Mike, Then issue solved = good (lucky) for you! As long as you learned something, then nothing is lost.
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Mike, First off, 98% of people would not feel a difference; doubtful that 50% would see a difference; but you know it is there 100% of the time. Initially, I thought this was a rod for yourself but now learn it is for a customer. I am highly critical of rods which I build for myself; I am HYPER critical of rods which I build for anyone else! But I am me and you are you = your choice.
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For anyone interested, a couple of years agoI conducted a test (War of the Worlds; COF vs KR Concept) to show the difference in casting distance between modern KRC and old-school COF. While I did not include interim NGC, others replying discussed NGC as well. Good reading albeit quite a lot.
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Jon, Fuji’s NGC was a real game changer when it debued; still is for that matter. However, KR Concept has taken it even a step further. If you need the robustness of double-foot guides, then stick with NGC. If you are careful with your equipment, then KRC is the way to go. Keep in mind that KRC is designed around limper braid (as you stated to be using) than stiffer mono / fluoro. While I admitt
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The first to criticize are often the last to contribute or compliment. I commend both Michael and Aleks for at least trying amongst so much flack. Anybody else have something better???
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Brandon, All good replies above. I don’t know what your finishing set-up is; while turning by hand can certainly produce good results, a rod lathe, power wrapper, or at least a finish dryer (actually “curer”) is a real asset. Many, as Lance, use CP but I do not = your choice. As Les mentioned, the first coat of epoxy applied over decals can be repelled (like fisheyes) which is why some prefer C
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“The "vibrations" imparted by mechanical devices for these "tests" do not replicate the "vibrations" generated in real world fishing situations.” While that is certainly true, it is missing the point HERE. What Aleks and Michael are attempting to measure is the ability of any particular blank to transfer the input it receives at the tip while fishing, NOT MEASURE TH
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Al, The most precise way to shape your grips CONCENTRICALLY is to bond the grip (rings or premade) onto the blank and use the blank as the mandrel. This does require the ID of the headstock to be large enough to pass the small end of the blank though and chucked somewhat close to the fore-end of the grip with a live-center in the butt of the blank. I am uncertain exactly what your setup is (head
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This should ALL be considered a collaboration rather than a confirmation or contest let alone a conflict. OPENLY conducted and accepted, the findings could rival that of the milestone introduction of CF to the entire rod building world, from manufacturer to end user! Again, so close yet so far. What a shame and waste it will be to let it all knowingly sift through our fingers to no avail. The tim
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So close, yet so far. Indeed unfortunate.
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It is APPARENTLY LOGICAL (please note the caps) that Aleks’ “TVF”, Michael’s “TNF” and Tom’s “thump / deviation” are interrelated concerning what an angler actually feels in his hand while fishing; afterall, they all induce some kind of harmonics / oscillations to the blank whether high-pitched or a thump. But then, a tuning fork seems to resonate louder at its tuned frequency than either side of
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Rick, You are to be commended for taking the initiative, time and effort to post the weight of Sea Guides = THANK YOU! I have used Sea Guide guides on a number of builds and have never been disappointed with the quality and they are just plain good-looking as well. They serve to satisfy BOTH FORM AND FUNCTION, priorities to rod builders and our customers.
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Joe, All good replies / suggestions above, especially higher RPM with a light touch. Allow me to add that it will ALWAYS be difficult to sand a softer material which is right next to a harder one and keep the surface flat / parallel, backing block or not, flat or curved turned surface. I have found turning and sanding the harder material down to final size and leaving the softer material oversiz
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Rob, Extremely simplified, there are 2 approaches to building a custom rod = FORM or FUNCTION. How that is perceived by the builder or the ultimate customer is what makes a custom rod just that = CUSTOM. FORM may be flashy, extravagant thread wraps while FUNCTION may be the lightest possible build. There is a HUGE gray area in between to be exploited!!! Arguably, neither the FORM nor FUNCTION ex
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Johnathon, Prepare yourself; you have just opened Pandora’s box / let the cat out of the bag. Keep an open-mind while digesting ALL the replies which are certain to follow.
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Jim Ising was definitely a milestone in ANYTHING to do with fishing in general, Fuji in particular. His will certainly be difficult shoes to fill.
