"actually "encapsulated" small gold nuggets in epoxy" WOW. that sounds cool. i just photographed a guy who pans for gold. he had a bunch of nuggets and flour gold and dust and suchness. i wonder what else can be used to encapsulate???? this web site is too cool. how about glitter? i mean, maybe just for a kid's rod.... ;-) or SOME kind of silver. eric fresno,
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anybody know where i can find BLACK winding checks? i know about the black rubber/vinyl ones, but all of those have the same shape and feel. would my best bet be to simply color a cheap aluminum winding check? eric fresno, ca. EDIT / ADDENDUM: ooops, never mind, i see custom tackle has black nickle silver struble winding checks.
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i had a 4 wt pocketwater.. it broke twice in two different places over a couple of months last season. i think this can be attributed to the granite i scramble over with a lot of pocketwater, my stepping on it a few times, and the pocketwater's unusually thin diameter. still, i liked it enough to buy another at a good price. eric fresno, ca.
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i have a pac bay rainforest 7'-9" 3 weight, 2 piece, which i just completed a few weeks ago. it is still untested on water. green color, very nice. i used medium green thread, without CP, and did small trim wraps on the downside with the single foot ceramics, using NCP white. feels very light and "whippy." i think i paid about $25 on @#$%& for it. eric fresno, ca.
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great advice above. one more thing i might add. this web site itself and those who visit it, as you can see from the replies, is a great resource. as a newbie myself, i found many of the answers you asked for by using the search function and inserting key words for each subject. by the way, i use flexible mesh drywall tape for arbors, found at hardware stores like home depot. but the flex co
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i used a pac bay tradition which had a bit of a curve in the tip section. very slight. i handled it by orienting the curve downward. or was it upward? i forget. i also used a pac bay rainforest 7'-9" 3 weight, 2 piece. the tip section had... squiggles? very slight, hardly noticeable, and only on the last half of that section. it wasn't a case of adjusting, since the tip seemed aligned in
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looks nice. should look really good once you apply thread wrap epoxy. eric fresno, ca.
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i just finished a rod which i experimented on in various aspects, basically repairs. i used a crappy cigar cork grip that had some very hard dark brown filler material. with an xacto knife, i carefully cut it out in a square shape and taking some leftover cork trimmings, cut a relacement part. using rod bond, i simply glued the piece in. when it was dry, i sanded it down (having left it a bit lar
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go here: click on The Favorite (fly rod model under Granger Rods) and see a classic use of jasper thread. make sure you click on the small photo to the right. this will lead to an enlarged view. i see gudebrod offers a black/orange version of that thread. i'm personally going to try black and white trimmed with red. i can be highly unoriginal ;-) eric fresno, ca.
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the first fly rod for me this millenium was a temple fork outfitters 9 foot 5 weight professional in four pieces. it has an aluminum (i think) skeleton with a graphite composite/carbon fiber looking insert which i really liked. then i started looking around and decided easily that i like fly rods with wood insert reel seats best. then i discovered this web site. and saw the possibilities.
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i agree with ed. i've been hearing how so many people dislike them, i finally cracked my REC catalog open to the recoil page and saw the tip tops. they look more traditional than ceramic tip tops... eric fresno, ca.
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i like the raw surface showing myself. gives it that industrial look. no reason to hide your care and workmanship. but if your workmanship includes wanting to hide that shiny part, i've heard many use black sharpie pens to touch it up or testors paint (correct me if i'm wrong). eric fresno, ca.
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yes, i'm pretty sure placing a sharp hook into a ceramic ring or any surface designed to be as smooth and friction free as possible for performance would not be a bright idea. when i use my technique, i do not place the hook on the ceramic ring. i use the stripper guide's legs or braces. eric fresno, ca.
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are these blanks similar to the color of the old forecast "blue" which had a definate shade of green or teal in them? if you're trying to match it, i wrapped my first blank, an older forecast, with gudebrod Blue Dun. it seems an almost perfect match. eric fresno, ca.
