Kenneth, Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, I could not find the articule you mentioned. The current issue on the web site is October 2005. I tried looking in the "archives" section, but nothing from Aug 2005 is on there.
Forum: rodboard

Aaron, For ID purposes, it is important to include pictures of the real seat and the ferrules. Also, you might try posting your question on the following bamboo web site:
Forum: rodboard

Well, varnish was used for many years before epoxy and it still works fine as a guide wrap finish. I recommend Man-O-War spar varnish, which you can find in many hardware stores.
Forum: rodboard

Brian, Most likely I would pick a 1 1/4" ring. If I started with a 1 1/2" ring I would probably be removing the extra 1/4 of material when turning the grip, which is a waste of time and money.
Forum: rodboard

doug Casey Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > .I recently purchased 4 identical blanks > (at considerable expense) from a supply house > after describing my needs .... Doug, Ordering 4 blanks in one shot without having previously used them is pretty gutsy (and optimistic). Even after you become more familiar with rod ratings, descriptions, spec
Forum: rodboard

I tie mine into a loop then fold a small square of masking tape over the knot. Then I take red Sharpie and make a large red dot on each side of the tape. This is almost a necessity for me as I have to take my eyeglasses off to do any closeup work. I wouldn't be able to find the loop at all without the help of that red dot.
Forum: rodboard

Welcome to the insanity Christina. Building a surf rod is a good first choice and Lamiglas makes excellent blanks. I have built many surf rods on Lamiglas blanks. Mine are all fiberglass. I don't know if you're leaning towards graphite or fiberglass. Fiberglass is very rugged and definitely less expensive. Graphite will be lighter in weight. As far as one-piece vs. two-piece goes, both a
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I have done this a few times myself. I have epoxied right over the labels without any other protection like CP or whatever. I did not have any problems with the ink running. I use HobbyPoxy finish. The problem I have is that you can only do this over a light colored background, such as a white blank or a honey blank. Also, the "clear" Avery labels that I use are not as clear as you
Forum: rodboard

Dave, I'm sure one of the members of O.R.C.A can help you out. Try here:
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I have often thought that something like this would be very helpful. When I make a grip, more often than not I'm copying the dimensions of a grip that I already have. I take my calipers and measure every half inch or so. The constant measuring and checking is very tedious and probably takes up about 75% of the time it takes me to turn a grip. I've always thought there ought to be a better way
Forum: rodboard

Mike, I don't do any sanding. Assuming the rod has been cleaned of any old varnish, I just apply it. I happen to use a brush to apply varnish because that's what I'm comfortable with. For varnishing the wraps, I just apply it to the wraps with a brush, usually without color preserver. I am by no means an expert on the subject, but that's all I do. I like to use three or four coats on the
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That's great Curtiss. I am always happy when I can build a rod with American-made components. Don't forget to put one of those "Proudly Made in the USA" decals on it.
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I still use spar varnish for any bamboo restorations that I do. I use low-build epoxy (HobbyPoxy) on most of my other rods because the end result looks pretty close to what you get with varnish and is more durable. I hate mixing two part finishes too, but I am comfortable doing it. I use a small stainless steel measuring spoon to measure the two parts. I have not had great results with any o
Forum: rodboard

Hmmm.... breaking point minus 20% sounds awful tight to me.
Forum: rodboard

Reeling with a conventional reel on the bottom is easy. I've seen many cartoon characters do it.
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Yes, Jann's Netcraft is a good source for the twine. I haven't done the lacing thing in awhile but it is pretty simple as I recall. Now when I last did it, I used a standard net bag, not the catch-and-release type. I'm not sure if the procedure is any different. Basically you run the twine in the little groove that runs around the outside of the net hoop. As you get to one of the holes, yo
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I use Simple Green and a soft toothbrush to get the dirt off. When it has dried overnight I will put it in my lathe and smooth it over a bir with 400 grit sandpaper. I usually do this when I buy an old used rod and want to spruce it up a bit. Own my own rods, I try to keep them fairly clean as best I can. And yes, I do shower with my saltwater rods.
Forum: rodboard

The Lamiglas SB1215M is a good blank for throwing that amount of weight, however it is a 10 footer. That's really all you need though.
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Try Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com)
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George Herter wrote a book on rodbuilding in 1958 (http://cgi.@#$%&.com/George-L-Herter-Fishing-ROD-BUILDING-MANUAL-Guide_W0QQitemZ4564997885QQcategoryZ378QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem). I've never seen the book but I would think it's a good place to look.
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From my personal experience, the first book I ever saw that covered rod thread art at all was Clemens' Fiberglass Rod Making. Prior to this there were several general fishing books that included a chapter on basic rodmaking and repair (Harry Zarchy and Vlad Evanoff come to mind), but these books only covered the basics of how to do a wrap, no artistic stuff at all.
Forum: rodboard

I have built a number of spinning and casting rods on Fish Eagle I and Fish Eagle II blanks. I think they are great blanks. I haven't bought any in several years. Assuming they haven't changed anything, I highly recommend them.
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Hmmm, I couldn't figure out from your post what your customer's actual complaint was....
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Assuming you are willing to destroy the reel seat as part of the removal process, I find that a pair of heavy metal cutting shears and a pair of pliers works pretty well most of the time. Nibble away with the shears until you can grab some metal with the pliers and then just sort of peel the metal away. You may need to start a cut with a hacksaw to get it going. Not really as hard to do as you
Forum: rodboard

I hate NCP thread also, but if the trim bands are very narrow the difference between NCP and regular thread is not that noticeable.
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Joe, Pay a visit to your local hardware store. Very often they sell caps that are intended for chair or table legs and you may find what you want.
Forum: rodboard

I got the new issue yesterday. Great Tom Dorsey interview!
Forum: rodboard

I have done this a few times myself. The first thing to do is to get the old thread off. This is fairly easy to do. You just cut the thread with a razor blade in the vicinity of the "tunnel". Once you get an end free you can just grab hold of it and peel off the thread. The real problem is to get rid of the residual varnish that remains after you have removed the wraps. Personal
Forum: rodboard

Ken, First off, pick the line weight of the rod based on the flies/bugs you will be casting, not the size of the fish. You could use rods between 7 and 9 weight for Largemouth Bass fishing. If you expect to be fishing mostly large bass bugs, then I would go with a 9 weight. I sometimes use a 7 weight if I am fishing for large bluegills with medium size bugs where I expect to pick up an inci
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If I decide to use trim wraps (I usually do), I will put them on all the guides and the hookkeeper. I don't put any on the ferrule wraps because I don't want to call attention to the ferrules.
Forum: rodboard