A famous bonsai artist was told by an observer at a seminar "You must have a lot of patience to do bonsai". The bonsai artist replied "No, patience is something you need when doing something you don't like". Jeff Shafer
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Gary, I also use nickel silver winding checks on my fly rods, and like to size them myself. My practice has been to get the blank first then measure for a winding check. When I purchase one, it is my preference to get one that is larger than the diameter of the blank. I do this because I like to have a cushion of thread or just epoxy between the NS winding check and the blank. If the blank
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I agree with the idea of building your own. Building my wrapper was the first thing I did 20+ years ago and I'm still using it, though I did make a slight design change recently when I learned of a source for an aluminum channel for my thread caddir. You'll want the flexibility of a mobile thread caddie. Being able to position your guide anywhere that you want, between or outside of uprights,
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When I returned from a fishing trip late last Friday, I left my assembled fly rods in the back of my minivan overnight. I felt this would give the rods and reels a chance to thoroughly dry. They did, and when I unloaded my gear in the morning I placed the four piece rods in their cloth sacks and cased them. Last night I opened one of the cases and was alarmed to find that the cork grip was w
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I assume that you are only discontinuing custom reel seat insert for new customers...... Jeff Shafer
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James, From the appearance in the photo, it appears that the upper hood of the reel seat wasn't secured to the very end (upper end) of the wooden insert. If the hood wasn't securely epoxied at the time that you pushed the grip down over the upper hood, the upper hood may have slid down the wooden insert. Many inletted cork grips are bored out much deeper than the depth of the upper hood. Go
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Last year I installed an REC fly rod reel seat on a rod I was building. The wood insert that came with the skeleton had a nice grain pattern, but is very dull. This appears common with some REC wood inserts. I'd like to add some gloss to the wood surface without making it extremely glossy. Has anyone tried adding gloss to an REC reel seat insert, and if so, what process or product would pro
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Sorry Danny, Didn't realize older posts were gone. I'll elaborate when I get a chance. Jeff
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Do a search on my name. I posted a detailed explanation of how I inscribe with a gel pen, and which pen I use. Jeff Shafer
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I used golf club epoxy for reel seat/grip installation on a couple of rods with no problems. Prefer Rod Bond though for its physical properties, no dripping or running. Jeff Shafer
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Hopefully Sage will be able to help out. They provided a butt cap for a friend's fly rod when it dropped off. Good Luck, Jeff Shafer
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Different Problem. Upload button is there, but I receive an error message: /home/rodboard/public_html/rodboard/photopost/uploads/194: Error creating directory (check permissions). Please notify the System Administrator. Jeff Shafer
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Though I only own one FT, I think Larry Pirrone's comment about them being unconventional is pretty accurate. I have test cast my 8'6" 3wt with up to a DT 5wt line, and have fished it with 3wt and 4wt DT lines. I built the rod with casting a four weight in mind, and it fishes a four weight nicely. In a response to another question I pointed out that yesterday I accidentally mounted a reel
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This past winter I built a Dan Craft 8'6" 3wt FT. Because the FT models were said to be capable of uplining, I built the three weight with casting a DT four weight in mind. It casts the four weight nicely at all distances. Yesterday I took the rod fishing on a large creek on a very windy day. It wasn't until I was far from my car and fishing for a while that I noticed that I had mounte
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I'll hold off on the sanding solution until the end of the fishing season. Even though it was a somewhat expensive blank, I won't put up with the problem longer than that. If my attempts fail, I'll cut it up and salvage the expensive components. Thanks Tom, Jeff
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Thanks Tom, I was unable to get lead to adhere to the glossy, clear-gray finish, so I used blue powdered chalk. It appeared that the chalk was removed entirely from the tip of the male section. I looked more closely at the wear pattern on the glossy surface of the male section and noticed that the surface was most scuffed at the tip and at the area near where the mouth of the female section en
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Tom, The problem is with the first ferrule of a 9' 5wt fly rod. Not long into each fishing day I notice that my first guide (stripper) is rotated out of alignment. When I fished the rod for the first time last Fall, I quickly noticed that the lip of the female ferrule was shaving the finish from the male section. It's been working loose ever since. I'd like to salvage the rod since I did a f
