Gerald, I like building multi-segmented rods. I usually don't worry too much about spining any section, but the last couple of segments if the bottom pieces are too short or stiff. Many vendors will identify the spine for you by marking the location of the spine, just inside each blank segment, and even warn the builder against spining due to the possiblity of breakage because the segments bei
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Steve, It's a little more difficult to determine the straightest line on multi-piece blanks because the segments are much shorter. Difficult, but not impossible. You can test for straightness by sighting down each blank segment while rotating it. But you can also roll the blank on a level surface, which I find much easier to do since my vision has degraded over the years. Unless the blank segme
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Art, There are many builders with strong opinions on both sides of the issue. I don't believe the spine has much affect on performance, but I always spine my rods and build on it, or on the opposite side anyway. I also build on the straightest axis if the curve is pronounced enough to look odd if I don't. I pick up a lot of factory seconds that are rejected because of their pronounced curves, so
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John, Thanks for the heads up. I've got dust problems big time, and no matter how well I vacuum with my central vac system and running the small air filter system that I do employ, it stillisn;t enough. I'll certainly check it out.
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Mike, If you apply a light coat of finish just the wraps without any overlap, you gain the added benefit of ensuring none the wraps will come loose, and you'll have very little clean-up to do after you strip the wraps off for your re-wrap. My only question is, why trust an unfinished rod for a tournament?
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Kevin, So you were speaking about a butt extension as opposed to a a multi-segment telescopiing rod. That makes more sense, and a telescoping butt extension would work in those cases. Even with the 17 and 20 foot riverboats I run, so of the rods I carry can be combursome because of their lengths, so I understand where bass fishermen are coming from. Thanks.
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I have always wondered about the benefits of telescoping rods other than compactness. I've built several multi-piece tip-over-butt spinning and fly rods, and believe they perform as well as my two or one-piece rods, in the same weight classes. Do you find telescoping rods perform as well as "conventionally-built" multi-piece rods, or do you feel that it's worth sacrificing some perfor
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Bill, I have not experienced any handle failures. I avoid conducting any surface prep except for a thorough wiping of a soft cloth dampened with alcohol. The reason I avoid any sanding is to allow me to keep my opitions open should I decide to change components.
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Chris, Like any good skill, it takes time and constant practice to do it well. Some guys pick it up quickly, others not so quick. I fell into the not-so-quick category, but I like to think I have improved with each new project. It took me a while before I felt skilled enough to avoid things like uneven build-up, or at least how to quickly recover from a situation like that. So don't get overly-
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Tim, That's an excellent method to minimize the first application. But I still use a brush for all of my finish application. I don't know why that would introduce more bubbles, but I use steady pressure. Usually, the first coat doesn't create much of a problem with bubbles because I slice through the high spots and anything that remotely looks like a bubble anyway.
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Lynn, That's interesting that you believe blank manufacturers reserve their best blanks for custom builders. I was under the impression that the opposite was the case. In the rod shop where I hung out and built rods from the late 1990's through early 2003, I had been involved in discussions with the shop owner and managers that companies such as GLoomis, Sage, and a few others, were pulling many
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Ed, I think it's all a matter of context if we were speaking about the choice of components. For instance, a "cheap" reel seat assembled on a low-end rod that provides years of use without failure, can't really be considered a poor quality choice if the rod does what it's owner expects it to do. Basic ceramic guides are not the best in terms of weight and maybe even sensitivity,
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Royce, Although I'm not adverse to using something better, I continue to use thread pieces from the spool I happen to be wrapping with. I've only rarely have had problems with line breaking, etc., but using something thinner and stronger with a real small bead does sound worthwhile trying. I've worked in shops where some of the builders do use similar setups, but the bead revolving around the rod
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Just thought I'd mention that it does get used. I've received calls and emails from interested builders , etc., in Alaska. Kudos to you Tom, for keeping it alive.
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Marc, Thanks for the feedback.
