Michael, Tom and Joe, Thank you for your comments; they are understood and well received. I apologize for any confusion but, as the title of the topic suggests, I was hoping to learn if a foam core transmitted vibrations (feel) as well as direct contact with the blank. I am quite well versed in foam core technology through my structural composite sandwich knowledge and am certainly not confusin
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I have been curious as to the efficiency of foam cores to transmit the vibrations (feel) from the blank to the outer skin and ultimately the hand or fingers, be it a CF skinned grip or reel seat insert. If feeling the vibrations of the blank is paramount, then direct contact with the blank itself would produce the ultimate sensation of such. Foam, by nature, possesses an insulating property, both
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Thanks, Dan. I have actually tried that.
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Thank you to those replying. Apparently, the general consensus considers typical, rigid woodworking lathe tools appropriate only for initial concentricity of the cork handle. I have used “cheese graters” similar to the Shinto and Surform tools (with a lengthwise convex surface) for other applications in the past and they seem to be a good candidate for turning cork as well = good suggestion. I
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Thank you also to Roger, Phil and John.
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Thanks, Gary. I assume you use the Shinto tool against the tool rest?.?.?
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Tom, Thank you for your anticipated and welcomed reply. After watching numerous videos such as your offering, I am hoping to receive hands-on replies from other veteran builders as well to learn any tricks-of-the-trade. While I can accomplish concentricity, draping sand paper over the cork grip can be a bit less than perfect to accomplish such. While possibly (probably) splitting hairs, if a lat
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As the title suggests, what lathe tool minimizes damage to cork while turning? Along the same milling vein, what turning speed seems to produce the best results? While realizing such a soft and inconsistent material as cork will always be prone to shredding and ripping chunks out while turning, there must be a specific tool which works better than all the others. Having limited experience, I am r
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Carl, Are you still with us?
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Nathan, As stated earlier, you need to decide which is more important; the seat or the rod! Rarely can one have his cake and eat it too. After you determine such, proceed with the veteran advise above. If the old seat is sacrificed, be prepared to build-up the blank at the seat location to accommodate for it being smaller than the butt of the blank when installing from the rear (unless you are
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Carl, If you care to do so, inspect the linked photos of the rod tubes I fabricate. They are light, strong, quick and easy to open/close and yet quite inexpensive. If interested further, see my construction instructions in the forum under Build Custom Rod Tubes for Your Customers dated 03/20/2019.
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Keith, One way or the other, all of the above replies are correct. Personally, I do not care for the flashy looks of most winding checks and employ thread epoxy in lieu of on a regular basis. A precisely reamed and fitted cork foregrip deserves to have the crisp edge exposed and a small ramp of clear epoxy affords such. Other times I may add some sort of pigment to the epoxy. With an epoxy ramp,
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Lynn, I am leaning in that direction as well. Norman, I certainly cannot argue. I have already tried ThreadMaster, but the light version while I know you prefer the regular. While it has yellowed a bit in the last few months, it appears to be much less than any other finish I have tested with the exception of CTS Crystal Coat; I have not tried Hitena. I have witnessed talk of the Gen4 and am cur
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Nick, At the risk of sounding remote or uninterested, try both out and see what you ultimately prefer. Norman, you make me feel bad because my Mommy told to “waste not, want not” and it was also years ago yet still worthy and wise. However, after cleaning my FlexCoat brushes in acetone for the first year or so, I tried Roger Wilson’s suggestion of using disposable children’s art brushes from Wal
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No one could argue that point!!! 2X from me as well.
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Thank you to all who took the time to reply. Michael, I live in So Cal but do not know how cold the UPS trucks were delivering my order. While I cannot be certain, it may be unlikely excessive cold caused my issue. But then, my previous oxidation and/or UV contamination observations can almost be ruled-out as well. Billy, I wanted to learn more unbiased opinions before contacting ProKote. Roge
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Thanks again, Tom. I suspect you may be correct in that it was simply old stock. But it must have been extremely old stock if that much darker (and noticeably darkening further each week) than my present 2-3 year old on-hand supply. That is what has me baffled. Once again, I should have immediately returned it. I am still interested in other’s experiences, ideas and comments. Please offer your o
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Tom, Thank you for the reply. While I have experienced and agree with you that all epoxy hardeners will eventually “turn” as you stated, I am concerned with why this new bottle has turned immensely darker over a considerably shorter period of time than any of the previous bottles of the same brand hardener. Did you get an opportunity to view the comparison photo? Although I was not fortunate eno
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Through my composite experience, I am aware that virtually all epoxies will eventually yellow, some more than others. Whether in the cured state or still liquid in the bottle/can, this can be most commonly due to oxidation or UV factors. In my five years of rod building, I have experienced yellowing, even browning, of the thread finish hardener while still in the bottle, but not to an excessive,
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Glen, There is a huge difference between “rod (blank) finish” and “thread finish” and I am not certain to which you are referring. When referring to coating a blank, U40 PermaGloss has become the industry standard; it is a one-part, moisture-curing urethane which produces a very nice finish on blanks and some even use it for thread wraps as well. It applies very thinly to avoid excessive weight
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Scott, As you apparently discovered, I have found JTOBs generally look better if the main thread is darker and the inlayed leaves are lighter; it seems to hold true with modified JTOBs as well. I use various forms of JTOBs frequently and have not experienced any issue with them “showing” with either A or D thread.
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Chris, I personally prefer the KWs over the MNs or LNs, even if the RV is 90* and the KWs are slanted. The KWs are just a great guide in every aspect. Hopefully Norman is still viewing your post and will afford his opinion. Maybe even Jim Isling will comment. I will continue viewing your post to learn from the veterans.
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Michael, Consider a concerted effort to not attempt discovering any more “new ways to break a rod” LOL. Sorry about the rod.
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Tom, Herb is correct on all counts. He may have misunderstood your question though. I think you were asking if a shinny clear coat will bring out/enhance the appearance of the fiber weave = yes. While it will add weight to the rod, the tip section in particular, the amount is minimal and probably undetectable to the majority of fishermen, even fly fishermen. One thin coat of U40 PermaGloss will
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While one might initially assume attaching a conventional reel to a rod with only a bottom clamp and no seat might allow the reel to spin on the grip, three of my frequent fishing buddies have a total of five seatless rods used for yellowtail and none have experienced reel slippage. While I personally do not particularly care for the set-up, I have witnessed them landing 25lb YT which the general
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Touché’ Michael, I agree.
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Peter, One other thing to consider; if the (conventional) reel has a bottom clamp, no seat is required.
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2 X Norman’s suggestion.
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Carl, I forgot to address the title of your topic; a lathe will do all a power wrapper can do but a power wrapper cannot do all a lathe can. Ultimately, the best case scenario is to have a separate wrapper and lathe, mostly to confine shaping dust generated from turning grips AWAY from the wrapper where you will be performing thread and finish operations. My shop has restricted space and thus do
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David, 2X Roger’s suggestion although you may not need the heat.
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