A way to avoid backorders is to phone in your order. I know that it's easier to point and click, and the retailers must also like on line orders. But if you phone in your order, item by item, asking with each item if it is in stock, at the end of your order you will know what they have in stock for immediate shipment. Decline any items not in stock. And if they don't stock enough items to s
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Stan, Oddly enough, I rebuilt my 9' 5wt RPL this past Spring. Removing the guides was quite a chore. When I built the rod many years ago I coated my threads with Crystal Coat which forms a solid wrap. But because the Crystal Coat applications hadn't built up sufficiently to not have thread ridges, a few years ago I added a coating of epoxy, which wasn't mixed properly. That led to a tacky fi
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Cliff, Thanks for taking the time to report this information. Very useful to all. Though I don't expose the tips of my rod to that zone (minivan) I sometimes carry more than one rod in in the back, stored in a tube. While traveling my car is cool due to air conditioning but while the minivan is exposed to the sun it can get quite warm. Maybe not as warm as the windshield area (triangle) but
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Cabelas in Hamburg no longer stocks fishing rod blanks on the floor. Jeff Shafer
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AA Outfitters in the Poconos has some supplies, mainly for building fly rods. They're located in Blakesly off of Rt 940. Jeff
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Mike and Steve, Are you aware of any risk to adjacent components caused by exposure to Clorox or Simple Green? Thread epoxy? Wood reel seat inserts? Thanks, Jeff Shafer
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Thanks Guys, Even with the CCS data available to me I didn't protect myself, and built on blanks that I shouldn't have. The suggestions that I buy the right blank the first time were heard loud and clear. Just thought that fooling with the mechanics of the existing rods might help take care of the problem but it sounds like that's the least attractive option. I will give the obvious a try,
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Thanks David, I've been fishing a DT four weight on my 863-4 DanCraft FT and really love it. I will be building the 904-4 soon and plan to use it with a double taper five weight on medium sized trout streams. Jeff
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Thank you Bill. I'm sure that would help load the rod better. What I'm after though is the delicate presentation that the DT three weight line offers. Often I'm on smaller streams fishing small flies and would like to stay with the three weight line. Jeff
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Last year I built two 7'9" three weight fly rods, different manufacturers. I knew the CCS data for the blanks, both of which according to CCS data were more like four weights. Both were fitted with REC Recoil light weight snake guides. I have fished both rods using a double taper three weight line, on small streams. As predicted by the CCS data, neither loads particularly well at less th
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Thanks everyone, I did not bear down on the sections when I assembled them, as they are not wrapped. Didn't want to split the female ferrule. Returning the blank to the manufacturer, if my perception about the fit is wrong, will cost me $20 (~20%) more for my blank. As of now I plan to wrap the top three sections with cheap components and cast it with no grip/reel seat. Won't end up being
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I assembled an unwrapped rod blank (not as tightly as a finished rod) and gave it a light waggle. When I did I heard a distinct ticking at the top ferrule. Then I placed one hand on either side of that ferrule and flexed the ferrule. It felt like the tip of the male section was going back and forth inside the female ferrule. I don't perceive this as normal, but want to avoid the expense of
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General Electric sells a free-standing air conditioner (10,000 btu) that works nice. It does come with a corrugated, flexible exhaust pipe that must vent to the outside. $369 at Sam's Club, ~$525 elsewhere. Jeff Shafer
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Bill, If you're referring to washing your hands with alcohol prior to doing your thread wraps, that shouldn't hurt. Maybe someone else can offer another product for hand washing that will remove skin oils and not leave a residue that could contribute to fish eyes. Jeff Shafer
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To get a good idea of how the threads will look with an epoxy coating and no CP, do a half inch wrap either down where the handle will be, or between where guides will be placed. Go outdoors in the sun and apply a coating of vegetable oil to the wrap. Oil is clear enough and thick enough that the guide will look like it has been epoxied. Continually turn the blank in your hands to keep the oil
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Steve, Are you referring to fly rods or spin rods? Jeff
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Andrew, See the email I sent you. As expected with a blank that is this fast, the guides are pushed out toward the tip somewhat. I adjusted the placement that Dan provided to deal with the guides near the ferrules. Jeff
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Andrew, I sent you an email with Dan's recommendations, and the placements I used to accommodate the ferrules. Jeff
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I bought Dan's 8'6" FT 3wt with intent to fish it with a four weight double taper (mostly with dry flies) and am enjoying the rod a lot. It's filling the slot that I built it for. While reviving a recently landed trout my fishing partner took my FT out into the current to cast to a rising trout. After a few casts he turned and said "This rod casts effortlessly". He's right, wit
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Ralph, It appears from your comments that your are familiar with the many options available to you. I was faced with this decision not too long ago, as I built several light weight fly rods during the last year. My decision was to use light wire snake guides on my three and four weight rods. I wanted to minimize weight and was hoping for long guide life when I chose Recoil snake guides. I be
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I will be building my first light spinning rod and am completely unfamiliar with guide spacing and ring size. The rod will be a light action, six foot rod with line rating of 2-6 lbs. I am likely to be using Forecast VS series single foot guides, style LTCVSCG. Would someone be able to recommend the ring sizes and guide count from butt to tip? Thanks in advance. Jeff Shafer
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You actually may want an added inch on either end if you ship this case either in air cargo or land freight, and want to place something spongy on both ends to absorb the shock of being thrown around. Blunt trauma to the end of the case can cause breakage if the rod slides even a short distance then stops abruptly. Jeff Shafer
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Sakari, If I am interpreting your original post correctly, you mean that as you apply your epoxy (no CP) to your thread wraps you aren't getting an even darkness to your threads on each wrap. I notice that can happen when applying a gob of epoxy in one place and then distributing across the wrap. The heavier application area darkens nicely, but the lighter application area may appear lighter
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I seem to be missing a lot of fun (pun intended). For nearly twenty years I've been using nothing but Flexcoat Epoxy brush cleaner and I don't think I've ever ruined a brush. I pour around an eighth of an inch of brush cleaner into a clear film canister, tilt the canister and swirl the brush bristles in the cleaner for around a minute, followed by a good rinse in hot water. I have used a varie
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Andrew, I should have mentioned that if you wet your wraps to see the finished color, do it out in the sun to appreciate the look of the thread without CP. Jeff
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Andrew, I do not use color preserver on the fly rods that I build. I prefer the appearance of thread, darkened by applying epoxy without color preserver. By translucent, Gerry does not mean clear without color, he means somewhat see-thru. A darkened version of the original color will remain and you are likely to be able to see the guide feet through the thread. To see how your thread wraps
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Before rushing out for a Sharpie, do a search here on the board. There are several markers that individuals have had success with and you'll learn not just which markers work, but the techniques that have been written about. Jeff Shafer
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I've clasped a handful of ice around a stuck ferrule on a tip over butt fly rod and within a few minutes was able to disassemble. Jeff Shafer
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All of my Aftcote rod applications have set up well, with no tackiness. The finish does seem to take longer than other epoxies I have used though. I mix in a small plastic cup and pour onto foil for application on rods. The mixture left over in the cup, however, seems to remain tacky indefinitely (or at least the several days until I finally throw them away). Jeff Shafer
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I made up a winding check chart that is included in an Excel spreadsheet I use to store information about the rods I build, and other information. The winding check tab correlates 64th measurement vs 1000'th measurements. I found that "A" thread adds approximately 15/1000" to the diameter of the blank. Jeff Shafer
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