Hi Everyone, Quick question - is a heat gun a part of your "tool box" as a rod builder? We have a grip material that requires about 20-30 mins of direct high heat to solidify. In an industrial setting, we can put it in an oven, however, to work at home/in the garage would require a high heat source (about 300 degrees for it to set up...) This is meant to be somewhat of an infor
Forum: rodboard

Howdy! In an effort to battle the "spam" posts on the buy/sell page, I am considering having an active registration/login to the forum as a requirement to post an item for sale/purchase. I know that it is more convenient to just hit submit, and fill out a captcha, but having it behind a login would make it cleaner. Pros? Cons? Let me know! Aleks
Forum: rodboard

IT'S GARYS BIRTHDAY! Gary Loomis is 81! Above is a picture he shared from his personal archives, one of his most memorable trips. Care to try and guess which one is Gary? (hint: he wears glasses and was born with a rod in his hands!) To Gary's right is Milt Shedd, the founder of SeaWorld, and to his left is Bill Shedd, Chairman/CEO of AFTCO. To celebrate, we are having a sale, in fact, our
Forum: rodboard

:-) A little birdie told me that free shipping is still working on the website.... Dean Veltman Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sure, release a new blank I am interested in right > after my order ships :)
Forum: rodboard

Thanks Roger!
Forum: rodboard

Mike, We are sold on spiral wrapping, and offer a rod series that is entirely spiral wrapped - the hardest part about it is explaining to the consumer the benefits when the rod is in a rack, or purchased online. To better rephrase the statement - I'm building both rods to jig for Albacore, and there is still one (size 10) that will probably be at 45 degrees, which will still be pulled down
Forum: rodboard

Mark, Thanks for the note - (and thank you for purchasing the blanks) please let me know what your feedback is on them, and feel free to share your thoughts with the folks here: 5sf 2 3/4 5sf 6 5sf 9 5/8 5sf 13 3/4 5sf 18 1/2 6sf 23 1/2 6sf 29 6df 35 8df 41 1/2 10df 48 1/2 Is what I have in my notes from a personal build...I am working on a build now, and I plan on s
Forum: rodboard

It's here! Our latest addition to the XRAY lineup! We have fielded hundreds of emails in regards to a blank that is a bit lighter than a drop shot blank in power, a touch slower (moderate fast as opposed to fast or extra fast) in action can cast a 1/32 jig / tube a country mile, but be able to do the same with a very small crank...and boat flip a bass or horse in a speckled trout when needed. Pl
Forum: rodboard

Hi Alex, Try the link below : Type in IG and the 8’6” 10wt should come up. Best, Aleks
Forum: rodboard

Mo, I probably spend around 60 hours per week with Gary Loomis - and have for the last 6 years or so. Gary has not sold any mandrels or equipment to Seeker. Not sure why we would, as we are happy making ultralight blanks at North Fork Composites. A member of Gary's family does make some blanks for Seeker, and I assume that is where the rumors are coming from. Another member of the family us
Forum: rodboard

Thank you ALL! As a Star Trek nerd, Space The Final Frontier had a definite “soft spot” for me... I need to see if we can work “Picard” in there... We are going to spray it again with a toughener in the next week or so, I promise to post an update. Best Regards, Aleks
Forum: rodboard

Shawn, Please double check your junk / spam folder for an order confirmation - if you can't find it there, email my staff at info@northforkcomposites.com and they will re-send it. Best Regards, Aleks Shawn Mattson Wrote: -------------------------------
Forum: rodboard

Michael, Please double check your junk email for an order confirmation. If it is still not there, please email info@northforkcomposites.com and we can re-send it. Best Regards, Aleks Michael Fischetti Wrote: ------------------------------------------
Forum: rodboard

Thank You Sir! Michael Danek Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Gotta admit, Alex, you and your people are great > marketers. Keep it up.
Forum: rodboard

Dear Rod Builders, You probably already heard that USPS has increased their shipping rates by $15 for nearly all packages that involve blanks/rods (e.g. are longer than 30") with most of these shipments coming in at around $50 for package. Although this took effect in April, we have been able to take advantage of a lag in our billing cycle which still includes the lower rates. (This wi
Forum: rodboard

