bob.. YES, gazing into my crystal ball.. i see stained cork grips in my future! can't wait to try it out. burl cork, stained cork, rattan-wrapped cork, cork grip building, etc.. it's ALL there babybee, all in my future... ;-) actually, i have yet to receive your pics bob. but i did see the examples of stained grips on the photo section a month or so ago. looks very promising. eric
Forum: rodboard

on another web site, which i referenced earlier in this thread, someone pointed out a paragraph from golden witch's site which warns aginst using burl cork for an entire handle since it is prone to chipping at the ends, recommending i think to use burl as accent pieces more than anything else. any comments? :-) eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

andy... thanks for the reply. so burl cork is not like burl wood. sigh. ok, let's go from there ;-) i love your new cork by the way. your offering is probably the main reason i've escalated my thoughts about moving into the creation of grips, away from preformed. but i'm just not ready yet. if you offer preformed sometime soon, that would be great. a few points for clarification: yo
Forum: rodboard

i'm interested in using burl cork for a fly grip. the interest was piqued by seeing pac bay's new bamboo burl cork grips. unfortunately, they do not offer one in cigar so i might have to begin assembling a lathe setup sometime, sooner than i had anticipated. on another web site, the subject of burl cork came up. not knowing much about it, i was wondering if the well-informed here could fill me
Forum: rodboard

mick, thanks, i'll try freehanding next time. i didn't notice any problem with my first "test build" rod which used single foot guides, but fly rod number 2.. i noticed a bit of a problem, also using single foot guides. i was working past midnight and suffering from sleep depreivation that week so that might have contributed to it. eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

mick do you, and others, continue to use the rod dryer, having the blank turned as you coat that inside section? or does freehanding it work just as well? just wondering. eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

now i'm new too, but might i suggest something? whichever finish you decide to use, i'd say continue using it for a few rods until you become familiar with its results and characteristics. eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

i did this just last night. i used an old buck knife clone, sharp point, and picked most of it out. a sharp pin, the sewing kind with a little ball on top of the head was used to pick out the rod bond from the end where the fine threads narrowed. denatured alcohol was swabbed on before and after too. the reel seat was nickel silver. good luck. eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

i took off some flex coat over a blank's inscribed line weight (4 weight? NAH, 5 weight! sheesh) with denatured alcohol just last week or so. the flex coat hadn't dried for more tha 24 hours and it worked fine. my objective was to "erase" the sanford Silver Coat silver ink and that came off too. there was one small area of the blank's original finish which became a bit dulled, but th
Forum: rodboard

marc check the FAQ near the top of the first rodbuilding.org page. it'll explain what you can do. if any further questions, post again. eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

i used gudebrod white nylon thread (not NCP) on the old forecast blue color for my first "test" rod build. being my first, i didn't lay the flex coat down as evenly as i could have i imagine. in the end, the white nylon looked kind of like masking tape. i don't like it. then i realized people got the transparent look more by using silk than nylon thread. that rod is my closet rod mor
Forum: rodboard

denatured alcohol and something to wipe the spills or wayward adhesive rod bond. eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

batson's forecast offerings are imported so i'm not sure it would be accurate to say they make the forecast lineup. any details would be interesting... i have one tiger-eye, a nine foot 4/5 or 5/6, i forget. looks nice, looking forward to building it up one of these days although i noticed the butt section is bigger than most for that size fly rod. NONE of the reel seats i've stockpiled fits
Forum: rodboard

can't wait for the US west coast version... 2006, right? :-) eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

what is the action/feel of the Sig V and how does it compare to the Sig III? can anybody clue me in? i've used a temple fork professional 9 foot, 5 weight, four piece the most listed as a mdeium/fast. perhaps someone can use that for comparison. waitasecond. i'm being lazy. i'll bet the CCS database has those figures. still maybe someone can offer their take on the "feel" in actual use.
Forum: rodboard

amen bruddah cliff! maybe this could be added to the rodbuilding FAQ? somehow differentiating between adhesives used for assembling of components and the finish??? this would only help those beginners who find this web site and read the FAQ thoroughly though. eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

no sense of smell mick? boy, after running around all day today, i bet most people around me wished they didn't have a sense of smell!! ;-) ok, i now see where a quick drying epoxy can be used to hasten production. in my case, i usually don't work on a rod until evening time and once i set something up, i WELCOME the chance to put the project aside and hit the sack for some sleep, which us
Forum: rodboard

EMORY, the problems i referenced are not mine, but what i recall reading about on this board. seems i recall many people post how they have had problems with fast drying epoxy setting too fast and things have shifted out of place. it seems the more experienced suggest never to use fast-setting epoxy, that rod bond is designed for building rods with qualities like flexibility and a long cure time
Forum: rodboard

isn't using a glue stick or tip top adhesive (flex coat?) coupled with some accent thread and thread epoxy enough? i just hear so many problems using fast setting epoxy in assembling components that i'm considering a personal campaign advocating the elimination of fast setting epoxy for assembly of rods except maybe for in-the-field repair. ;-) eric (still learning) fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

"What's really amazing is that the FCC (or some other enforcement agency) doesn't shut this junk and the perpetrators down. " i think what's REALLY amazing is some people fall for it. eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

what is 5 minute epoxy ever used for except maybe emergency repair in the field? just wondering.... (i'm new at rodbuilding and only use flex coat epoxy for thread wraps, never an epoxy for glueing together parts) eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

the cost shouldn't be too prohibitive. erik offers a good list but you could save more by using foil for mixing your epoxy (i use flex coat high build in a kit which came with syringes... $9-$12?). i'm on rod #3 and have never needed a thread bobbin. don't worry about a burnishing tool. i use my fingernail. if you need a "tool", use the end of a plastic utensil! ;-) i don't use color p
Forum: rodboard

not build another rod???? riiiiiight ;-) it's a disease, a DISEASE i tell ya! eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

i applaud tom too, as many do, for offering this site. i also feel a bit like a moocher but am thankful this site exists. i hope that the recent slight increase in rodmaker magazine as well as the sponsor rates provide a little extra for tom and his family for all the work he does. i imagine it can be a huge sacrifice in ways. also, everyone who posts here, freely offering help and comraderi
Forum: rodboard

well, ok, now that i know how to prevent this swamping of epoxy, let's say, HYPOTHETICALLY of course ;-) what IF the epoxy runs up over the guide at the apex nearest the blank and hardens... creating a small bridge, very small bridge mind you, and smoooooth, besides not being something a custom rod builder would strive for and not really too noticeable, is it detrimental in any way? hypothetic
Forum: rodboard

clear epoxy with a nice metallic underwrap similar to what emory suggested might look pretty cool. silver for a rod with nickel silver hardware? copper metallic thread for a rod with a warm toned wood insert? hmmmm. dang. i wish i had a workshop here and multitudes of rod components and blanks for tinkering... eric fresno, ca.
Forum: rodboard

howdy everyone. i need some help. i used a gold metallic ink pen (made by standford i think, two pen pack, gold and silver which i bought from target) to inscribe on a blank. i then "block-coated" just over the inscription, not all around the blank. wrong name on inscription!!!! it was for my OTHER girlfriend!!!! i'm in deep doodoo. just kidding. i marked the weight of th
Forum: rodboard

uhhhhh, what's on the cover? what issue number is the latest? i just found a rodmaker on my kitchen table today amid the clutter which often builds when i'm not looking. if this is the new one, it must have arrived last week????!!!!! volume 7, issue 4. thread art glossary is the first headlined article on the cover. well if it's NOT the latest, that means i've got another coming soon!!! ;-)
Forum: rodboard