Thank you for the replies thus far. I had not really considered self gratification as an “aspect” but many of you have and that is certainly OK. I also obtain immense satisfaction and gratification from rod building and fabricating equipment to do so as well. John D. was probably the most honest and I concur “… it kind of puffs my ego…” By the way John, touché on your last remark and fell free to
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Albert, I am hesitant to reply as I do not have any concise answers for your situation with some of the same batch of CC responding well and one not. From your very thorough explanation, I conclude the CC was not set well enough to be sanded, hence an unsatisfactory over-coated end result. CC inherently takes much longer to set and cure than other, more common epoxies. If the 320 you used caused
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With the monotony of staying at home to practice social distancing and to change-up the typical topics on our site, allow me to offer what hopefully will be a little fun for all. WHAT ARE THE MOST STAND-OUT, PROFOUND ASPECTS OF RODBUILDING YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED? “Aspect” is wide open, whether a material, method, technique, tool = whatever. For me; 1.) Spiral Wraps. I had never heard of, let alo
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Michael, The UHMW would be a great idea to reduce friction. Just remember to use it on one side and aluminum on the other, not plastic-to-plastic or metal-to-metal. McMaster Carr has UHMW channels for about $3.00 per foot, PVC for a little less, even PTFE but for considerably more. If you can adapt the channel to your system, it would reduce or eliminate the machining. Hope this helps.
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Todd, I did not address your question regarding FG blank suggestions in my first reply because I cannot really help you very much. I purchased quite a few vintage NOS Conolon FG blanks in various lengths and powers in a sanded but not finished condition. They are absolutely gorgeous after a coat of PG, afford an awesome Fish-Fighting-Fun-Factor, all while owning and fishing a 50-60 year old piec
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Michael, You must live in the southern hemisphere of planet Earth; your picture is upside down for us in the northern hemisphere LOL. It looks very nice and the addition of the ability to move the wrapper on the Y axis seems to be a good idea and hopefully will prove to be beneficial. Good job! The fabrication looks very clean, as does the surrounding area; now get busy building rods and clutter
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Todd, Keep an open mind when trying your new FG trout rod; they are different than CF rods. Many will state FG is “sloppy-feeling” but I refer to it as full-flexing and thoroughly enjoy it for both casting light lures and fighting Sierra trout using UL equipment. It seems everyone has become spoiled with the attributes of CF and I certainly will not argue; CF truly is a wonder fabric for a wide
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Adding to Tony’s suggestion of shrink tubing from McMaster-Carr, they also have clear shrink tubing. I have used it in lieu of a butt cap to protect the end of the grip yet allow the hardwood, birch bark, cork or whatever to be seen. I also used it to protect the 16in hickory handle of a rebuilt, split cane offshore trolling rod.
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Michael S., If an additional coat is necessary, most epoxies will benefit if applied just before or after the “no fingerprint” stage of cure of the first to produce a “chemical” bond between the two. Since most epoxies require a number of days to fully cure (unless post cured at an elevated temperature), additional coats 2-5 days later can be applied and still achieve a chemical bond, just not a
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Barry, Tom’s estimate of approximately 3% shrinkage in length is probably fairly accurate in general; but take into account that the more loose-fitting a sleeve is (having to shrink more) the more pronounced the shrinkage in length will be as well. I incorporate X-Flock shrink tubing on most of my saltwater builds; if I cannot install the reel seat over the end of the shrink, I cut a champher/re
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With so many mandatory shut-downs affecting Non-Essential businesses, which of this site’s sponsors/vendors are still able to operate? We will all get through this. BE SAFE, HEALTHY AND HAPPY!!!
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Thanks, Mick.
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Thanks, Bill.
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Thanks, Herb.
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Thanks Norman and Ron. I have never given thought to mounting anything other than a fly reel at the butt of the rod = interesting. I want to be just like you guys when I grow up.
