I would have lost money on that bet. Thanks, I’ll keep that in the foggy memory banks.
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Rick, I have not had to remove a decal before; just lucky I guess. At this point, you do not have much to lose in trying to peel off the decal and both Michael and Phil offer good suggestions. From past experience in similar circumstances, the key is to peel the sticker off SLOWLY, as in EXTREMELY SLOWLY. This will allow the adhesive to stretch a bit and hopefully help to pull itself off the bla
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Daniel, Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good (and I’m certainly not implying you are not good). I have always said that the sign of a true craftsman is one who can transform a mistake into something better. When it works out to the good, it begins to balance-out all the other times it doesn’t. I’m glad it work-out for you; how about some photos?
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Tack rags are typically a big NO-NO in the composite industry. Granted, rod builders are not building structural composite laminates for NASA, but I would still remain leery of employing tack rags for anything related to epoxy.
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Michael, Permaseal? I thought we were talking about PermaGloss. Sorry if I misunderstood.
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David, The other replies have said it all = don’t do anything with the first coat. Apply the second coat as soon as the first has cured enough to not be disturbed with /by the second. With the exception of CTS Crystal Coat, most thread epoxies will have cured well enough to apply a second coat after 6 hours but 12 hours is a safer bet. Thin or light versions typically require more time to cure t
Forum: rodboard

The Xylene in PG alone makes me agree with Kendall. Don’t get me wrong, PG is great stuff and I use it all the time. But Xylene is nasty, toxic stuff and extreme care needs to be employed when using it.
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Michael, With PG being so “hot”, I would have thought it would have attacked the underlying Tru-Oil in your small, quick test. I suggest you conduct another test on a larger surface to confirm, the inscription as well, whether ink, paint or decal. Personally, I would use epoxy for the inscription as a thicker “lens” is usually desired and the longer cure time may help with self-leveling over a l
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David, Admittedly, my method involves “eye-balling” but I have modified it to compensate for my old eyes and it keeps the decal straight every time. Simply cut a piece of household cellophane tape 4-6in longer than the decal, hold it over the decal getting it aligned as best possible and then slowly lower the tape down onto the decal. Remove the backing of the decal and hold the ends of the tape
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Steven, I agree with Herb on all counts. If it works-out (or can tweek the guide spacing a bit) that one of the guides is on the female ferrule = great - the guide wrap will serve as a ferrule binding wrap as well. Travel rods, to me, are 3 or 4 sections; pack rods 4+ sections. If 2 sections are adequate for you, fine. But if shorter sections would be a benefit, build your own tubular, FG CARL f
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Thank you Lynn, Michael, Joe, Ben and Spencer for your appreciated replies as well. It is comforting to know I can always rely on you guys (including Norman, Roger and David) to help me (at least attempt to) solve issues. Combining all the replies, I have concluded that my new method of keeping the spool of the reel and filler spool inline to eliminate ANY twist while spooling may be flawed. It g
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Thank you so much for the great replies from great, respected repliers. Norman, I haven’t thought of flipping the feeder spool over, which should be the same as taking the line off the bottom of the spool rather than the top as with my newer “parallel spooling” method = I’ll give it a shot. As for substituting my mono/fluoro for braid, I will be honest and say that probably will not happen. I j
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ethan, I plead ignorance to the “CX40XO” you described. Apparently, it is a very short (4ft), 130lb blank = that is a very serious blank for serious fish and I can only assume you will be employing a “uni-butt” of sorts. A serious rod deserves serious attention from the owner = maintenance. While rollers may not be “required” on such a build, WHY NOT? I would opt for rollers on anything > 80l
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Although not precisely related to rod building, hopefully my question regarding the PROPER spooling of a spinning reel is appropriate enough. My quest is to eliminate, or at least significantly reduce, the inherent and dreaded line-twist associated with spinning reels. For more than 30 years, I simply removed the old line from the reel and threw it on the bank of the first pristine alpine lake
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Edward, I suspect there is no structural difference between a “spin” and “cast” reel seat, only the additional trigger on the cast seat. A (triggerless) spin seat can certainly be used for casting but a “triggered” cast seat would be very uncomfortable for spin. Your 50lb build is kind-of on the fence / border when it comes to seat choice. While the composite Fuji DPS would certainly get the job
Forum: rodboard

