Hello Larry, In the late 1980's a local fly shop donated a similar reel seat for a raffle rod I was building. It's mahogany in color, the threads are carved into the wood, has a wood butt cap, and the ring is something of a bronze aluminum. Let me know if you would like to see a photo. Jeff
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Kyle may get back with clarification, but when I read that he'd like to re-work "them" and apply Flex Coat I got the impression that he just wanted to spruce up the guide wraps.
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Jim, You need a diversion go slow you down a bit. Consider buying a small wood lathe so you can experiment with turning grips and reel seat inserts (if you're not already doing that). The rod building supply houses will miss you for awhile, but you’ll make friends with numerous suppliers of tools, wood and finishing supplies…… Jeff
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Bill, Thanks for posting the fishhawk link. Do you know if color preserver was used on the sample wraps? If so, is there a set of sample wraps that have no color preserver applied before epoxy coating? Thanks, Jeff
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Julian, I used Crystal Coat for many years. My process was to mix the two parts in a film canister, apply my first coat right out of the canister, then cap and put into the freezer. The next day I'd hold the film canister in the palm of my hand until the contents flowed freely, and made the next application. It was very unusual for me to mix a second batch. The first batch went in and out of
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Dave, I'm partial to the REC proportions and nickel alloy compared to the Struble nickel seats, at least for 5Wts and above. Jeff
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James, I tried a lite epoxy formulation with the belief that I could make multiple thin applications and have a level finish after 2-3 applications. What I learned is that if I applied the least bit too much finish the thin finish would draw in toward the middle of the wrap, simply due to gravity. This situation became even more apparent if I applied any heat to the finish after application
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Eric, Though it appears that the metal jaws of the four jaw chuck are biting well into your mandrel, there is a possibility that slippage may occur. If that happens your mandrel could come away from your live center - a bad thing with the weight of the wood mounted on the mandrel. Others may also recommend using a drill stop collar against the chuck jaws. Jeff
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Yes, as confirmed by the blank manufacturer a friend's rod broke clean off under the winding check. He had what he felt was a perfect fit when he built the rod, with no thread under the metal winding check. Jeff
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Feel? I just watch my dry fly disappear in a swirl........... Jeff
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Rob, The four piece RX8+ fly rod that I built has the best ferrules of any fly rod I've handled. The rod sections go together smoothly, and they disassemble just as smoothly at the end of a fishing day. To me the RX8+ fly rod has a fast action, I reserve fast action for other fly rods. Jeff
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Jay, If the bottom half of an eight foot rod is stiff and the top half is flexible, you have a medium action rod. Now, use a four foot section (just for this example) of stiff material to extend the butt. You will have a rod that has 2/3 of its length made of stiff material and 1/3 of its length of flexible material. The action will now be faster with a steeper action angle. It will also be
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My Sears Craftsman drill is just short of 42mm and doesn't clamp securely in the Grizzly lathe.
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I've used a Craftsman drill on my Grizzly lathe. It works fine, but because the chuck has a larger diameter than the collar I have to remove the chuck, install the drill collar into the headstock, then re-install the chuck. So having a drill with a chuck that is narrower than the collar would be helpful. Jeff
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Even a hair dryer will damage a blank to the point of causing a failure. Don't ask how I know.....
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Richard, Please email me at PENZZZ@msn.com. I'll send you a chart I prepared for rodbuilding class many years ago. The information was provided by a very experienced individual. I built a fly rod this past Spring. When I cast the rod I wasn't completely happy with the recovery rate of the rod. It just didn't seem "crisp&quo
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As Jim noted, proper storage will help. If I feel my tippet material has been around for too long I do a simple, non-scientific test. I test a piece of the tippet by slowly pulling on it until it breaks. If the break sounds/feels crisp I keep using the tippet. If the break occurs with a "thud" (not crisp), I dispose of it.
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I've been exploring the many uses for Tru-Oil and came across a thread where use of Tru-Oil as a finish on bamboo rods was discussed. Jeff
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Calvin, As Phil noted, there is variability from one manufacturer to the next. Individual manufacturers also require different diameters across their product lines. But don't worry, once you acquire some reel seat hardware that you like, you won't be turning one insert at a time. You won't be able to leave those 143 wood blanks you've acquired collect dust...... At least I haven't been abl
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Walt, I build mostly fly rods, and fish nearly exclusively with five weight and below fly lines. Most of my summer and fall fishing for trout is done with three weight double taper fly lines. To this point I have purposely referred to fly line weight and not fly rod weight. I’m doing this because if your friend wants to comfortably present flies with a three weight line you’ll want a bla
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This is a good topic, and should serve to remind all fly rodders to resist the temptation to reach forward of the grip to grasp the rod when fighting a large fish. Jeff
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I couldn't find the company I bought from, but found this with a Google search.
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David, I've only bored up to 6" blanks, for reel seat inserts, but think the process I use will also work out to 7" and beyond on larger diameter blanks. First I draw an X on the one end of the blank, and use a center punch to create a hole in the center of the blank’s end. I use a four jaw chuck mounted on my headstock to center the square blank in the jaws. The blank is lo
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Steven, As Raymond stated, boiling water often can break the bond holding the reel seat to the rod. If the seat has a wood insert, it's not likely to be in good shape after boiling. Read other posts on the use of boiling water to remove the seat, you'll notice suggested time limits. Though most of the removals I've performed in this manner turned out fine, I did alter the blank on one fly rod
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Reggie, Fly rod reel seats are made to be Uplocking (threads at bottom with butt cap) or Downlocking (threads against the cork handle) depending on the model you select. Often the model numbers will start with U or D. If you already have your new reel seat, check the model number. If not, visit the REC or Struble websites and look over their models - often the same model will be sold as a mod
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I finished a reel seat insert with CA recently. All CA applications were made after final sanding, and then the thick CA coating was machined down with wet sandpaper (400/800/1000/1500/2000) followed by 8000 and 12000 micromesh (wet). Final steps were performed with a heavy then light car polish. All these steps were performed on the lathe at 1800 rpm. Great results. Jeff
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If you're going to be removing a number of cork grips, buy a "knob cutter". It's a bonsai training tool that has opposing curved blades and operates like a pair of pliers. The tool bites out pieces of cork, similar to biting into an apple. I also use this tool to remove reel seat wood after heating off the butt cap and threaded barrel. Jeff
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Bill, Can you elaborate a little? Help us understand why you think bubbles would form in a week old application of Permagloss after a second application is made. I use moisture cure urethane on wood inserts and am always looking for the best way to avoid bubble formation in the finish. I recall hearing/reading that gas entrapment in the first coat might occur if the second coat is applied too
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I find there is a key element to Tom's second suggestion, where you put your tie-off loop in earlier than usual so the tag end won't reach the tie-in point. After your last thread turn, pull the loop and tag end up against the last wrap, maybe even under the last thread turn - trim the tag close to the loop. The key element is placing your left thumbnail on the last wrap very close to where t
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Envirotex produces numerous formulations. Etex light (EX-88 I believe) is one of them. A similar formulation is EX-74 which is said to have UV inhibitors not in EX-88. I spoke with a representative at Envirotex and explained that I'd like to be able to purchase a smaller quantity than a gallon. She directed me to EasyCast, sold through craft stores like A.C. Moore. The MSDS's for EasyCast an
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