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Phil Ew. and Jake, Thank you for your contributions as well. What seems so intriguing to me for thread wraps may be common-place for other applications. As Norman and both Phils mentioned, there may be little to be gained other than the knowledge of an additional method to tie-off a wrap. I suppose if it were better, easier and faster, everyone would employ it. Thank you to all for taking the t
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Adam, What is the necessity of removing the wooden arbor? Can’t it simply be left in place and reused?
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Spenser, Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a “Skagit style” grip?
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Albert, I am a big fan of Fuji in general, KL-H spinning guides in particular for light builds. Consider KL-16H, KL-8H, KL-6M, KL-5.5L for the “fast choke” reduction train followed by two KBs and the rest of the runners KTs of your chosen size with a LG tip top. Go as small as you are comfortable with to reduce weight toward the tip. Consider having at least 12 guides on hand for the 10ft rod an
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Thanks, Norman. I was unfamiliar with the Rizzuto knot until looking it up after your post. While I have always used a FG knot for saltwater use, after the main FG part of the knot I have simply tied two-half-hitches with the braid tag over both the braid main line and mono/fluoro tag, cut the mono tag close and then two or three half hitches over just the braid main line. Although I have never h
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Thank you for the prompt replies. Donald, I have experimented with the Super Glue route but it is more trouble and time than a pull through loop. But Super Glue used for a stand-alone single thread trim band works awesome! Norman and Phil, that is the video I watched previously = thanks. I had not thought of it before, but as Phil mentioned, the method would certainly be performed easier OFF a
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Do any of you know how to tie-off a thread wrap WITHOUT using a pull-through loop? I watched a video of a rod builder who ended his thread wraps WITHOUT a pull-through loop. I am fairly certain I learned of the video on this site. My searches have been unsuccessful in relocating that video. The method involved reverse wrapping the thread, of some sorts, a few rotations but the video did not show
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Yet another hooked on rod building.
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Tom, I doubt you are doing anything incorrectly while applying thread finish; each finish requires a bit of a learning-curve to get comfortable with its own properties and end-results. BASICALLY, high-build thread finishes enable a single coat to be applied but may not level/flow out as well as regular or light counterparts. I typically use the light versions to keep the overall weight down on
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David, Logically, it is safe to say that a single piece rod will outperform its sister multi-piece rod, even if employing the widely-accepted, CAD CAM designed, wazoo tip-over-butt ferrules. That being said, transportation, storage and other factors can dictate a compromise is required. Oddly enough, Robert and I are opposite in our thinking; my lighter trout stuff is virtually all multi-piece w
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Herb, In FlexCoat’s defense, not every rod builder has a power wrapper and those who do will find that attempting to install a three of four jaw chuck requires purchasing an upgraded headstock which will accept the chuck along with appropriate pulleys and belts and miscellaneous other hardware to make it all work. I recently upgraded my original, self-built power wrapper to include a Taig heads
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Herb, I agree that the FlexCoat chucks, slip-clutches included, work very well, although as you mentioned, the hole in the thin rubber faceplate may not seem to be centered precisely. While it is usually not of much concern, when I do need concentricity, I have been able to push down on the high side of the installed blank until it is pretty dang close. This leads me to believe that even if the
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For tip tops mounted to rods of virtually any pound-class, my apprentice (I’d like to believe I have graduated from novice/newbie status) opinion is PROPER tip top/ferrule adhesive (hot melt) is the ultimately preferred method for at least two reasons; 1.) From a strength perspective, it is not as though a 300lb fish is exerting 300lb of force directly attempting to pull the tip top off the blank
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Michael, So there you have it; Roger answered with his infinite electronical knowledge. He also has great sources for new and used electrical components including motors, speed controllers and is more than savvy to know which components will work the best for any given application. As Roger, my Dad is a retired EE and I absorbed a basic knowledge of things electrical while growing-up; just enoug
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Michael, It is my understanding the sewing type motors used with most power wappers are 110 (120) VAC and will not reverse direction by reversing the wires (polarity); you need a DC motor to reverse the direction by reversing the wires (polarity). Roger Wilson is the one to contact if he does not reply to this topic, which I am quite certain, he will.
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