Dean, There is a variety of different foam core densities available for your application, ie a Tennessee handle. Even the lightest (3lb / cu ft) will suffice. The aspect needed to be addressed is the grip ability of the rings to the handle and feet of the reel. With its smooth, hard surface, typical CF skinned foam cores do not possess the same grip action for the rings as with cork. Nonetheles
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Scott, I have not used any Rod Dancer products so my opinion may be of limited value. I also do not know what type of finish South bend applied on the wraps.That said, to just re-coat the wraps, I would opt for a typical, 2-part epoxy thread finish, Rod Dancer or whatever. A simple test of a small portion will reveal any incompatibilities. Many “single part” finishes are rather “hot” like Perma
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GOOD JOB, LYNN!!! That should make it quick and easy for Kenneth.
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Paul, Yes, I got your email and replied. While the Fuji MN GUIDES may be good for conventional casting setups, they are TOO low for a spinning setup. Stick with the KL-Hs and you will be very pleased. The MN TIP TOPS however, are a good, stout choice for your application. You are certainly correct that a single-foot guide is not as strong / strout as a double-foot guide, at least as rough-han
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Kenneth, 2X Herb’s suggestion. Fuses and fuse holders are quite inexpensive and easily available at “Radio Shack” type businesses. They are very easy to install; you don’t need to be an EE; there is one wire going into the holder and one coming out and it does not matter what direction you connect it. If you are hesitant, contact Roger Wilson, a member of this site.
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zachary, It is certainly a good idea to have thread swatch for color reference. But don’t forget that the same color, type and brand of thread will look different over different blank colors = pick a neutral, mid-range color to paint your dowel like medium gray. I have a sacrificial blank with just about all the NCP thread colors I have within numerous styles of wraps. Especially if using regula
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Mike, Now that you have told us “This rod isn't really to be used the person just wants to keep it as a family momento”, Kendall offers a good method to repair the rod. However FG roving is quite large, maybe why his friend “... took apart two strands from fiberglass roving”. Rather than using the FG, consider using natural “colored” silk thread; silk is one of the strongest natural fibers, will
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Mike, 2X Michael’s reply. Sentimental value can override practicality but without a detailed description and photos, it is a crap-shoot for anyone to assist.
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Michael, Ah ha! I thought so lol!!!
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Justin, As you can see, Roger is quite ingenious. I used his recommendation of the Taig headstock and 3-jaw chuck when upgrading the power wrapper I fabricated. But your CRB is new and the chuck should work properly; if not, return it (if they even allow you to) and buy a Flex Coat wrapper.
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Michael, Thanks for sharing and WOW, those are really nice!!! Although I have been impressed and intrigued with feather inlays, I can’t really explain why I have not tried it other than not knowing a good source for feathers and, then, knowing which ones to purchase. How much did those feather inlays alter the frequency of the blank lol.
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Robert, Most plastics inherently repeal most adhesives, paints and dyes. The original color of your box is within the plastic mixture itself used to make the box. I doubt there is a suitable material or method to re-color it. While Ben and Mike were certainly trying to help you, I suggest following Roger’s recommendation.
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Justin, Purchase a Flex Coat “slip clutch” with two extra “diaphragms” with the smaller 5/16in hole. Chuck the slip clutch into the chuck of the wrapper and use it to hold your blanks / rods. You may need to devise a way to keep the spindle of the headstock from turning. Not only will this method hold the blank without needing to tighten the jaws of the wrapper chuck each time but also will all
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Robert, Good idea with the ornaments and even better, doing it with your grandson. I have used thread finish, PG, butt cord and other materials for numerous non-rod building venues. Maybe the entire world revolves around the rod building industry lol.
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Paul, I am surprised you have not received more replies, especially from the Micro Wave proponents. What did you decide to do? I can’t personally email you because your address is hidden.
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Michael, I am doubly surprised; firstly, I thought feather inlays would be too much bling for you and, secondly, that you would share the first mistake in your life with the rest of us lol. Impressed and intrigued with feather inlays I’ve seen, I have toyed (or is that toid) with making my own but just haven’t gotten around to it ... yet. I would love to see a photo.
