I have also inlayed many pennies and other items into the butt piece. For the pennies I have evolved to this method: Trace the penny, carefully ream out that area (from the center out to the tracing mark) using a small round reaming bit and a dremel tool, polish the penny, put a dab of 5 min TM gel in the cut out , put the penny in aligned with the handle the way I want, clean any excess gel qu
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Has someone got a tutorial on cutting a one piece and making and putting on the ferrule for a two piece? I know I will need some scrap fiberglass section . Caught a lillte info on this from Ralph at a show but missed a few more of the specifics. Better for the ferrule to be on the top or the butt piece, length etc. Have done a few searches and could use a little more. Thanks
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Mick, where do you get your Permalyn and how do you apply it? I often do three coats of True Oil with a very light buff in between and simply apply it with my finger. Thanks Steve
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Istripped my SCV and my little SC111 this winter to put on different handle and guides. I broke the tip of my SC1V fly rod last fall and ordered a replacement top which I have had since Jan. I have not started one of those rods!! I keep working on other rods for other peolpe. I am fly fishing farm ponds with a Cabelas/Sage 6 wt hybid I made from old blanks several years ago The spin rod I a
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I am not a tournament fisherman but I fish a lot in the summer and fall. My evolved style is what I call serious/pragmatic and fun. Although I have not kept a written journal, I have done a ton of 'live and learn' record keeping in my old head. AND this general statistic is very prominent for me................... I have lost oodles more fish due to: A.....poor knots ( tied by me), B......
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Thanks Duane. I would have used finish epoxy. That makes sense. I have some good 30 min epoxy I'll try.
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I have an Exposed Blank reel seat I took off a broken rod. I would like to put it on an old 6' ft blank. I plan to have a 13" handle/reel seat area that will be split grip. I have not done very many casting rods with exposed seats. The diameter of this particular reel seat is a little larger than the blank at the spot where I I want to put it. Question. Can I build up the blank a littl
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Larry, I believe a lot of us builders do the same as Dave. It works very well. Makes a good seal , is convenient and saves time.
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Steven my inlaws from Northern Minn met me today in Northern Iowa for a neice's graduation. They had just been up to the North Shore camping and brought me several flats of birch bark they had peeled off of freshly downed trees, About 3/4 of the flats were thich enough and lacked severe knarls and bummpy flaws. When I got ttem home to Iowa I removed obvious stick out blemishes and then la
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Dito what Mike is doing. I glue my sections or whole grip up on a waxed all tread mandrel. Then transfer them (snug fit ) to one of Andy's Mandrels and shape and sand on my lathe. Andy's Madrels make it quite slick and it is a lot of fun creating your own look. Remember , there are a lot of creative objects you can use as trim, filler or highligfht rins to go with your cork or burl. Check ou
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Thanks for the confirmation Ray. I was a little worried that I was reading it wrong it the beginning. It apparently comes with the epoxy brochure!?! Thanks Tom...... I figured it was something along that timeline and I usually use two coats but with only 4 ounces I would rather learn from someone else's trial and error. Thanks again!
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I ordered some Diamondite CP and when it arrived the 'proper usage brochure' that came with it was for Diamondite Rod Finish Epoxy. I am sure it was just an oversite mistake with the packer. But I would like to try some of it and there were no instructions for its specific use. I typed in 'Diamondite CP' to Search but came up with nothing. Are any of you currently using it? Any help here wou
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You know the guy that invented those things was named Crapper? Hope things go better the the next few days Mick.
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Thank you for sharing Bob. I have not built a rod yet for my G-daughters since they are still quite young ( 7, 4 and 1). But I think that now will be a summer goal for me. My thoughts / prayers are with you.
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It is interesting how we evolve in this wonderful but addictive hobby. Two years ago I was not aware, well skilled or meticulous in several areas of rod building. But oh what trial and error teaches us if we watch and remember! Two areas where I very carefully make sure I am thorough and consistant now are : A .... guide foot preparation.... B .... mixing epoxy ( C... cleaning fingers/ha
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Just got done finishing the final runner guide ( single foot # 6) on a light Tiger Eye 6 ' spin rod. Madeira Polyneon Purple. Cleaned fingers and nails with a swath of denatured. Swathed the blank lightly where wrap would take place. Locked down the guide with two extremely thin strips of high quality masking tape. Made sure it was inline with the previuos guide.Three wraps before starting up
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One of the things I really like with a 'custom rod' is a true custom signiture. It is like so many other things associated with the slow but steady learning curve pertaining the multitude of skills and techniques needed to build a quality custom rod. To build a rod ( even high level fit & finish ) by hand, it will still show light flaws that indicate personal limits reached with 100% effort
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I have used Titebond 111 and 30 min waterproof epoxy. Both were fine but the side-pressure strenght of glued up birch is not very strong. Be careful when you are sanding or shaping it. The next rings I glue up I am going to do with rod bod and I'm going to experiment with some twisting pressure on it and see if it holds a little better than the titebond or epoxy. Rod building is lots of exper
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A caring, knowledgeable man. It was a privilge to meet him!
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Mike has been a source of great knowledge and encouragement to so many of us. Also, thanks for the pics from High Point Mike.
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The rod needs to sensitve enough FOR YOU, that you can get beyond the "3 tap habit" that Rich Forhan so aptly described in one of his seminars at High Point: Tap No. 1.... when the fish picks up your lure, Tap No. 2 ..... when the fish spits out your lure, Tap No. 3 ....... when the guy next to you taps you on the shoulder and tells you you should have set the hook on the f
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Ellis........ I liked your theory and decided to try it. Took my flyrod and headed to the closest pond to do some fly fishing. Within three minutes I knew it just wasn't going to work! My feet were getting numb, the fly kept bouncing on the ice and when it would break off, my hands were too cold to tie an Improved Clinch. But my farmer friends got a big kick out of it and told me they got so
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I have a shoe box with hundreds of discarded old photos. I mix everthing on them. Usually cut them in half and I mix on the picture side. For wonderful, forgiving Rod Bod , I use a slightly flexible spatula I got as a gift a couple years ago at the Big Rod Show. I scoop out a gob, plant it on the photo, wipe the spatula a couple times with denatured alcohol and then scoop out another gob from
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Joe, I am currently helping three guys learn the art of rod building. This is not a class, I am working separately with them. Two got my name through other fisherman friends of mine. Things they have in common: all recently retired or semi retired, have much more time on their hands now, learned to fish as kids, still fish regularly, live in colder winter climate that forces more " ind
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Good to see you in High Point. Check your e-mail.
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Mike....... you have just got to take someone up on thier offer to take you fly fishing. If you have the coordination to make an epoxy ramp, you can learn to cast that fly rod. Go for it!
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One suggestion I would throw out is to take into consideration the "Hurry Up and Go / Act First -Think Later" mentality of young / teenage boys. Because of this, the odds of a 6' one piece being inadvertently placed in the ' wrong place at the wrong time' is much higher than a 6' two piece. Ease of storage and handling gives the two piece much more safe flexibility. Heck, he can ca
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Mike and Bill, where do you get your Madeira # 60? Joanns here in Des Moines carries the 40 but not the 60. Thanks
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Art and Paul, thanks for the tips. I wetted down a little wrap of cloth on the ferrule and locked on firm but not overly tight. Heated well and pulled straight back, all but one came off easily. The tough one I dipped while it was hot in a glass of snow (got that right outside the walk out basement door). re-heated it and it came off! All had old wraps of thread on them I imagine to shim fo
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Removing a metal ferrule from a bamboo rod?!? Not real comfortable on this one. What is the best approach. Thanks
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