I've always wondered about fishing with bamboo, but not enought to spend the enormous amount of money (compared to graphite, at least). What I did was to buy a blank on @#$%&. That was three months ago and I still haven't finished the doggone thing! All I had to do was glue the grip and seat, wrap and varnish. It came to me with a permanent finish so it doesn't have to be dipped. Total cost
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I'm also a hobby builder. I've sold a few, but made only a few dollars since I buy components at the retail level, or on @#$%&. One good thing that's come of this, is that I now repair rods for my favorite fly shop, and that definately has it's benefits. I'm "in", and now get information that is not generally available to everyday customers. I've thought about taking it to the nex
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Absolutely Tru Oil. I use it on cork grips from time to time, it's easy to apply, easy to finish, can make it anywhere from glossy to matte , and back again if you want. Easy, easy, easy. Looks amazing, and brings your wood to life, making really nice grained burls look 3D. A side benefit is that grip is enhanced when it gets wet. The feel wet or dry is great, too. I don't think you can s
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If you use a water-based CP for your inlays, you can practice all you want on the blank for only the cost of the feathers. If you don't like the design, just moisten it and pick it off, and start all over again. They don't cost all that much. Check your local fly shop for feathers. Most feathers I use for inlays come packaged in small quantities. I like jungle cock, grizzly hackle, guinea
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I've started using it for my feather inlays. Works much better than the U-40 CP I was using. Dave
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I've used emory boards to carefully sand down high spots, avoiding touching the blank and making sure not to sand to the thread. A thin coat of finish over it removes any evidence of sanding. Dave
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From Hook and Hackle... Sounds perfect, is it cheap enough? Buy online, get the web discount. Email Ron, you could ask for volume discount for TU? CORTLAND FAIRPLAY OUTFIT - 6 weight. This outfit is suitable for all around trout fishing or for bass and panfish fly fishing. Includes: 8 1/2' graphite fly rod, WF-6-F Fairplay fly line, light weight graphite fly reel. 20# micron fly line backin
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Russ was very good to me, also. First time ordering, and he suggested a much better product that would make my bamboo project shine. Didn't know me from Adam, yet he treated me like a longtime friend and customer. Russ and Erica are the tops in my book. They will be the first supplier I go to next time. Dave
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How I decided to make my first inlay... I looked at dozens of pictures until I began forming some preferences. I finally decided on a simple inlay of guinea hen under a single jungle cock. I've since tried others, but on a grey or black blank, it looked the best. I've also used ginger or grizzly hackle tips as accents around my signature and as line-up marks on multi-piece rods, as well as jun
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Thanks for the compliment, Tim. I'm not one to advise on aesthetics, I'm not really artistically inclined. I don't usually make flashy rods for myself, I like subdued colors. I usually use titanium coated guides, and I try to tie in the real seat insert to the guide wraps. What your asking advise on is personal taste, and I bet you'll get a different answer from everyone you ask. That said
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Tim, click the link in my post above, that's an REC pewter aluminum reel seat. It's slightly darker than the shiny aluminum, and a bit less glossy. It's not as dark as, say, titanium coated guides. Here's a closer look... Dave
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I used it on a Scott A2 blank, a matte dark grey, and was not happy. The thread turned a pinkish/purplish hue. Not really charcoal at all. It might only be a result of contrast with the dark blank, but I wanted a true gray wrap, and that's not it. Dave
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REC makes an inletted cigar grip for their hardware. Here's my two weight... I've built one rod with a green blank, I used bright chrome nad nickel silver hardware with chestnut wraps and yellow trims. It came out better than I hoped. I used those colors to match the reel seat, a highly contrasting grain
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Mike, I agree with you. It was my personal rod, a 9' 4wt, and I take shortcuts sometimes. If I were selling it, I would have rewrapped. Even so, my three coats of finish amounted to less than what I see on production rods. I I didn't see the extent of the problem until I applied the first coat. I did see more fuzz than usual, so I flamed the wraps. They really popped after the finish wa
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I had the same problem. Read this thread. It will work out okay. I ended up with three coats, but it could have stood another if needed. Dave
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When I had that problem, I carefully sanded down the high spots with the finest grit emory board I could find, then with very fine (320 grit) sandpaper to smooth it out. Recoat with a thin coat of finish, and you'll never know you fixed it. Dave
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What I do is to apply a little more than enough, stop the rod from spinning, and as it sits for the next couple of minutes, the excess tends to collect on the bottom. I wick this excess off with a "dry" brush (some use spatulas), and turn the rod normally, which for me is by hand, 1/4 turns every five or ten minutes for an hour, extending the time as the epoxy sets. Glass smooth, and
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Randy, that's a good idea. I have on occasion seen paper lint on my threads when I wrap, and then thought that I should break down and build a proper thread tensioner. I may just go that route. Anywho, here's an update. I sanded (good thing it's a matte finished blank!), wiped with a clean dry paper towel, blew of any residue with canned air, and recoated. I had to do a second new coat on
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I'm sure after the move is completed and they catch up on shipping it will be the same old service. I have been treated very well by Bob, and expect the same from Ron, and all the staff. They are the best online distributors that I have ever used. Dave
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I bought a lot of four FLP+ 8' 4/5wt blanks, sold two blanks for the price of the four. I made one to sell to a co-worker that backed out of the deal, so I put it up on @#$%&. The fella that bought it for $125 wrote me to say thanks, and that it cast like a $600 rod. Now, I suspect he might not have a $600 rod, because when I test cast the rod I thought it was okay, it's a faster action, but
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Thanks, all! First, my conditions: My method of tensioning is through a book. I know, bush league beginner stuff, but it worked fine with the first fifteen rods. That will now change. It was a new spool of thread, but it's old trash now. I clean my hands with alcohol before I wrap, but I don't think rough skin was the problem, since I don't touch the thread except at the beginning and end
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Well, I have my first problem that I don't quite know what to do with. I wrapped my guides as I always do, same basic tension, Gudebrod nylon black, and as I was wrapping I noticed that the thread seemed to have more fuzzies than normal, actually more than I have seen. I flamed the wraps to burn off the fuzzies and thought I'd be okay. When I began applying finish, it raised more fuzz ri
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