, I would do so. No use keeping a defective blank if you don't need to. You could try to work with it, but its hard to really know how far the extent of the crack is, especially if it split the blank. It's not supposed to crack under a proper spine test, wonder if the rest of the rod is defective as well.
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i vote rewrap as well
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Medical coban tape, used when you get your blood drawn. Its the same tape some tackle stores sell to wrap your fingers. Otherwise just wrap the braid around the spool 7-10 times before you tie the arbor. Each wrap increases friction and surface area of coverage, you shouldn't have a problem. Also, ensure that when you enter the spool with the line to tie the arbor, start opposite to how you w
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David Baylor your comment is spot on... Gib, here are a couple of my 2 cents to consider with the # of guides and placement. First, size of the guides vs the type of blank. Think of it not as a total guide weight issue alone, but a guide weight vs blank power issue. Most of the single foot guides are very very small and weight little (especially micros), and the recovery of the rod won't be
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Thanks. I used the same guide sizes you suggested pretty much. Size 10 double foot stripper, 8, 7 double foot reduction train. Size 6 single foot transition, 5.5 single foot runners. Total 10 guides not including the tip. Ive heard nothing but good things about ringlocks.
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Love that blank and series. I know it is considered a high modulus type rod for finesse fishing, but because it is so lightweight and responsive it fishes well as a reaction rod. I was expecting more "backbone" and as they describe due to the nature of how the blank is built, it took a little getting used to. Now I use my 761mf and 761mhf for finesse applications and love it, but I k
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I usually just make sure its tight and trim the tag ends without glue. Never had a problem. I know some rod builders put finish over the turks heads, but over time it looks crusty. What kind of cord are you using?
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A lot of rod blank manufacturers have recipes for their setups, including guide spacing, sizes, reel seats, and handles. Start there. If you want to know more about the theory, look into the library on this board. Look up 'static loading' or 'static guide placement'. To be honest though believe it or not, an old fashioned rod building paperback book will probably help you the most with the th
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Parks super glaze, probably the same thing but I don't know for sure. Envirotex is usually sold in arts / crafts / hobby stores or home improvement stores. Good luck
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Envirotex table top finish. I know a few builders who just use that
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Put together one of live bait Judge models. Very lightweight and powerful. The glass incorporation is the typical soft tip, but the considering its a crank / LB rod, it feels very responsive. Still waiting on more feedback from my buddy I built it for.
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2nd RCKJB
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Applying multiple thin coats as opposed to a single large coat will give you more control over where the finish goes making it much, much, much easier to prevent the finish from riding up the guide. If you do a single coat, the amount of finish has to be within a decent window so it covers everything while not getting out of control. Either way, dripping off is a sign that its probably out of c
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Yes. Even if you get a 13mm inside diameter reel seat, the ECSM should have been a 16 or 17 reel seat. Basically non-exposed blank reel seats, you generally order the standard sizes which end up being 16, 17, etc. It's up to you to ensure that 1) The seat is not too small for the blank diameter and 2) That you place arbors / shims around the blank so the seat fits snug when you glue it. Expos
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Fade wraps are decorative so you can put them anywhere you want. They are based off a ratio as Tom described. He lists a 5:1, 4:2, 3:3,... etc transition. You can also toggle your ratio for transitions :7:1, 5:3, 3:5... etc for a shorter, bolder fade. As usual, make your thread transitions on the blind side of the blank so they are clean. Good luck. Here is an example of a 10:1, 9:2, 8:3...
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One time I mixed a larger batch, warmed it, and kept it in a mixing cup. It cured within minutes and created the lumps you described. At that time, I needed to either mix a smaller batch or pour it in a finishing dish so it could cool down. Might be a possibility, but I don't want to assume that you don't already know that. Good luck! I haven't had that issue with prokote Nick
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Point Blank is pretty damn good
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Second the RCKJB series
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Second that. Thanks Tom! This forum boasts a great knowledge base with very gracious and courteous contributors.
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The Immortal series has more backbone which I like more for jigs. They currently had a price drop too I think.
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The Immortal series has more backbone which I like more for jigs. They currently had a price drop too I think.
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6 months or so
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Thanks guys. Yea, I was the one that wrote it out Chuck, just thought I'd post a video of it as well. For those trying it out, I've found it a lot easier on gloss blanks than on matte or slate blanks.
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What's up all, I know everyone has their way, but thought I'd share a video on a way I've found success. Cheers Nick
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