Troche’ Norman!!! You are point-on!!!
Forum: rodboard

And the “to spine” or “not to spine” saga continues. David, Continue with the build as is. If you mount the guides conventionally on top, you are going to have rod torque anyway. But consider spiral-wrapping the guides to eliminate any rod torque and save your energy to fight the fish rather than wasting energy from attempting to counter the rod torque. Plus, with the rod more stable under load
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Thank you Michael and Roger for the information and definition. The fishing rod world uses the word “parabolic” in a different context than in math. Roger, I have always been intrigued if not dumbfounded how a pole-vaulter induces flex into the pole to propel them to such great heights; 20ft is truly remarkable!!! That is certainly a different definition of “high-sticking” lol.
Forum: rodboard

Eui, Most people underestimate a guide’s ultimate strength, and the thread wrap holding it in place as well. While you may be building a heavy 80lb rod, it will not be like 80lb of force trying to rip a single guide from its perch. Realistically, even with a massive 30lb of drag at the reel, spread over 4-6 guides, each guide will only experience ~ 5lb of force! Your XNs or KWs will certainly
Forum: rodboard

Tom, Thank you for the reply. I certainly agree that “ Even with a slight load on the blank tip, the initial flex is over the entire blank rather than just a shorter portion of it.” To my way of thinking, that equates to all blanks being load-progressive or “parabolic”. I am hoping to learn if a proclaimed “parabolic blank” is any different from other “regular” blanks.
Forum: rodboard

This is an honest question in hopes of defining a “parabolic blank”. I am uncertain if the term refers to the “action” or the “power” of a blank or possibly both (and possibly other aspects as well). Through my eyes, the bending characteristics of ALL blanks are parabolic as different loads are applied to the tip. A parabola can be viewed as an oval cut into quarters where the drawn line of the
Forum: rodboard

Guy, I am certainly sorry to learn you have been going through cancer treatment. I am confident in speaking for all of us on rb.org and wishing you a speedy and complete recovery!!!!!
Forum: rodboard

Eui, The size and style of the guides is dependent on the size of the reel, most importantly the diameter of the spool, the height of the spool shaft off the blank and the up-sweep angle. Assuming you will be using a 4000-6000 size reel with braid, your choice of Alps XNs will probably get the job done. However, I do not think you need so many different sizes = 3 progressively smaller reduction
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Bob, I use cork tape covered with X-shrink tubing for almost all my salt builds = very durable in-and-out of rod holders, grippy surface when wet, easy to clean and, although I haven’t had to, easy to replace if ever needed. I have used both the .062in and .125in thick versions but do not like the .125in because it starts to get surface cracks in it when bending around a blank; the smaller the b
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Guy, Consult Rick (CEO) of Seeker Rods, 949-887-6853. They have a multitude of blanks, FG, CF or combination of both in numerous actions, powers and sections to suit your needs. Seeker is a very up-front, knowledgeable and easy-to-talk-to American blank manufacturer ready, willing and able to satisfy their customer’s needs and requirements.Tell him Mark, the rod builder, referred you and said he
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Mo, Any way one looks at it, prior or post the addition of epoxy, Aramid (Kevlar) is a PITA to cut! It is one of the most abrasion-resistant fabrics known which, inherently, resists being cut as well. Hence, Aramid fabric requires special shears / scissors specifically designed just for it with specific cutting angles with a micro serrated edge to “grab” the fibers rather than allow them to be s
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Scott, Nothing ventured = nothing gained. I commend you for experimenting outside the box; you are thinking and that is what really matters. While your “pour-foam” inserts certainly have merit, as stated earlier, concentrically drilling / boring / reaming would be a hurdle to overcome. Just don’t stop thinking, experimenting and asking questions.
Forum: rodboard

Tom, You and I have had this discussion before and, apparently, continue to disagree with each other. 8lb foam will dent with one's fingernail; it will not after a CF skin is applied. One can easily break / snap an 8lb X 8in long foam core but virtually impossible after skinned with CF, FG or Aramid. Granted, the latter has more to do with flexural strength but both serve to show the skins are w
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Alex, Unless allowing to be taken advantage of, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! I purchased a bamboo blank from Johnny Klune (RIP) of Anglers Roost for ~$150.00; it was adequate and I felt I got what I paid for; but it was certainly far from perfect. Considering the immense amount of hand labor and specialized tooling required to properly fabricate a cane, bamboo blank, $500.00 does not seem out-of-li
Forum: rodboard

Robert, You seem to be answering your own questions = good for you! Otherwise, send me airfare to-and-from LAX and I’ll help you lol.
Forum: rodboard