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I think that if I could not remove the residue that was left from the actual adhesion under the guide, then I would probably try to remove as much as possible, and smooth out the rest to allow a guide to lay as flat against the blank as much as possible. That makes it viable to cover up almost any signs from the guide being replaced. Being new territory, the only way to know for sure how effec
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Mike, Two thick layers of your favorite two part finish. or 6 or 8 thin layers of Permagloss? That's why god made winter. I agree that it could be a little more difficult, but never impossible.
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Mike, I don't see a repair on a threadless rod any different from any other type of rod. It'll still be a matter of carefully stripping away the finish to get to the guide foot, and then removing the residue. It might require a slightly different approach to safely remove the gude's remnants, but not more difficult. Bill, A point well made that a man (or woman) can't have too many tools! No su
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I believe that with the right blank, guides, etc., there's no reason to dismiss threadless wraps as a fad. I think it looks great, particullarly using the holographic guides and trim rings. It seems plenty durable. In certain "fishing circles", a guideless wrapped rod certainly can be employed with little or no concern about it's capablity over a conventional thread-wrapped rod. I woul
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Ted, Thanks for providing additional insight. The arbor approach seems like a sensible approach.
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While I agree that it certainly could be done, I don't know if I would trust the bond strength of the cork and the forces working against the reel foot with such small surface area. Wood or even bonding the plate to the rod blank might be more possible.
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Putter, Ain't it great having kids? hehe!
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Mick, No question that your argument for using silicon-based sandpaper is sound. I don't disagree with your logic. At some point, I may just run a few tests for myself to really determine if it's all much ado about nothing. If it comes down to fewer choices available, than I may just use it and see how it goes. It's just that in the meantime, I'll work with the materials available to me. But I d
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I dry fit the tip top, mark the end, and then wrap to the mark. I suppose you could get away with an overlapping wrap onto the tip top, but if you worked that same way on heavy-duty saltwater rods, the tip top would look pretty bulky (imho).I apply finish to the wrap first. Then when the finish has cured, I'll affix the tip top
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Mick, It didn't happen to me, but it did happen to a fellow rod builder who is also a trained/experienced carpenter. He finished a rod that had the "fisheye" look throughout the rod. He said he had used silicon-carbide sandpaper, and he suspected that was the cause of the result. He had not used the same sandpaper since, and he has not experienced any further finish failures. His
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Atif, If the finish is wavy from the wraps or as a result of applying too much epoxy, you can fix it easily by lightly sanding down the high spots. The process is almost like finishing furniture, you apply a coat of varnich or urethane, sand it lightly to eliminate any high or rough spots, and then apply aother thin coat of varnish, repeating the process until you have a good, smooth, and c
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You can usually chip or pry it off with a fingernail, old credit card (or a new one if it belongs to your wife), popsicle stick, or even alcohol if it is light enough. If it's stubborn, run a hair dryer over the area to warm and soften the finish, then try it. Don't use anything metal to scrape it off -- you'll ruin the blank. Eventually, it all comes off. you just gotta keep at it.
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I with Ed on ending my finish at the wraps, at least on freshwater rods. I always work to keep finish from overlapping to the blank. I've got 12 year old hand-built rods that show no signs of rotting or other damage to the wraps or guides. It makes it easier to clean up residue during repairs or re-dos. Ed, the first priority is to keep the finish from overlapping in the first place. I use eve
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Ryan, Conduct a search on this site. I wouldn't call them official, but there have been plenty of participants who have greater experience with fly rods than I, who have posted excellent guidelines on matching guides. I would recommend keeping the number of guides on the conservative side, particularly on a 4 wgt to minimize dampening or negatively affecting rod performance. I recently co
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Ryan, By doing a little homework ahead of time, and then emailing or calling them with specific questions, I'm confident they'll be able to help you. But, there is a ton of information on this website and on the Internet that'll help you make some informed decisions. Google around the Internet and on the vendor websites. Places like Dan Craft or Custom Tackle Supply, or Bingham Enterprises have
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