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I have a rod (domestic blank maker) that is in need of ferrule fit repair. Manufacturer disagrees. Did I read recently that the next issue of Rodmaker magazine will have instructions on how to evaluate ferrule fit and will include repair/modification instructions? Jeff Shafer
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I have only flown twice since 911, when the airlines stopped allowing me to carry my aluminum tubes onto planes. The first time I used an aluminum tube for a two piece fly rod and checked the tube with luggage. The rod sustained no damage, but the tube was pinched by something heavy. Between trips I built some 9', four piece fly rods which I stowed inside of my luggage in Cabelas rod tubes. T
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In my response I recommended Krylon, likely because that is the brand most people talk about. The brand I tried on gel pen inscriptions and use for treating some feathers during fly tying is PLAID "Patricia Nimocks" Clear Acrylic Sealer, Gloss. I don't know how this product compares to the Krylon product recommended here on the board. The label says "Durable, clear coating. Sea
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Worst repair, probably one of my own. I built a Sage RPL, I guess in the late 80's and used Crystal Coat on the guides. That rod served me very well until around 2000 when my son tried it and found he liked it a lot better than an old rod I was letting him use. So before a trip we took in 2001, we decided to build a rod for him. While doing his rod, I decided to spruce up the guide wraps on m
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To me the choice of a less expensive or more expensive blank and components will be determined by your level of confidence that you can get each facet of rod building right the first time. A second factor is whether you have someone local who is willing to provide close guidance to you. Last year a friend wanted a four piece rod for an upcoming trip we had planned. I had built on a four piece
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Depending on what the sticker is made of, it may not tolerate CP. As Tom said, determine whether the sticker can be re-created if your attempts don't work. Here's a thought, consider mounting the sticker then hit it with short bursts of Krylon Fixative, very light on the first coat. Then a second coat, more if necessary. This coating may protect the sticker from the application of epoxy. It
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I purchased and tested RodSmith finish, but never used it on a fishing rod. My tests indicated to me that the finish arrived at a tack free finish quicker than the other finishes I had tried. I also found that RodSmith finish cured to a very hard finish, where the others I used remained more flexible. In justified in my mind that a more flexible finish may resist cracking better in the long ru
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Fred, You have asked a very subjective question, so rod builders may hesitate to respond. I would suggest wrapping a guide and maybe a flat wrap on a spare blank section, then begin applying thin coats until you reach the level of epoxy that you find desirable. Jeff Shafer
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I always find this topic interesting to read about. This past winter I returned a rod to a well respected blank manufacturing sponsor. I was having difficulty with one of the ferrules. He test cast the rod for awhile, and sent it back with a small tub of paraffin wax to apply to the ferrule. Jeff Shafer
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I have nothing at stake with this conversation, but would also rather see both rods stressed by hanging weights from the tip. I haven't seen the picture so I can't see how the rods were stressed, but feel that dead weight on both might give a better impression of each rod's flex point. When I do a floor flex test, I find that I can make the rod flex just about anywhere that I want it to. Not s
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My practice inlays on blank sections, and two fly rod inlays were done with polyurethane to hold my feathers in place. My epoxy coats went right over the polyurethane. Jeff Shafer
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Fred, Remain calm. Most who have purchased cork rings have had similar experiences. I'm one, and found that a nice email to the sponsor, indicating that the cork didn't meet my satisfaction for the price, was all it took. Credit was provided upon return of the cork rings. The best thing is to discuss the situation with the sponsor. I do admit though, that I am pretty disturbed by vendors wh
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Andrew, I usually do my incriptions onto my first coat of epoxy. This works well for me. You mentioned wanting a different color than the traditional gold or silver. Do a search on my name to see past postings I've made on this subject. In the postings you'll see my method, and you will also see the name and color of the pen I use. I'm at work so don't have access to the pen right now. G
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