Sorry Mick, I erred in my response. I meant to say that the Struble U-20 and U-24 hoods are a little over 3/4". The upper hood for both is the same diameter, but different in appearance. Wood inserts are interchangeable.
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The inlet for a struble U-40 is slightly over 3/4". I use a 3/4" pen making barrel trimmer to cut the inlet into cork grips and the fit isn't overly tight. At work now so I can't to a precise measurement for you. Jeff
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Tom's correct, it is possible to use very hot water to help break the bond. I've done this successfully around a half dozen times to remove fly rod reel seats mounted with Rod Bond. But, there is risk involved and each case is a little different. In one case after removal of the seat I noticed that the bottom four inches of the blank had moved (deflected) around one degree. After things coole
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I enjoyed my MHX four weight fly rod until I broke the tip section. Learned today I can't purchase a replacement tip section. For that reason I don't think I'll be building on MHX blanks - too much risk.
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Casey started a great thread. Sorry for taking it into an E-Tex direction. Back in 2004 I wrote to the forum about using binder clips to replace wing nuts on thread caddies. The idea seems to be catching on.
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There are several E-Tex products that people in rod building talk about. EX-88 is one, it and does not have UV inhibitors. EX-74 however is said to be same as EX-88 but with UV inhibitors. Back when Envirotex products were being discussed I contacted the company to ask some questions. I was told that unlike EX-88, EX-74 did indeed contain UV inhibitors but that it was only sold in industria
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Denis, I fished the nine foot 4wt my last three outings, on a medium sized trout stream.. It's a pleasure to present dry flies with the rod. The ERN is a little below 4.5 (don' t have my notes) and so for me fishes well with a DT4 line. I still have the five weight in this blank, and I believe the ERN was a little below 5.5. Based upon that, I expect it to fish well with a DT5 line when I ge
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A few years ago when I started turning my own reel seat inserts I replaced several that we're mounted in Struble nickel silver hardware. You do need to be careful when boiling to remove from the rod. The rod blank and cork grip are at risk, but it can be done. Jeff
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I've always chalked it up to the rate at which end or side (my terms) grain sands away. One faster/easier than the other. Jeff
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Automotive clear coats shouldn't be a problem over oily woods because as far as I know they don’t contain oils. I'm referring to gunstock finishing products like Pro Custom Oil or Tru-Oil which have Tung oil and Linseed oil respectively. For oily woods like Bocote, Cocobolo (and other rosewood family woods) I soak the turned and sanded insert in acetone (inside a sealed cigar tube). Three so
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Cocobolo is commonly used. I have several lengths of cocobolo and each has its own characteristics, visually. It's an oily wood so if you're planning on using an oil/urethane finish you'll need to draw oil from the wood before applying finish. Otherwise your finish will continually pull oil from the wood and remain tacky. I'm not familiar with tiger wood. Jeff
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Hello Scott, As I look at your reel seat insert I'm not sure I'm seeing a correct fit. Not necessarily the exposed barrel diameter or overall length, but I think I'm seeing one continuous diameter inserted inside the threaded barrel on the upper end and extending down and into the butt of the reel seat. I have only used the spin rod version of this reel seat hardware so maybe I’m not looking
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I know that more than one person has suggested heating the reel seat and then twisting it free. I don't agree with this, as twisting the reel seat could cause the blank to splinter - especially if the blank is also very hot. Try to pull the reel seat off as straight as possible. Jeff
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Dave, I'm sure the individuals who posted about mixing thread finish brands would be happy to share their outcomes. Why not write to them? Jeff
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Richard, It seem that you understand the problem: "I know the main cause of footballing is too much epoxy, but I was very careful to remove as much of the excess as possible - I think" Understanding the problem is more than half the battle, now it is just a matter of doing some test wraps and epoxy applications that result in the correct amount of epoxy on the guides. Jeff
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Every now and then I'll see a fisheye/crater forming while the finish is still flowing. In those cases I'll use a bodkin/needle to scratch the center area of the crater which usually causes finish to flow back in and avoid the fisheye. Jeff
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Regardless of fly rod action, I like fighting my fish with my rod parallel to the water’s surface. I feel that trout don’t like being forced toward the surface during the fight, and by keeping my rod tip low I can guide the fish left and right while slowly stripping back line. When pulled toward the surface trout seem to shake their heads more violently, increasing the chance that the hook
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If you do look into using a hand clamp, try the link below for a method I and others use. Jeff
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Each of my Max Seal applications was heavy, and applied while the reel seat insert was turning on my rod dryer. I wasn't trying to attain a level finish with each application. Once the finish was hardened I level sanded and polished on my lathe in a manner similar to the way some apply and level CA applications. I didn't consider this experiment to be a success, and currently perform hand ru
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Rich, On wood I found Max Seal to do absolutely nothing to enhance grain. A very unappealing look resulted. This past Winter I coated one test guide wrap with Max Seal and another with a casting resin. No color preserver was used on either thread wrap. Max Seal's thin, water-like consistency didn't allow it to flow/distribute around the wrap very well like an epoxy does. Whereas the casting
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Doc, Pictures of father/son flyfishing adventure to Yellowstone/Tetons sent. Good luck, Jeff
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I posted earlier my preference for using thread wraps under my nickel silver winding checks so that epoxy can butt/ramp up against the edge of the check and not over it. Personally (IMHO) I prefer seeing the silver stand on its own. I'm fine with the silver check developing character over time.
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I've always been hesitant to put finish over any winding checks, nickel, aluminum or vinyl. There is a chance of minor flexing in that area which could cause separation of the finish from the materials. I've definitely seen this occur on vinyl checks coated with finish. I’d rather place thread wraps under my nickel winding checks so the finish can butt right up against the winding check wi
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Oil/Urethane finishes like Waterlox and Benmatte have a tendency to kick off once opened due to oxidation. I try to fend off hardening in the can by keeping the air space to a very minimum by inserting marbles into the can. Has anyone tried protecting these products in the same manner that Permagloss is protected from moisture intrusion, by piercing the can near the bottom to withdraw liquid an
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CA can provide some very nice results - there are many methods rod builders and pen makers employ. A problem with CA is that many users don't get good results consistently. I've come to believe that inconsistency can be caused by climatic conditions. I'm in the Northeast and depending on weather conditions (especially humid conditions) clouding can occur. So over the four seasons here the con
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The blades of a 3/4" pen mill bore enough to fit some Struble hoods. A strip of sandpaper bonded to the outside body of the pen mill enlarges the hole enough to fit REC nickel and aluminum hoods. Jeff
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Last year I started using Renaissance microcystalline wax on my fly rods. I applied it to the nickel hardware, the wood spacer and from the winding check to the tiptop. Jeff
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A couple of months ago I had a conversation with a coworker (engineer) about wood working. He's 62 years old and is considering retiring because he fears being stricken by illness before he can enjoy retirement. He referenced many field trips during his career where he and coworkers used various solvents as cleaning agents. They'd order in a 55 gallon drum and clean components of the plants ou
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Wood is a dynamic medium which can undergo shape changes (warping is an example) before or after turning on a lathe (or running through a planer for that matter). Internal stresses are at play, and after turning the wood blank to round you offer the wood a chance to shift again. This seems especially true with burl wood, which is an odd conglomeration to start with. I recently turned and finis
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Garrett, I bond the rings together like this: Once the glue has cured I slide the pre-grip back onto the 1/4" mandrel and shape on the lathe. If the cork begins to slip on the mandrel while shaping, I make a partial turn of masking tape on the mandrel and slide the one end of the grip onto it. This usually keeps the cork in place. Jeff
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