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tom, no WONDER you're capable of pulling off all of the projects you do. the magazine, the web site, constant feedback and advice on these discussions (not to mention endless, repetitive newbie question delivered with friendly aplomb and patience) as well as the charlotte rod show and i ASSUME a private life! it's clear to me, everything is suddenly very obvious! why didn't i realize this beforeh
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i understand looking for understated but wouldn't grey trim wraps look a bit dingy? of course my dingy is probably someone else's fantastic. i just finished two rods trimmed with white nylon NCP thread (pac bay) and it looks nice. the pure-ish white is a nice slight, tightly packed 4 wrap accent to the green thread on green blank i was dealing with. they were single foot guides so additionally, t
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i don't include hook keepers (so far) but then i've only built 5 stream fly rods. instead, when fishing, i bring the line back around the reel foot and hook onto the stripper guide or a little farther up. that way it's very easy after boulder hopping to a new area to simply unhook and start casting anew. i've always wondered though... do the ring type or fold down type move at all during casti
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haven't you always wanted your own customized logo???? at least now, you won't have to contemplate exactly where to place it ;-) eric fresno, ca.
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which blanks come in pearl blue???? eric fresno, ca.
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i just got one about 2 days ago. eric fresno, ca.
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i rest the tip section coming from the left, with the tip directly above, unsupported, above the two thread holders, which are mounted on the base below. on a four piece, i combine the tip section and the second section to add weight and tension from the left. using my left hand, i both hold/turn the section, pulling up just a little to keep extra tension and keep a finger from the left hand o
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i just finished a rod which had some anomolies too while using flex coat lite. they look like very shallow craters, kind of wide and somewhat irregularly shaped. weird, first time i've had this happen in 5 or 6 rods. some variables that changed: 1) i have always put on two coats. this was the first time i put on THREE and after the second coat dried, it looked fine so this anomoly happened
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come ON ken, can't you be more specific????? sheesh! ;-) thanks again. eric fresno, ca.
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thanks ken and mark! actually, ken, i do not have that rod. i just like the design of the wrap, with the black and white coloration. would it be sacreligious in a classic fly rod sort of way to use something similar on a graphite rod? eric fresno, ca.
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tom, you're email address is hidden through rodbuilding.org, and something i sent to you privately in reply to your own email was bounced back as undeliverable for some reason. fatal flaws... eric fresno, ca.
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yeah, i don't see a real problem here, but then i'm new and still learning. seems to be a step up from long-used masking tape and somewhat creative in a good way. if epoxy or something like rod bond was used, THAT is what really adheres the seat to the blank. with any bushing, whether tape, mesh tape, solid/lightweight arbor, the main idea is to hold the seat centered until the adhesive is set, i
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i'm perusing the internet and came across the granger fly rod site by gary lacey once again and upon closer look, i really like the black and white pattern made by the thread wraps on The Favorite fly rod. anybody know how this is done? i see gudebrod offers a "trimar silvertone thread" and some of the options include black and silver, plus gudebrod offers black/white in what they c
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i use dishwashing soap (palmolive or dawn, etc. apple scent ;-) with a kitchen dish sponge, the type with the scrubber on one side. i use the scrubber side for cleaning. eric fresno, ca.
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my TFO professional has nice wrap coatings. the cork isn't great and now that i'm assembing fly rods, i can do better and will. but it's a good rod for value if you're forced to look for a manufactured rod at that price point with a warranty, assembled in korea i think to american company's specs. since you're here though, at one of the best web sites for building rods of all types with a PLET
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ed, you're cracking me up! bruce, i've used a metallic pen before, a sanford "slim tip" metallic marker, available in gold and/or silver. if that's slim, "i'm" slim.. ;-) i wrote on an uncoated blank (but glossy from the manufacturer) and used a hair dryer to dry it, although it felt dry to the touch within a minute (tried it first on a spare piece of blank). after dry,
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