I'm also from California and attended Charlotte this year. WELL WORTH THE JOURNEY IN MY BOOK. And, if Keith organized one like Tom's I'd be glad to attend that one as well. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) we all don't live in the same place. I thought that the quality of the show fair out-weighed my inconvienence. My .02, Randy.
Forum: rodboard

Stanley, Welcome back! I have a Renzetti myself but I'm not sure what parts will interchange. I'm sure someone else will chime in here about that. I'm pretty sure that Mudhole sells unshaped EVA foam (at least they used to). There may some other venders indicated on the left list that might sell it as well. Lots of new stuff since you've been away and this forum is a great source of informa
Forum: rodboard

Scott, What I usually do for name weaves is create a JPEG file on a different source (AAA Logo) then use the import command. I like AAA Logo because it has a very unique font selection. It's availble online for about $50. Hope it helps, Randy.
Forum: rodboard

Ditto on Decal Connection and the mag. You could also look into the Alps Printers if you desire to print metallic decals.
Forum: rodboard

My recommendation would be the Fuji HNSG's.
Forum: rodboard

Phil, I have a pic of a white CTS rod in my gallery with white NCP and no CP if you'd like to get an idea. Randy.
Forum: rodboard

Andy, Keep a list and charge only the complainers the extra 40% to cover the shopping cart cost so those of us who don't get to use the cart and still get good prices. Sounds good to me...LOL. Billy, You'll have to indulge a bit in High Point next year regarding the Renzetti incident. Makes me cringe just thinking about it.
Forum: rodboard

Alan, I use Micro Sol all the time and believe it or not I've put finish on as little as 30 minutes after using it. I've never had a problem with the finish. Most of the time, you can get rid of (or greatly reduce) that edge but applying another coat or two of the Micro Sol. I wait until it's nearly dry then iron out the edge with a finger nail. It usually solves the problem. Randy.
Forum: rodboard

Anthony, Mudhole sells the Winthrops.
Forum: rodboard

I second the recommendation on the Winthrops. Really nice rollers. I'd probably go with Winthrop rollers and do a blank-through construction. The Uni-butt/Stora-butts are nice too but are really only needed if you planning on breaking down the rod from the reel for storage or something. And, to stay within the budget I would probably not use them. Just my opinion, Randy.
Forum: rodboard

I've got version 7 which is fine but I think the Pro version has a few more bells and whistles. I'm sure Jim can elaborate a bit more on it than I can.
Forum: rodboard

David, How about a white underwrap with a maroon to black fade chevron?
Forum: rodboard

Chris, That's a really tough question to answer. You know how much time and effort you put into so the real answer is what you think it's worth. With the rods that I sell I determine the price not someone else. As a starting point I figure how much in material I have and the time into it. You probably won't get the hourly rate that you think you should but you can probably come up with a fai
Forum: rodboard

John, How about a roller top?
Forum: rodboard

I've bought lots of stuff through Mudhole. I probably place 2-3 orders a month with them on average and don't think I've ever had an order error. To me, that says alot.
Forum: rodboard

Chris, I just went all through this when a customer (good customer) wanted the exact type of hook keeper nearly identical to the ones Kistler uses. I even know a pro bass guy sponsered by Kistler and he couldn't get any. I looked all over and finally had to fabricate some from a spinner bait. I found the cheapest one I could and used some of the smaller wire on it used as a hook guard. It ac
Forum: rodboard

You could also pull a bit from the spool and coat it with CP prior to wrapping. Just a thought...
Forum: rodboard

Joe, I'm not sure if he has left but Billy Vivona also has a very good book on the subject. Randy.
Forum: rodboard

Mark, I also had the same surgery about 4 years ago. Do like Roger said and just take it easy. You'll be up and around in no time. The rodbuilding can wait. Randy.
Forum: rodboard

Tom, It doesn't get said much but you certainly run the best rodbuilding forum on the net. I personally appreciate the fact that opinions are welcome but personal attacks are not. There are too many other forums out there that are (in my opinion) out of control. Profanity, personal vendetta's, egos,etc. I can't imagine the work that must be involved in maintaining this site and I'd just lik
Forum: rodboard

Dave, And, be careful with those decals when applying them to the rod. I've touched them in past and didn't notice my finger print until the finish cured. I now use tweezers to put them down. Randy.
Forum: rodboard

Steve, I use Micro-set to seal my decals before I put them on the rod itself. The problem I ran into was I put the decal on the rod first then a couple coats of MS to seal it before applying finish. I didn't have any problems with the finish but the end result was that the MS left a permanent stain around the decal which was very obvious on black thread. I now print the decal apply two coats
Forum: rodboard

Brent, I've become very partial to the CTS line. I really like them alot. I also like the G. Loomis stuff especially the GLX line. Super light and strong but pricey. I'm assuming that your looking at a spinning rod so my suggestion would be CTS in the weights you described probably 6' or 6.5'. My .02. Randy.
Forum: rodboard

Chris, Just like Mike said. Pretty hard to mess up. I use it all the time for everything from gluing cork rings to installing foam grips. Eyeball 50/50 mix and put it on. Great stuff. Randy.
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Greg, Did you use any CP and what thread were you using? If it were me, I'd probably just let it cure then reinspect it. You can always take it off later and rewrap it if neccessary. My .02. Randy.
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Mike, I'm coming from California solo and already have a room reserved. Email me if your interested. Randy.
Forum: rodboard

Simon, I build mine nearly exactly the way Rich just stated. I'm working on a 7' CTS bass rod as we speak and was curious as to my measurements. And, I've built several this way and it works very well. butt cork/burl end 1 1/2" grip cork/burl 3 1/2" reel seat center 11" from the butt end split area 5" no foregrip
Forum: rodboard

David, I bought the Alps for the sole purpose of printing metallics. It's the only printer that I know of that will do that. I don't know what you consider an arm and a leg but I t hink I paid about $300 plus shipping from Australia for mine. If you plan on doing lots of decals you might consider that route. I like the convienence of being able to make my own decals at any time of any size.
Forum: rodboard

Mike, I had the same irritating problem with my American Tackle Wrapper. It gets really bad with the heavier SW blanks. I bit the bullet and bought the Renzetti. My AT wrapper now sits in a corner collecting dust.
Forum: rodboard

Neal, I haven't noticed any difference as to the way the rod fishes or casts. I generally build mine bumper style with the bumper guide the same side as the reel handle to make storage (or laying the rod down) a bit easier. Randy.
Forum: rodboard