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Dwayne, As with many things, a little experience with PG will help perfect the end product. But don’t let that keep you from using it; it is quick and easy to use. A cheapie foam brush or a 1/4in thick cosmetic pad saturated with PG can be painted on the blank by starting at the larger end and making one pass to the small end, rotating the blank enough to make another pass until the entire blank
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For what it’s worth, from my monitor's perspective and through my old eyes, all is fine-and-dandy; the sponsor list and forum headings are quite legible.
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Salvatore, It seems to me that you might be a very good candidate for using the spatula method to apply your thread finish rather than a brush. Small, metal spatula sets can be purchased from most rod building suppliers. I have never used them but a number of builders do; the small, cheepie ($.06), children’s paint brushes I get from Walmart work just fine for me and I have never lost a single b
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Dwayne, It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. There is a difference between restoring, refurbishing, rebuilding and repairing an old rod which can be dependent on if “period-correct” procedures and materials are used; and, of course, how picky you are. Personally, I prefer the ultimate protection over “period-correct” and am confident that the modern urethanes are better than the old
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Jason, With your confirmation of the blank, I agree with Michael “It is working just fine” = fish it. I am confident that the reason the line was “touching the blank '' was simply due to overloading. Although I do not think you need it, while increasing the ring size may raise the line higher off the blank / grip, a better approach would be to use a higher frame with the same size ring = casting
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Paul, The Fuji KR Concept is (arguably) the best performing guide train available and is suitable for 50lb braid also. Don’t be afraid to use single foot guides; they are overly strong for the actual forces encountered while fighting larger fish. Your chosen reel and braid size will determine the reduction train guide sizes; 2000-4000 reels with =< 30lb braid, use Fuji KL20H, KL10H, KL5.5M (
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Jason, If you are referring to a Rod Geeks SG70MM, that blank is rated for 6-14lb. Loading that blank with 1 gallon of water (>8lb) is way overloading it!!! Just for laughs-and-giggles, I loaded my 40-100lb glass Seeker with 1 gallon of water, and the weight put a bend into the butt section. Placing the butt guide 18in from the reel should be quite close to optimum. While fishing the rod, i
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I certainly agree with Norman, Michael and others that a set of reamers is a “must-have” when building rods. However, there ARE alternatives for those who only build 1 or 2 rods per year and may not be able to justify the cost. That being said, I use my “Extreme Reamers” with almost every build and they save A LOT of time and effort.
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Michael, I thought it would be obvious that if using the actual blank as a tapered reamer, it would NOT be used with / under power = manually reamed only. Sorry for assuming such was understood. That is why reamers such as the “Extreme Reamer” come with handles = they can be used manually or chucked in a lathe or drill-press. I manually reamed quite a few grips before adapting my equipment to ac
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Leonard, All the commercially available “spiraled sand paper srtip” reamers work quite well, as do home made “epoxy & grit” reamers. In the end, it boils down to how picky you are! Whether store-bought or home-made / self-fabricated, the taper is dictated by what you bought or what you made = rarely the same as the actual blank you are building!!! For many, it is a non-issue and they use win
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Steve, The CLBs fit your stated requirements perfectly; “I want mostly fiberglass, would be ok a little graphite to stiffen the butt (as Lamiglas does with their composite Kwik salmon rods). The most important quality in the blank is a soft tip that freely bends and wobbles”.
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Steve, Within his article on “Live Bait Rods”, Tom Kirkman expressed praise of the Seeker CLB series for their very lively, soft tips yet strong backbone. This is accomplished by using an E-glass blank which incorporates a few layers of CF in the lower 1/2 - ? . At the time Tom wrote the article, apparently the CLB series was out of production. However, Seeker presently offers the CLB series; wh
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Alex, Does your fighting butt require being built specifically for bamboo rods? I cannot imagine what the difference would be, but then, I am not an avid fly angler. I will be following your post to learn from the veterans such as Phil Erickson and Herb L. I am here to learn.
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Tom, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I missed it , and Herb is totally correct on all accounts; 10mm = >3/8in, larger than many BUTT sections of lighter rods! The difference between a #9 (9/64in) and #10 (10/64in) is ~.016in = insignificant while attaching the tip top. Actually, there needs to be a bit of a gap between the blank and tube of the tip top to allow room for the adhesive to d
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