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Daryl, There really isn’t a better way to say it than how Spencer did, “Welcome to the addiction”. Your initial approach to rod building was very logical and I consider a complete kit to be a good idea for many to get their feet wet without overwhelming themselves with a bazillion component choices. Now that you have the very basics down, you can start investigating the plethora of options avai
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Kevin, The choice is certainly up to you! As said previously, either will work. To me, I would use a presently common guide in anticipation of possible replacement down the road. Besides, the older a guide is = the more difficult to locate a replacement if needed. I build quite a few rods utilizing advanced component and concept technology on vintage blanks which produces rather unique rods; the
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Lynn, You brought-up a good point. If a 9% difference in weight is good enough for you, then who can say otherwise. While it is to be expected and accepted that same model blanks, even from the same batch, will differ slightly in weight, length, butt and tip diameter, acceptable limits differ as well, both from manufacturers and consumers perspective. Certainly a “gray” area which will unlikely
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Mike, If you are referring to “too thick” = too much weight, consider how low on the blank the extra coat is (<1g) which would be undetectable to 95% of anglers. If “too thick” = like a lens, then I can’t help you. But sometimes, drastic circumstances require drastic measures. Good luck! I always apply a preliminary base coat under my decals and never have an issue (including “too thick”).
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Kevin, To be honest, I am unfamiliar with Fuji SHG guides; they were from before I started building rods. With that said, and although they would work, why do you want to use an old style guide on a new build? If it is a nostalgic thing, then that’s all fine and dandy. But there are presently much better choices available for your 50lb rod; HBs, HNs, possibly MNs or KWs.
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Mike, It certainly seems odd that you are having difficulty with these 3 decals after so many successful decal installations. I cannot imagine that you would have difficulty receiving replacement decals from NFC. As with many others, I apply a preliminary base coat of finish epoxy to the area of the blank, allow it to cure for 24 hours (it will be cured enough to touch but not fully cured {2 -
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Aleks, Thank you for such an intriguing, informative post, “A Sensitive Topic”. Coming from a composite background, it was very interesting to me to learn of the nickel-coated CF, especially the fact that the nickel does not actually bond itself to the CF but rather “shields” it from the matrix and consequently allows the core CF to transmit vibrations along its length without being dampened by
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Mike, While $30 - $50 per hour is certainly a reasonable labor rate, getting a prospective customer to actually pay it is a whole other story. Yes, there are custom rod builders who do make a very good profit (>$500) on their builds but you will most likely find that they are the exception rather than the rule and they are very fortunate indeed. It is difficult enough to develop a good custom
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Caleb, All of the blank painting videos I have seen make it appear to be so simple and quick, yet in reality, can be frustrating to actually accomplish perfect results. The amount of tension the “diaphragm” exerts on the blank and the speed with which it is drawn up the blank to produce that perfect finish is only realized after basic ol’ trial-and-error. Possibly the best approach for you may
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David, You make it appear that you had all bases covered while building the rod with proper thread tension and guide prep / inspection. My gut feeling mirrors that of many others = the rod was high-sticked. If not, then possibly the rod was inadvertently, unknowingly nicked as John mentioned and caused a stress-riser = more severe consequences with CF than FG. All anglers are fishermen but not
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Chris, I’m not sure that Steve would be interested in the Gudebrod braid; at 3cm thick (1.18in), that would add a significant amount of bulk and weight lol. (0.3mm / 0.012in?)
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Kevin, For our purposes in rod building, temperature fluctuations of curing epoxy is not a big deal as Norman stated, but will require more time. Consistent temps and proper ramping up at the beginning and then back down at the end of the cure cycle is much more critical with structural epoxies and composite laminates. That being said, virtually all epoxies will benefit from an elevated temp pos
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El, Welcome to the real world of custom rod building! One can never trust a guide foot, or feet, to be flat and parallel to the blank; one of the many reasons why we are custom rod builders. Each guide foot (feet) need to be closely examined and tweaked if necessary to avoid the scenario which you showed. A little extra time devoted to prior inspection and tweaking of the guide foot (feet) can
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Steve, Tom K. ran an article “Cheater Wraps” in RodMaker magazine, and two issues later Mike Ballard offered “Eureka Grips and Handles”. To save Robert Guist the trouble of looking-up the issues (as he so often graciously does), they were Volume 24 / Issue 6 and 25 / 1. Both articles involve / utilize braided nylon cord with colored tracers to produce a faux butt wrap or durable butt grip. Both
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