Hi Marc, I have used burl cork and exotic burl cork in place of high grade cork. I especially like it for saltwater rods. As I understand burl cork is made from pieces of cork mixed with a resin and formed into blocks. These blocks are then cut into rings. A couple of years ago some suppliers were selling the burl cork blocks. Like you I found the burnt cork to be too crumbly. On some rods
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Hi Marc, I thought that someone who has tried both types of Minima guides would have answered your question. I have used Minima 4 guides on quite a few rods in the last few years. I typically use the Chrome/Chrome on most rods andI used the Chrome/TiGold on two rods. Since the TiCH, Chrome, and TiGold are all finishes on the steel ring and does not affect the size of the ring,there sho
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Ryan where would you place the Eternity Fly Blanks? How do they compare to Pac Bay Quickline? Thanks, Mike Blomme
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David, Except for maybe Titanium alloy framed guides, all guides will be attacked by salt environments. I use Alps 316 stainless guides guides, but I don't rely on them not rusting. I believe in rinsing, washing with warm soapy water, rinsing, and then drying the rod after each use. Back in 1961 I built a spinning surf rod. I used Mildrum steel guides. As I always do, I filed these guides d
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On modern multi-piece rod blanks, the ferrule is built in. In earlier times, you purchased a metal ferrule which led to a stiff spot on the blank. The built in ferrules are made from the same kind of materials as the rod blank itself. Mike Blomme
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Jeff I had problems with some inks and testors. When I added CP, they ran. I bought a can of Krylon's Workable Fixatif. I tried it out on all of my inks ant it worked very well. I then covered the inscription with CP and then finish. Good practice is to always test before applying to your rod. Mike Blomme
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Chris, I also use polyester embroidery thread. I found that if you don't use CP before coating with Perma Gloss or Lumiseal, the thread will turn dark just as it does with an epoxy finish. Mike Blomme
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Amen Billy.
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Roger, Rubbing alcohol consists of a solution with isopropyl alcohol and water. I have seen it in three concentrations 70%, 91% and 99% isopropyl alcohol. These are aqueous solutions. Denatured alcohol is usually nearly 100% ethanol (or ethyl alcohol). There are small amounts of other substances added to prevent people from consuming the ethanol. These denaturing materials are required by f
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John I use the Cast Acrylic Plexiglass in 1/16" and 1/8" thicknesses. I use the 1/16" for the accent on my thread wraps. For example if I use Red/black two color classic thread, I will use 1/8" red and 1/16" black for the trim rings. Mike Blomme.
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John, I purchase plexiglass sheets from Delvies Plastics in Utah. They sell them in a variety of colors. I use a hole cutter to cut out circles. Using my small drill press I also get a center hole while cutting the circles. I glue these onto the grip (I use wood and cork for my grips). I use a sanding block to keep the surfaces even. I sand down to 800 grit and then use the finest grade of
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Oops! I really needed to hit the key on my computer just once. Mike Blomme
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Hello Folks, Thank you for your comments. I'm probably going to get one. I have always used my home-made hand wrappers, but I really want to have a more elegant and efficient thread carriage. Mike Blomme
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Hello Folks, Thank you for your comments. I'm probably going to get one. I have always used my home-made hand wrappers, but I really want to have a more elegant and efficient thread carriage. Mike Blomme
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Hello Folks, Thank you for your comments. I'm probably going to get one. I have always used my home-made hand wrappers, but I really want to have a more elegant and efficient thread carriage. Mike Blomme
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Has anyone tried the new CRB RBS Handwrapper that Muddle is selling. What do you think of it? Let me know. Mike Blomme
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Thanks for the info Roger. I currently use a combination of a large fluorescent shop lights and a flexible desk lamp. Together they provide enough light, but lack of stability as well as the heat from the flexible lamp which has burned the back of my hand all too many times I keep looking for a solution. I will look into your solution. Mike Blomme
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If the outside of the female ferrule is bare and needs cleaning, I would recommend a thin coat of PermaGloss for protection. Mike Blomme
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In the time periods Don listed, the finish on these rods is almost certainly varnish rather than one of the modern finishes like epoxy or urethane. Old varnish will flake off, but I doubt if hearing, it will melt the varnish so it can be easily removed. I recommend rewrapping as well. Mike Blomme
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Good Morning Scott, There is a list of sponsors on the left side of this web site and they will all sell the products such as Trondak U-40 as well as others. If you are just starting out, I would recommend purchasing a small paper back book on rod building by Tom Kirkman. You can also look in the Library above on the right hand side where there are a lot of articles on rod building mentioned
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A couple of years ago there was a thread regarding the fading of metallic threads. I made a test wrap of several metallic wraps and coated them with a couple of coats of PermaGloss. The PermaGloss is transparent to sunlight and UV. After a couple of weeks in the summer sun many of the metallic colors had faded. I hope this helps. Mike Blomme
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Nylon thread has been the commonly used thread succeeding Silk thread from an earlier era. When Gudebrod went out of business there was a need for for more three producers. Rod builders began using polyester thread which is available in many colors. The one down side is that polyester thread is primarily used for sewing machines and has a coating of silicone that reduces friction in sewing mac
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Good Morning Roger, Like many others I've started using exotic burl cork and wood grips--particularly for fly rods. I bore the wood larger than needed for the rod blank and then insert a foam arbor. I then glue the arbor in the wood grip and ream it to fit the blank. Where I live we have a small lumber that sells only hardwoods. Most of their sales are for high end homes whose owners want fa
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Good Morning Roger, Like many others I've started using exotic burl cork and wood grips--particularly for fly rods. I bore the wood larger than needed for the rod blank and then insert a foam arbor. I then glue the arbor in the wood grip and ream it to fit the blank. Where I live we have a small lumber that sells only hardwoods. Most of their sales are for high end homes whose owners want fa
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Cameron, When I first started building rods, the blanks I used were fiberglass and rather resistant to to the use of Acetone or MEK (Methylethylketone). I used these solvents to remove any adhesive (we used liquid rod cement which was essentially Pliobond) and we used varnish for our finish. I built primarily on Harnell and Sila Flex blanks and they were pretty resistant to acetone or MEK. Ho
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Well Gee Whiz Eric, I just meant it as an illustration so one could see how it occurs. LOL. Mike Blomme
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Good Morning Logan (here in Oregon), When I first began building rods in the late 1950s, finding the spine and building on the spine was the Holy Grail. In more modern times rod builders and rod blank manufacturers have found that the spine has little or no effect on how the rod functions. The effect of guides, thread, and epoxy finish is much greater than that of the spine. To get an idea o
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Hi Eric, I used to use such seats. I have one that has a red barrel and the hoods and knurled knob are black. The rear hood is also the cap on the butt of the reel seat. I haven't seen any of these reel seats for years. The one I have is from a rod that I had built, but was broken. We used a liquid rod cement that easily melted when gently heated. I did use a down locking reel seat simila
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Hi Bill, You might go to Angler's Workshop or Mudhole who are both sponsors and have carried Hypalon grips in the past. Whether that carry white I'm not sure of. I wanted something different when I rebuilt the rod and put a cord grip both fore and aft. Good luck with the white Hypalon. Are you going to use the red and yellow thread colors? Mike Blomme
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Bill I have an old Harnell rod dating from 1961. It is 134inches in length. The front of my reel seat spool is in the middle of reel seat. I used a butt guide (1.5 inches outside diameter) (two footed Fuji Guide) and two single foot transition guides beyond the butt guide. The butt guide is 26.5 inches from center of reel seat. Center of reel seat to choke guide is 68.5 inches. Choke gu
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