I followed the article, more or less, on wood rods and it was one of the most fulfilling rods I have ever built. It gives you a taste of building a cane rod, and I gotta tell ya, fishing with a rod like this is incredibly enjoyable. There is nothing like expecting a rod to explode in a spectactular manner during a fight to get the full enjoyment of playing even the smallest of fish. There's n
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Meguiars Scratch X. I swear by the stuff. Takes some elbow grease as it is not very aggressive. If you go thru the finish, it is because you worked very hard to do so.
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Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you'll be set. Just change the orientation if you want them swimming up/down the rod.
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Chris, if finish gets on the guide/rings, get it off. Don't let a rod go out your door with finish on where the line might rub. It will wear away with use, yes, but that's not an excuse for sloppy work. To reiterate a very old, but good saying, a job worth doing, is a job worth doing correctly. If you think it might be subpar, it is.
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Just go with a foam brush. You'll get the same results if not better than an airbrush, without the hassle of cleanup.
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When I'm really serious about catching fish, the only times I am happy with my casting distance is when I'm on one of my two big rivers and my cast sails exactly how far I wanted it to. That is because I think that's where the fish might be at the moment. Sometimes I catch fish. On the smaller lakes, I often find myself stopping a short cast in midflight when I see that it is heading to a poin
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I think that the ratings on blanks are actually a bit of an "instruction sheet". Something that gives the buyer an idea of what they might be looking for. Someone with a reel full of 50# line who wants to go after big catfish needs a new rod so he runs to the nearest sporting goods section and starts looking at the selections. Picking up an ultralight rod isn't going to be a good ide
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Great idea to redo the original inscription. Don't know the actual ettiquette or what most others would do, but if it were me, I would not put my name/logo on the rod. IMO, and STRICTLY IMO only, putting your name on something that you simply repaired or restored is very bad form. If you made a significant improvement, then by all means add your name (but only if the customer approves). Th
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I use a lot of C&C Trilobal. Good thread. With or without CP, it tends to go darker than other brands of comparable "dry" color when something is applied. Have never had issues with fish eyes.
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Do what the customer wants. If the customer doesn't care, the split grip is a great area to add a bit of personality with no negative effects.
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My finish of choice is flex coat hi and low build. I get flawless finish every time. When I use any other finish, I can easily get waves, bubbles, fisheyes, etc. Other people are going to tell you that they get the same results as me but with LS Supreme, Threadmaster, etc. There is no "wonder finish" that is going to solve your problems (though some will tell you differently). Do
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Here's a photo of what I generally do with my guides to prep them.
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I've done a lot of shop testing with no problems. If anything, IMO, the threadless technique really mates well with the micro guides, as logically it should.
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Also look in Sears. That's where I get my springs.
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If all things were easy and idiot-proof, craftsmen would be out of business.
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Find one that works for you. What one guys swears by, might not get along with you. Each one has its own personality that you have to get to know for best results. I've used Flex Coat so long that it is near impossible for me to get a decent finish with anything else simply because out of habit I try to use and time them all like FC. It doesn't work very well:)
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Use the guide to protect your thumb. I use a variety of knives and strip it off the foot like peeling a potato. Heat does help.
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Really not trying to be a smart elbow here, but I don't understand the problem. With exception of a few failed deviations, I use Flex Coat CP on pretty much everything I do. I ALWAYS apply CP over decals of any kind regardless of who makes them or the finish I am going to use. On waterslides I do not use Microsol/Microset. I've never had trouble in this area. IMO, if you have ridges after
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A false underwrap is where you make it look like you did a full underwrap. Basically, you measure the area between guide feet that will not be covered by a wrap. You then wrap that area in the color that you would like to do the "full underwrap" in. Put on the guide, wrap as normal, then add trim bands on the end as needed for the look you are going for. Looks like you did a complete
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One of my favorite setups right now is a simple spiral using a 6 stripper, then 4's from the bumper out to the tip, using a sf 4 as a tip, forhan wraps on all, and permagloss on the tip guide. Haven't had any come back with failures so far.
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Bernie, right in front of the wrap, where the foot meets the "leg". Finish likes to wick there in a glob between the leg and the rod.
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If you are looking for performance, I wouldn't use Agate at all. If you are going for a compromise between look and function, I would use a size 12 for the stripper. No rock beyond that.
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I can't use a left list generated by somebody else. I use a bastardization of the grid method that Doc mentioned. I find left lists to be terribly confusing but that's just how my brain works. No real right or wrong way, same as most everthing we all do in this craft. Find out what works for you and go with it.
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DR pretty much summed it up in his first reply. If you like the results after one coat, adding another one is what I call "opportunity for failure". Finish cracking around guide feet can happen just as easily with one coat as it can in four. Give your feet a decent prep, and most importantly, you have to remove the thick web of epoxy between the upswing/downswing of the foot and
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I have no use for TN handles. I hate them. But if you have to do something along that line, graphite rings are available. So is the mentioned thread wrapping a reel onto a grip. Some folks have put in the work of inletting "helicoils" into grips so as to use setcrews on a reel foot that has been drilled out to match. Some folks like plate seats, which I have used. Personally, I
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I have covered many a waterslide with PG after using Flex Coat CP with no problems. I have ruined many bare decals with PG.
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As the guys have said, thread without CP goes transluscent. If you want thread color, you need to use NCP thread, thread with CP, or thread with a paint or light colored underwrap beneath it. There are a lot of stories out there about how CP gives you drastically weaker wraps, lots of trouble with milkiness if you fish in the rain, and a few other wacky thoughts. They don't hold much water (no
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What Herb and John said. Some folks use strippers, but I haven't found a decent one that in the instructions says "Do not use on fiberglass". I figure that the makers of such products know a bit more about their stuff than I do and I don't want to take chances on a rod that I don't own. Personally, I just scrape it all off, followed by a 0000 steel wooling for some insurance. 2 coat
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My price for a rod includes a buttwrap, whether I do one or not. But if I didn't, for a simple fading chevron, I can't imagine charging much more than maybe 20 - 30 bucks. I've noticed over the years that a majority of people want/enjoy buttwraps. But they don't like to pay a lot of cash for decoration. I like to think of it this way: I would never pay extra for leather seats in a new car
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Mine is on my car, and I'm already planning on having the folks at Decal Connection make a bunch more in various sizes that I can stick on all kinds of stuff, even on butt caps. Thank you, Tom. I think it is not only a great idea, but it looks very cool and classy. I spend a lot of time looking for this symbol now to find folks to talk shop with. I didn't know it was coming so it was quite a s
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