Grant, I too addressed the possibility of the adhesive under the decal and also which holds the transfer-tape to the decal as a possible cause of my consternation. I considerably backed-off with my burnishing pressure and vigor but still experienced the epoxy being repelled. I am certainly not saying it was not the problem but I cannot say it was either.
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Jess, Call Seeker and talk to Ed (president) or Rick (CEO); both are approachable and informative.
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Why are Fuji KTs available up to size 10 while KBs are only available to size 6? With the larger foot of the KB, I would think it should be the other way around. While 95% of my saltwater rods employ conventional reels, I would like to build a 20lb live-bait spinning rod utilizing a 4000 size reel with 50lb braid. As many of you might suspect, I am using a vintage Conolon blank that has a 9/64in
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Roger, I am certainly confident of your rod building abilities including applying decals and over-coating with thread epoxy. I am equally confident of my abilities to perform both; yet I too have had extremely similar results / reactions when applying finish over decals. If anyone is aware of, has experienced and knows how to avoid contamination issues with epoxy, it would be me coming from the
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Lance, You have given yourself a great reason / opportunity to build two rods.
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Fred, First of all, make certain you actually NEED and will USE the power capability. I have over $900.00 invested in parts and material for my power wrapper / lathe not to mention countless hours designing, machining and assembly yet rarely use the power for thread wrapping; with typically having to stop every few rotations to add or drop threads, I have better control by hand. But the power is
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Sean, I agree with Tom and Norman and, additionally, am confident modern purpose-built thread epoxy will out-perform even the modern varnishes for our application; but why mix the two? For the optimum protection and durability, go with epoxy; for a certain affect you might desire, go with varnish, but overcoating it with epoxy would cover that effect.
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Ernie, Different builders experience different issues and discover different methods to overcome those issues. Anyone ready, willing and able to digest, decipher and decide what works best for themselves will benefit.
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Ernie, Although I have not built on a ribbed blank, I can see possible difficulties applying decals due to them having to flex in two directions (compound bend); axley around the circumference of the blank and radially over the humps and valleys of the ribs. Apparently, Norman has no problem. I always apply a thin coat of epoxy on the blank under my decals for three reasons; 1. It fills any po
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Ernie, I also consider it unnecessary. When one thinks about it, they are all accomplishing the same thing, saturating the thread. Generally, the thinner the viscosity of the material = the easier, quicker it will be absorbed into (or at least around) the fibers through capillary action. The tunnels along the sides of the guide feet require special attention as the large void can be “sealed-off”
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Mark, Being a Fuji guy; KWs up to 40lb; HBs up to 80lb; or All American roller guides (the ONLY rollers designed specifically for spiral-wrapped rods.
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I couldn’t agree with Norman more! The rebuilding / refurbishing / restoring (whichever “re” you choose) experience is fun while expanding your knowledge; and then you get to fish the archaic ‘ol thing and experience a bit of fishing history and just how good we have it today. There is just something special to enjoy while fishing a vintage rod; I certainly discovered that with my ‘ol Conolons!
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Steve, Thank you for your compliment as well; nothing that 40 hours over 3 weeks can’t accomplish (not including watching epoxy go-off). But it kept me out of trouble and from annoying the wife lol. A good amount of that time was devoted to just planning and figuring-out how to make it happen. The next one (if there ever will be one) would probably require less than half the build time, but stil
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Mark, Dennis’ suggestion of the bungee cord is a great idea; and the internal spigot ferrule of CARL is tubular allowing the bungee to pass through.
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Lance, “...something I can fish off a boat, beach, jetty or pier that can also cast.” is expecting quite a bit. While the length of your chosen blank may be a good compromise, I am unfamiliar with its other specs as well as the type of fishing and size of fish to be targeted. Certainly, the Fuji RVs are a great choice, but for a fraction of the cost, KWAGs will get the job done. Spiral guide wra
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Johnny, Thank you for your compliment and interest. To achieve a “fabric down to the to blank” end, devoid of checks or caps, requires carefully manipulating the ends of the (CF) fabric. This needs to be addressed prior to the sleeve diameter being determined; these fabric sleeves will only expand and contract to a certain extent = try to use a sleeve as small in diameter as possible to cover
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I am impressed and glad to see Batson Enterprises respond = thank you. As I stated earlier, and although possibly heavier than others, their 18lb/cf foam is an extremely fine cell foam which not only sands and shapes exceptionally well but also machines precisely and perfectly; much better than any other foam-core material I have used over the last 25 years. That may be more important in the rod
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Joseph, I do not know what “happened” to the rod or if it has been structurally compromised but it LOOKS really cool!!! I know that’s not much help.
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Mark, I do not know how long and/or stout of a staff you are considering but the first thing that came to my pea=brain was a hiking “trekking pole”. Gaffs are usually FG and rather heavy and a stout enough CF rod with a large enough OD on the small end would be quite expensive if you could even locate one. If you can only find a 1-piece tapered staff to your specs, simply make it as many section
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Norman, Thanks for trying to help a computer idiot like me but I actually figured it out on my own. I can't really blame people for laughing at my computer skills (or lack thereof) but I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now lol!!!
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I will try again.
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Norman, Thank you for your comments as well. Actually, the olive wood handle was commissioned and thus paid for; I might have made as much as $2.00 / hour lol!. You are undoubtedly correct in that experience will expedite the process (practice makes perfect); I might be able to get $4.00 / hour lol! They are admittedly quite labor-intensive but wanted to see if it could be done nonetheless and i
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Phil, Your respected, veteran approval is much more than appreciated. I enjoyed the challenge and the outcome was acceptable albeit not perfect.
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...And the saga continues; and probably will into eternity. In the short 6 years I have been building rods, the “spine VS straightest axis” issue pops-up more and is more heatedly debated than any other topic. Everyone just needs to get-a-grip and get-along!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Proponents of either side will NEVER convince the other so why bother? What’s the point? What’s to gain? Utilize the debate tim
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Norman, You didn't tell me the folding guide you gave me was radio-active!!!
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Adam, At the risk of seeming unconcerned, 2X Norman's reply.
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Ken, You offer yourself good advice = go fish it but possibly not for trophy toads! But if you do not fish it, you will always wonder. The Fishing Rod Gods will bless you for allowing your vintage rod to stretch its fibers once again. My Dad was so overwhelmed with the 26lb Sailfish he caught in 1946 while on Navy leave that he bought the rod and reel from the charter boat! It is an absolute be
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Herb, Now there is an intriguingly, different approach to static-load-testing. How do you accommodate for different (reduction) guide heights? Maybe it is not of as much concern with fly rods.
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Oops, sorry! I have a new computer and program and thought I was affording a direct link to the photo section as before. Being a computer infant, I do not know what to do. The photos are under "Grips, Handles and Reel Seats", "Mark's 1-Piece Seat / Grips" and "Mark's Olive Wood Grip".
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OK, it is admittedly not 1-piece but the intention of the design was to make it appear so. I had previously fabricated a similar effect using machined olive wood, but the reel feet were exposed. I decided the only feasible way to completely cover the reel feet was to employ fabric, CF in this case, which gave me an opportunity to build my first foam-core / CF grip. There are actually four, separ
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