Bob, you might want to give Versitex a call, they may still have that blank in stock.
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CTS Affinity X blank is available in 5 or 6 piece for the 9wt. It isn't going to be cheap, but will easily compete with anything out there.
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Pretty cool, ever see the bamboo inserts on a Kabuto Glass rod?
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A okay to do and it will look pretty sharp too.
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I use two items, Double Cut circular files, the same as Roger, you can find these files with Hex end on them, just like a driver attachment. They work great when you run the drill in reverse. Also use the Batson Dream Reamer kit to final fit if the diameter of the files I have does not get me all the way there.
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Jesse, it is totally subjective, try a couple of test wraps on a scrap piece of blank, coat one with epoxy and the other with spar varnish. Go with the one that suits "your" taste. The Spar Varnish will probably give you more of a "retro" look than the epoxy. As far as locating the placement of guides, you can use the other rod as a start point but don't stamp that in ston
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Great item, use it all the time.
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Bob, send me a private message. I have a couple of the Diamondback Classic Western Blanks and some parts for them. 5/6wts.
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Take a look at the Pac Bay Quickline, real nice blanks for the price. Mud Hole MHX is also available in the 10' 4wt.
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Depends on how deep the scuffs and scratches are. You can try a couple of things. First, try a paste car wax, like Mothers or Turtle Wax, both have some minor solvents that may soften the finish and allow you to buff them out as long as they are not too deep. Second if that does not work, wipe it down with Iso Alcohol, to remove any wax residue, then wet sand with very fine sand paper, so
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Titebond III is plenty strong enough, I use it all the time on Cork rings and the Burl Cork rings without any trouble. One recommendation I would make is if you try putting any rubberized cork rings into the grip along with Cork, use Rod Bond or Ultimate Epoxy to glue those two pieces together.
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Okay, two totally different lines for single hand and double hand casting. You can get away with one, but you are going to be selling yourself short. Trying to use one line for both, you are just not going to get the full potential of that blank when switching casting styles. First, single hand, your rod is "rated" (and I use that term lightly) for a 7wt. To single hand cast, as in
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I'll agree with Ken, silk is pretty strong and I'm sure you'll be using double foot guides, so you will have 2 points of contact for each guide on the blank. If your looking for that "clear" look, white silk is really the only one that will totally give you that. Get a spool of silk and test the break strength with your hands and compare it with size A regular nylon. Years back when o
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I would shy away from masking tape, even if you really use a lot of epoxy to make it totally waterproof, you really can never tell if it is, you can't see thru the reel seat. I also use thread for small gaps and if it is a large gap I will use a graphite or poly arbor. I'll give you a couple of examples. If I have a 5wt fly rod blank with a butt diameter of .365 and my wood insert with the hard
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Col's comment is spot on, pay close attention to his first and last sentence. I think Tom K once said on here that there are no bad finishes, just bad finishers. I tried several before settling with Threadmaster Lite. If you do some research on here for past threads on applying 2 part wrap finishes you will find some info on how to apply them so your finish will set up perfectly. The key thing th
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I would let the finish cure, use either 320 or 400 grit. Any really fine sandpaper or the disposable nail files will work. As you probably know the object is to tread lightly so you don't get into what is under the finish. Couple of years ago one of my cats walked along the rod dryer, got some hair into a couple of the tacky wraps. It wasn't all of them so I just pulled out the hair, let the fi
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John, no I don't use Recoil guides. There is not much if any difference from manufacturer to manufacturer with regards to the sizing of there guides, as long as the guide style is the same. I will agree with Marc, snakes do handle ice much better, I just prefer single foots and that means a little more attention in conditions that they will ice up.
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John, I would go with #5 as the running guides, either snakes or single foots. Large Loop tip top. #16 double foot stripper, followed by a 12 of the same style, then #5 all the way out. I have this set up on my 10ft 7wt and it works just fine, its used in the same situation as you are going to do. Mine has single foot running guides, never had a problem with knocking one loose due to ice and a li
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Never had a problem with them, great people to do business with,as with any of the board sponsors.
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I would also use the guide chart that St Croix publishes with one exception, I would follow their measurements and tape the guides on the blank. Then run a fly line thru the guides and put some tension on the line causing the blank to bend, take a look at the line path, should follow the blank arc, if not you can move a guide up or down to get a better path if needed. Its called Static Testing an
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I'm with Herb on the CTS recommendation, superb blanks. The Affinity X is a fast taper and a powerhouse of a blank, but a pleasure to cast big flies with. If price is a concern, look to the Quickline blanks or maybe a MHX.
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I spent just over 10 years working with machines that cut, turned and bent metals, saw a bunch of injuries that all could have been prevented. Mike B is also living proof of someone on here that sustained a serious enough injury from using threaded rod in a Lathe. You might be alright turning cork and EVA on a piece of threaded rod, wood total different animal to turn. Guess you need to ask yours
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10 to 12 hours in 70 degree plus temps, you should be fine, and I'll second what Phil stated above.
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Greg, if price is not an option, then I would agree, my personal favorite in rod blanks are CTS. They will compare with any high blank out there. I also would recommend you look into the Pacific Bay Quick Line. Little less expensive than the CTS stuff, but real close on performance. I have built several 7wt and 8wt rods on them and my customers have really liked them. I'll also agree with you
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I built one RX6 8wt back several years ago when they offered them in 3 piece, and they were on close out. The Gloss Blue color was exactly the same as they are now. I found it to be a bit soft for my taste in what I would want for an 8wt. Was a decent stick to use out of a float tube for bass fishing, just didn't like it in the salt where I would want a faster tapered rod to deal with the wind. S
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Personally, I like single foots and I use the Batson single foots pretty regularly. Snakes will be fine to, just one more wrap for each guide. I usually use a #12 double foot stripper, followed by a #10 of the same style as the stripper, then #3's the rest of the way out on a 9ft 5wt. #2's would also work, just a bit small for my taste. Thread, I have done several RX6 blanks and a couple of o
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Maryann, the only rods I build are standard fly, switch and spey. Laying out the guides for spacing and sizing is very easy. My method is just like Rogers and Bills. First figure out the ring size that you will want to use. Figure out the ring size you need for your stripper guide. 7wt, 11.5 ft, maybe go with a 12 or 16, either will work. If your worried about icing occurring then choose the 16.
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I have not seen a 7 piece fly rod blank in a while, Cabela's comes to mind, I know they have 6 piece along with Dan Craft.
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I deal with my tag ends exactly the same as Jack, never had an issue.
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Dave, I had a very similar situation happen. The only thing that was different is that I did not have color preserver on my thread. Same thing happened, thread over a couple of guide feet did turn very dark compared to the rest of the guides, it looked like the thread was "stained" on 2 of the guides right over the feet while the rest of the guide wraps looked fine. My thread was Gudebr
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