Good on fedex. Wonder if you contacted mudhole first. Usually the shipper files the claim. Typical online sellers make things right by sending a new item then they wait out the process of the claim.
Forum: rodboard

Not bad overall. Like most metallic it has a bit of memory. Have not had any problems or needed to use the thread any different than any others.
Forum: rodboard

If you have a drill press you can be a bit more precise. As mentioned use threaded rod as a mandrel. Chuck it in the drill press. For support of the unchucked end of the rod you can get a roller bearing of the right size. Simply clamp the bearing into a drill press vice raise the table up til the rod is in the bearing.Easier than trying to hold a drill one handed and sand with the other. Also mo
Forum: rodboard

I have only used it for trim wraps. I think it is the best metallic of current production. Only slight fault is it is not quite as bright as some other options depending on the particular color. But it is stronger and has a better surface finish than any other current production. I would not hesitate to use it for guide wraps. Still will be stingy will my stash of old Gudebrod HT metallic. The H
Forum: rodboard

I was looking at the mesh. Was wondering about finishing the edges. That question is answered, thanks. Would still prefer a one piece setup though with some more padding. Rod is going to live in my truck. Which at times gets pounded a fair amount. The PVC tube for the rod is going to have a lot of space to accommodate the 16 match guide on the one section. The other sections are going really goin
Forum: rodboard

I have not used it for rodbuilding but gorilla glue might work. I have used for other things and it is some real tough stuff. Is indoor outdoor rated and waterproof.
Forum: rodboard

Building a couple travel rods. Plan to leave them in the truck. With make a pvc case for them. To keep them from rattling around I want a rod bag. Looking for a source. Trouble is I can only find them for fly rods. I am building two, four piece 6 foot spin rods with a size 16 match guide. Obviously a fly rod bag won't accommodate that. Also most bags are longer than I need. The extra length I ca
Forum: rodboard

Roger brings up a good point about having to put too much weight in the blank. I have never encountered such a situation myself. I have never had to weight more than about two to three inches of a blank. As I mentioned in my first post I use bullets a lot of times. With a wide assortments of calibers I can fit the blank I.D. nearly perfectly. This keeps gaps to a minimum and I don't end up with w
Forum: rodboard

I agree in keeping a rod as light as possible . But if the rod is out of balance it will take more force to hold the tip up. For me it is less fatiguing to have a heavier rod just pulling down equally on all my muscles in my wrist and arm, opposed to having to flex only select muscles to keep the rod in a balanced state. Everyone has their preferences. I mainly fish live bait either float rigs
Forum: rodboard

I routinely add weight inside the blank to balance a spinning rod. I like to have the rod balanced when it as at rest in my hand no weight on the line. You can use most anything. To achieve the most balance with the least weight you want to keep the weight as close to the end of the blank as possible. Lead works very well. Any type of fishing weights will work. I reload my own ammunition. I have
Forum: rodboard

I just got back from fishing a spring pond this afternoon. Slammed the brookies and a couple rainbows. Brookies were solid pound and a half to two pounds. Biggest bow was nearly five pounds. I built a rod specific for this pond. I needed a good backbone to control the fish but not a real powerful rod as I am not casting real heavy lures. Normally a small float a split shot and size ten hook or sm
Forum: rodboard

I use a tackle box. Just the single hinged lid type with dividers. I like the Plano stowaway type. They come in different sizes.You can split the guides up by sizes and types. Or put sets together in one compartment. Make sure you keep in original packaging or label in some way. I have a whole bunch of guides I have no clue what exactly they. Had them in a cardboard box in plastic bag type orig
Forum: rodboard

Yes the slip clutch is the way to go. I was hesitant to spend the money on one when I was building a drying setup. Tell you what probable the best money I ever spent. I have found have the right tool and quality tools for doing a job makes things much easier and more enjoyable.
Forum: rodboard

As mentioned stopping the rod works very well. I stop the rod and coat what I can easily. I will then get a fair amount of finish on the brush and apply a fair sized drop on either side of the guide foot. Once the rod is rotating the blob of finish will flow a bit. The tunnel under the guide foot will fill nicely and it will transition nicely to the finish along the rest of the guide wrap.
Forum: rodboard

Lots of people develop a steady hand with practice. I never did. So I wrap a couple wraps of narrow masking tape at the ends of my wraps. I apply my finish to all the guides. Let things set up fifteen to twenty minutes. I go back and remove the tape. It will give a nice clean edge. The epoxy will have enough flow in it to still level out at the ends. You will not end up with a edge of epoxy. Jus
Forum: rodboard