John, We are going to introduce a hidden hood sleeve for the soft touch grips in the next month or so...we have already cut the molds...just waiting for some production scheduling to open up. Thank you for the kind words about the soft touch grips too! Best Regards, Aleks John Nesse Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am a big fan of the soft tou
Forum: rodboard

Aaron, I often use a pin rod in the winter here for winter steel...and although it does not get as cold in Washington as it does in some places...the guides do freeze over from time to time. I would go with REC on the running guides, and a Seaguide on the Stripping Guide...most guides that you use will freeze over, with recoils, you can "flick" them and get the ice off at least te
Forum: rodboard

David, The paint is naturally matte - I think one of the reasons why it is so dark is because it does not reflect light...we tried pointing a laser beam at it...and it absorbs it almost in its entirety. I don't have much experience with Perma Gloss, but if it reflects light, it may not be as dark after it is coated. Best Regards, Aleks David Sytsma Wrote: -------------------------
Forum: rodboard

Roger, "Stealth" is my favorite name for this blank so far...I'm letting you know right off the bat that if we decide to go with it...NO ROYALTIES... LOL...kidding kidding...in all honesty that name is probably taken by someone some years ago... Best Regards, Alex roger wilson Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The rod would be great with b
Forum: rodboard

David, It is not durable right out of the can...but we have dealt with that before and know what to add (at least from prior experience) we will see how the properties are retained after the addition of hardeners...and of course share any updates. Best Regards, Aleks David Baylor Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Gotta agree with the others ..... that
Forum: rodboard

Good Idea! Chris Catignani Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I love the Musou black...that with some color > shift pearls is something to see...stunning.
Forum: rodboard

Thanks Daniel! Yes, we are experimenting with a number of hardeners now...off to the lab for a salinity test next couple of weeks. Best Regards, Aleks Daniel Grundvig Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Stunning! I understand this paint rubs off quite > easily. Were your guys able to figure out a way > to protect the finish while preserving t
Forum: rodboard

Thank you...we will see where this R&D rabbit hole takes us :-) Fred Zimmermann Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > That's dark, man. Really dark. I'd pursue this one > if I were you.
Forum: rodboard

Thanks Tom! Me too! Thomas Kaufmann Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I like it!
Forum: rodboard

Jordan, We are waiting on a few compounds to arrive to see if we can toughen it up a bit...but doing a forum wide "name this series" may not be a bad idea if it works out. There is definitely a lot of interest just from the one forum post/social media post. So far some of the runner up are "void" "the expanse" "shadow cast" and "stealth"
Forum: rodboard

Tyler - its "supposedly" darker than Vantablack...but I do have the latter on order to compare :) Tyler Reinert Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'll take two!! Looks like vantablack. Hope this > actually becomes available.
Forum: rodboard

Shawn, Welcome to the forum! You are right, there are a lot of opinions, and here’s mine: You bought an NRX+ from G.Loomis, and although Gary Loomis no longer has any association with Shimano, the company that owns the G.Loomis brand now, he does own North Fork Composites, a factory based in the US, dedicated to the manufacturing of performance fishing blanks. Take a look at the X-Ray
Forum: rodboard

Thank you Kent! Kent Griffith Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Email the new owner of this forum Aleks Maslov . > They sell made in America NFC blanks. Or, just > click on North Fork Composites to the left of this > thread...
Forum: rodboard

Matt, Take a look at the NFC MB739 - it’s very popular for a flipping application - Matt Gifford Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm looking to build a new flipping stick for > myself. I'm mainly a kayak angler as well, so I'm > looking for a sub-7'6" blank for this build. > Looking for a heavy power, mod/fast. > > Any s
Forum: rodboard

This is not an optical illusion. There are three blanks in this picture. The one in the middle is our experiment with Musou Black - a paint that absorbs 99.4% of visible light. Alex our CEO came across this paint mentioned in an art gallery. It’s sold in Japan, and after importing it, he enlisted the help of his friend, Ivan H. After a few trial and error runs, an airbrush did the trick! The res
Forum: rodboard