Recoil guides are very pliable compared to other guides. They will bend quite a bit and then return to their original orientation. Thus, in the rare case where you may break a traditional snake-type guide by hitting it on something, snagging it on a bush, etc, the Recoil would not break but potentially pull loose from the wrapping epoxy. I think the chances of this are minimal and in no way wo
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Yeah, I was eyeing up their Native fly blanks. But I have enough to wrap already, but was tempting.
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I think the sale ended on Friday at close of business day or at the end of the day. Maybe they will honor your weekend purchase
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I put my epoxy on with a drying rotator which has far fewer RPMs than a power wrapper. It works OK and my epoxy lines are pretty straight. But a higher RPM will work much better. So the two big takeaways from above: 1) Anchor your brush hand on the table, a book, in/on your other hand or on some device to keep your hand and brush steady; 2) Employ a rod drying or wrapping machine -- or a
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No locking wrap is needed on double foot snake guides. Only on single foot guides. RSNX guides wear well in salt, but they are bendy so that makes them a little harder to tape down on the rod before wrapping. You will also want to sand, grind or file down the feet to get a nice taper for wrapping and make it easier to transition from blank to guide foot. I often use a sharpening stone that
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On any blank that is not sanded smooth and painted, I would put at least one coat of thread epoxy in the decal area. On LMX fly blanks I have done two thin base coats prior to decal. Put on the decal, and at least two coats after that. It is not easy to get a real smooth coat with just one coat. on such a long area. People will often apply a wrap on the upward end of the decal or at both en
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Since you plan to use in salt water, as Mike indicated , you will want an all metal or metal with carbon spacer reel seat. You want to avoid a reel seat with wood spacer for salt. The titanium stripping guides are nice, cost a bit more than cheap ones, but are strong and light. I used a similar stripper guide on my 8 wt NFC LMX. As to the Rec guides you could go with size 3 or 2, not much o
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Gamma Beta is a good and powerful rod. You will need a stripper guide and the second guide (technically not a stripper) will need to be of the same type, just smaller. Stripper I would go with a size 16 and the similar style next guide a size 12. For running guides you will need to choose wire single or double foot (traditional snake-style guides). For a 9-wt I recommend double foot guides
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That is correct, I was talking about where they are based/HQ'd. They are a New Zealand based company. I know that their Carbon G rods are sourced from Korea, I am not certain about their glass offerings.
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As to OEMs, Winston still sells blanks but they are very expensive, and Sage has a very few out there, also costly. Epic and CTS, both based in New Zealand, sell high end blanks in graphite and glass. Between those and the blank companies listed above there are still plenty of choices. Hook and Hackle and Mud Hole sell an array of kits, as does Angler's Workshop/Lure Parts On Line. Have fun.
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Point well made and taken, Tom. It would not be difficult for a company to produce a robotic machine that would cast exactly the same in every instance. In fact, such machines were created in golf years ago and are used by major manufacturers for club design and performance testing. I predict such measuring tools for rods will be developed in the next 10 years, especially as robotic costs de
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I only build rods for myself, so I have the luxury of only one customer. If you are a custom builder you must take customer desire, satisfaction and bias into consideration. And bias is a very real, but non-fact-based phenomenon.. Torque in a rod blank is the same thing as torque in a golf shaft or any tube. In golf, torque is defined as "a measure of how much a shaft resists twisting
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Mike Ballard: I would tend to concur. As I got back into rod building a couple of years ago, more than 30 years of a gap in between, I spined the first few rods I mad and then, after getting into this forum, and also with lots of graphite golf shaft experience in club building, I delved greatly into the issue and question. I have ditched the spine method as historically defined and now wor
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The spine debate continues, IMHO a mixture of myth and some fact, in many instances with little relevant scientific or measurable support. The dead lift measurements at least provides concrete data as to strength properties. The fact the many rod builders debate this issue points to the lack of significant good or definitive science and/or understanding behind the issue. I suspect most start
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I have built the LMXFAF 9' 8wt. It is a fast action rod but not ridiculously so. I fished it only once in Cabo off the beach in November for several days. I was throwing an SA Anadro WF 7 line, which has a 225 grain head in its first 30 feet, whereas a AFTMA standard 8 wt line is 210, and a half-size heavy 8 WF would be about 225 grains (SA Infinity). So the Anadro 7WF is really like a 1/2 siz
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3 is fine, but 2 is OK. I have used double foot size 2 Recoils on an 8wt and it was just fine. Not sure of the diameter difference between single and double foot (snake type). And you want the Recoils with an X in the number, as you don't want the lightweight guides.
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I suspect they may build out the carbon air offerings in the next year and beyond, and maybe to include ESN blanks.
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Well delineated, Aleks, thanks. Much interesting detail. Many tend to forget a carbon fiber tube produced from being wrapped on a mandrel is never going to be uniformly round. I suppose at one's own potential expense one could sand down your blanks, or at least take down the ribs a fair degree. I could not be bothered and, as you indicated, and especially via hand sanding and not a precis
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I think ESN rods, like most blanks or rods, are a personal choice given one's rod blank action preference, rod weight, and softness factor of the tip. Some nymphers seem to really like a noodle, others want a little more stiffness and fish-fighting ability. They are pretty hard to discern just by holding or wiggling, and most shops are not really set up well for an ESN demo, and a casting demo
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I have used Gen4 on several blanks at this point, and had no issues in applying a second or third coat after several dats had passed. As stated above, if concerned, just scuff it up a bit with light sandpaper, or just try it on one wrap and see if anything negative happens.
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And which kit did you get?
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For first build, make it a good one by: Taking your time Measure everything two or three times Grind your guide feet to ensure a smooth thread transition If the thread wrap doesn't come out well, take the time redo it Don's overapply either bonding epoxy or, even more important, thread epoxy
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A few thoughts, from my experience, that I think are insightful: For 10 years of my career I was in the corporate reputation business. A firm steeped in corporate reputation services and research indicates the following: • 88 percent of people trust online reviews as much as they trust their best friends’ recommendations. • 80 percent of people choose to go elsewhere if they read bad revi
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Meanwhile, if folks have feedback or experience on the performance of the Epitome Fly blanks, I would love to hear it.
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Daryl: Thank you for your reply and, in regard to your future posts, I shall clearly and thankfully endeavor to do just that.-- ignore them. And I will be better off for it. As to my final comments on the subject, I shall indicate the following points based on advanced degrees and 30-years of experience working for a major consumer products company, including ties to customer service, lega
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Some people never want to give up on an old gripe or opinion, and some feel in social media entitled to stand on a soap box and with gusto and flair deliver their opinion. I could really not give a crap about one's POV unless they provide fact-based data or insightful thought to support their premise, or have an actual experience with a company and its products. If you don't like a company, i
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I have been very curious about a review of the Carbon Air as well. Also the Batson new X10.
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Gen 4 has worked very well for me on a number or rods. I hit each wrap with a short burst from a heat gone to eradicate any bubbles, but I do not get many to begin with. I stir very well and let sit a few minutes then pour into a small aluminum cup that I buy from Mud Hole. I hit the cup with short pop from a heat gone and bubbles adios. I dilute with a few drops of DNA or even of late Isopro
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Yup, Mick, the more the merrier. In life my maxims are "less is more" and "when in doubt throw it out" or "go without." That clearly does not apply to fly rods, nor for my spouse does it include shoes, handbags or attire. How did your Eternity2 rods come out? As we once discussed, I have an Eternity2 9 foot 6 wt. It was a continual enigma as I could not find
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