As for holding the guides on to the blank Mudhole sells micro rubberbands. I use two or three to hold the guide to the blank. Once I got the thread started on the guide foot I just cut the bands as the thread gets to them. I don't know what your using for a support. But If you don't have it already get some clamping pressure from the top. I use a commercial wrapper, the blank is cradled in tw
Forum: rodboard

Ron, Thanks. He has something that will work perfectly for me.
Forum: rodboard

Looking for aluminum winding checks. Cannot find the color I am looking for. Looking for something to compliment Pacbay Tibronze finish. Or something in a orange color more copper than neon orange. Found some rodcraft brand on @#$%&. They have a black dimpled with copper in the dimples. They would work. But unsure about the brand and having to wait for something from South Korea . Any suggestions
Forum: rodboard

I do dress my guide feet. I don't go crazy just create a little more slope to get the thread to transition better. I have used a cordless dremel with a grinding wheel for extreme cases. But most of the time a few strokes of a file and I am good to go. Practice a bit with a file. Learn how to use one properly and you can do some very precision work very quickly. All my recent builds have used
Forum: rodboard

Couple thoughts. Perhaps turn the acrylic undersized by a fair amount. Assemble and turn the cork as you plan. Then tape off the cork on either side of the acrylic ring. Do a few coats of rod finish over the acrylic to bring it up level with the cork. Other thought comes from a rod I built make a fair number of years. Clemens offered various lengths of small cork sections. They had a collar
Forum: rodboard

What would you compare the consistency to? I tend to prefer a lite build. But if I would like to find a Hi build that levels well for me. This sounds like it might be worth a try.
Forum: rodboard

Did a little more searching. Found a couple Rainshadow Fly blanks that might work. The REVF703-4 and the REVF793-4. Both are 3 weights listed as fast action. One is 7' the other is 7' 9".. Both are 4 piece. Being a fly blank they might be on the slower end of what we think of as fast action for a spinning rod. However they would be a huge step towards a fast action compared to the FG rods y
Forum: rodboard

Mark, I think the market is too small for compact spin travel blanks leading to the lack of choices. Fly fishing is a bit skewed towards a higher end group of anglers. Traveling to fish is much more common among fly fishers. I also wonder if it easier to make a travel fly blank. Being a much slow action overall I think the multiple ferrules have less impact on a fly rods action. Whereas you add m
Forum: rodboard

I searched for a similar blank for awhile never found it. I wanted a rod to leave in the truck. Got limited space where I can keep something out of sight. I have passed up to many streams and ponds in my travels wishing I had a fishing rod. The rodgeeks C266MLF4 was the closest one lengthwise, 6'6" in four piece but a little more power than I wanted. Rainshadow offers the SB720-4. Fit
Forum: rodboard

Update here. I got some hitena thread today. Have not wrapped with it yet. However it is stronger than anything I have tried recently as far as metallic thread goes. Also got some of their metallic twists. Real nice thread. Will play with it and see how it works out. At least this is worth trying. Most of my recent thread purchases never made it onto the wrapper.
Forum: rodboard

Thanks for all the advice. I am really liking the options of the Hitena. First I heard of them. Some very interesting colors. Will be ordering some and see how it is to work with.
Forum: rodboard

I am sure the threads are up to the task of attaching the guides. Just worried about thread breakage while wrapping. The newer metallics just seem fragile compared to the gudebrod. I will look into the slimy thread.
Forum: rodboard

Simple question. Does anyone make a decent metallic thread, strength wise. I used to use metallic thread in the past for nearly all my guide wraps. I took a break from building right about the time Gudebrod went out of the rod thread business. Been back in the game for about two years. I have used some of the current metallic offerings for trim wraps. It is acceptable for that. But I would not ev
Forum: rodboard

Roger I am still thinking on the the chuck. However thanks to your suggestions I did my research and got confident I could make something as good or better than what is available. Found everything I needed on amazon. Got a 60rpm for a few bucks less than the 20rpm you mentioned. Got a speed controller. Went with a separate power adapter. It is adjustable for different voltages so it may come in
Forum: rodboard

Maybe a discontinued rainshadow blank. Have seen numerous rainshadow blanks with the white label and the black china circle label. Exactly how my current build of a rainshadow blank was labeled.They currently offer several models that end in the -GB perhaps they carried over the -GB from previous blanks.
Forum: rodboard