Eric, personally I don't thin my 2 part wrap finish. Here is a tip that I picked up from this forum that will give you more time with your finish. After mixing the finish in a plastic measuring cup I pour it out onto a piece of foil that is covering a small dish or plastic lid. Use something that is about 4 to 5 inches in diameter and shallow. The mixed finish will spread out on the foil and give
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I have a couple of the CTS Fly rod blanks. I would rate them as some of the best out there and cheaper than buying a high end Sage or Winston, but just as sweet in the hand. I don't think you would be unhappy with one.
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Mike, I use both of the methods that Kyle and Roger use. I like to start with the 3/8 file like Roger uses and finish up with a hand reamer. The trick is to take your time.
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Tom and Kyle, very well said!
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Greg, I have found my favorite brand of finish to be Threadmaster Lite. I have also used the Flex Coat Light with great results too, but the pot life of the Flex Coat is not as long as the Threadmaster, but the Threadmaster takes a longer time to cure. Threadmaster Lite also seems to have less bubble problems and any that appear after I have applied to the wraps are easily removed with by blowing
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I've built on all of the blanks that are mentioned above. My first choice is CTS, somewhat on the expensive side but still cheaper than buying a Sage or Winston blank and I think a CTS blank is better. Very close second is a Dan Craft Sig V series of blanks. I really like the way they feel in the hand, they cast well at all distances and seem pretty true to their weight ratings. For instance a 6w
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Anglers Workshop, REC Components, J. Stockard.
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Brandon, here are a few tips that I have learned about reducing bubbles or fully eliminate them. First, when mixing, go somewhat slowly with the mixing stick. I usually mix for about 3 min with 3 cc of each part. Second I pour the epoxy onto a small 4 inch plate covered with foil. The epoxy will level out and some bubbles will come out there when they rise to the surface. Third when putting on th
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I've built a bunch of the Fly Rod blanks on the older TRF and IGF which were plum colored blanks (IGF's were also available in Dark Green) and I think they were made by Talon. They are great blanks to build on. Versitex still has a pretty good stock of them, best to call them though, the web site may not be totally accurate on current stock. I have also built some fly rods on the newer Tradition
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Ken, correction on the Dan Craft, its a Sig V not III.
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Ken, I have a 9'-6" Dan Craft Sig III in 6wt, 4 piece. Love the rod and I use it for float tube fishing and larger rivers as nymph rod. Nice medium fast taper and it handles 6wt lines perfectly. No need to over line this rod, I would call it a "light" 6wt. They are a bit on the expensive side though, but worth every penny. If you are looking for a less expensive blank try calling V
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Thanks Guys, I was kinda thinking a few of you would advise me to use a Salmon/Steelhead blank. I may go both routes and build one of each, since I have a few 6wt blanks lying around and pick up a Steelhead blank thru the winter.
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Hello, I was thinking of building myself a rod made up for one special purpose, tolling a Lake Clear Wobbler with a nymph behind it. This type of rod would be used for trout and LL salmon up to 20 inches. I was thinking of taking a fast action 6wt blank fly blank of 8'-6" in length and setting up the grip section and guides like a spin rod but using a casting reel with 8lb mono. The only rea
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Gary, Glad to see you back in the blank business. I just ordered one of your fly rod blanks, a TF 803 IM and cannot wait to get it built and on the water. Any plans to expand the options in your fly rod blanks. In my area there is a decent following of the 8'-6" length in 4 and 5wts and the shorter 7'-6" in 3 and 4wts.
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I would call St Croix too. I had one of their rods in for a broken guide, the rod was a model that they don't make currently and I called them, they gave me all the necessary info to replace the guide and the correct color of the thread. They run a first class operation in my opinion and they were more than willing to help out.
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Heath, check out this link, when it opens scroll down a bit and you'll find the model number of the rod that you have.
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John, Lefty Kreh has a couple of good books that are beginner related for the salt.
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Personally I like the Gudebrod and Pac Bay Rodsmith regular nylon for wraps. I only build fly rods so I use size A only. I prefer regular nylon over the NCP also. I just think it looks better, even without CP. To me NCP looks dull and lacks the luster that you will get once it is covered with the wrap finish. My advice is to get several different brands of the thread colors you want to use, get a
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I tried it on my very first rod, used it to bond the reel seat to the blank. It loosened up after a couple of months of fishing the rod. I would not recommend using it at all on rod building. I now use 2 part epoxy and the gel 2 part type glues (like rod bond). I fish the crap out of my rods and I have not had a failure on any glued up parts using those products. Like Tom said, the Gorilla Glue n
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Steve, I had a similar situation take place. One of my cats got too close to a rod in the dryer, she left a few hairs in the finish, fortunately I noticed it before it had set up. I pulled the hair out of the finish and got my heat gun out. Using some mild heat I went over the bad spot and the heat softened the finish up enough to allow it to flow evenly and remove the blemish. You would never kn
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I deal with about a half a dozen of the sponsors for wholesale pricing and I have no complaints at all about service, pricing and customer service. All are top notch and you cannot go wrong with sending your business to any of them.
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I'll second the cuticle cutters, just get your hands on a real good pair, I have a pair of the Revlon ones, maybe 18 bucks if I remember right. Money well spent.
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David, The Sage blank is a great choice, I personally like the TiC double foot guides as runners and a TiC frame with SiC insert for the stripper guide on saltwater fly rods. I have never used a grip that long on a rod that is no longer than 9 ft. Most saltwater fly rods use a full wells grip that is around 7 to 7 3/8" long. I'm not saying that you cannot use a longer grip, I have just neve
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Will, I use regular epoxy to glue up the reel seat components, tip top, and winding check. To glue the cork and reel seat to the blank I use a product called Rod Bond. For thread finish, my vote goes to Thread Master Lite. I have also used Flex Coat Lite with decent results, but I still prefer the Thread Master Lite. I also use the regular build Thread Master for repair work. From all that I have
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A little heat from a heat gun or hair dryer will help along with a plastic scraper. If you get yourself a heat gun, get one that has an adjustable heat setting. Usually a little heat goes a long way.
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I hate to knock UPS but they don't get my vote on shipping anything. Compared to the USPS they are very expensive unless you have a commercial account and just last week I bought a 2 piece Winston blank form a guy in Idaho, made it all the way to New York, within 20 miles of my house and then just up and disappeared! I did get a refund but the poor Gent that sold it to me is now going thru the wo
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Hello, a while back someone posted a neat way to touch up a nick in a blank finish. I think this person used some sort of touch up pen that is meant for car finish touch up. Would appreciate it if someone could tell me what it was. I think they also said it could be bought in just about any drug or box store. Thanks.
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Yes, I have done the same thing with thread master finish. First, make you cut into the finish on the top of the guide foot, so you don't nick the blank finish. Use your fingernail to open up the nick and just unwind the thread and the the finish will go with it. Any left over finish can be scraped off using your fingernail and some mild heat from a heat gun, a little heat goes a long way and wil
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I've built several fly rods on the RX-7 in 5 wt. It is a good choice and does make a for a nice casting rod. However my vote would go to the CTS Affinity One blank. They are a bit on the expensive side, but you cannot find a better casting rod. My second choice and a bit less expensive is the Dan Craft Sig V, they are a real close second to the CTS blanks. Fishsticks carries the CTS and Dan Craft
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John, I use these lines quite a bit for lake and pond fishing. I'm using #3 single foot TiC guides on my 5 and 6wt rods that I have set up for float tube fishing. Same as in one of the other posts, they are very quick and easy to change the tip sections. I do have one complaint on these lines. The factory loop to loop connections are a bit on the stiff side compared to the suppleness of the lines
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