Roy, I assume you already have; but if you haven't be sure to CHUCK that spool of thread into the garbage!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Take care Roger Also, Be sure to check any other theread that you use on a rod FIRST - under a magnifying glass, bright light\t, and tension -- BEFORE you use that spool on a rod. Better to throw a bad spool away into the GARBAGE - before you get any of this bad
Forum: rodboard

Eric, You are right. My mistake. Mix in a cup, then pour out to extend the setup time due to less internal heating. If it works, go for it. I do agree, especially if you have a large batch of finish mixed, by spreading it out in a thin layer, you really cut down on the internal heating and thus retard the setup time. Take care Roger
Forum: rodboard

Robert, I respect your postion, but after reading the information from the Montana Fish and Game, it seems that snagging makes sense in this case. Paddlefish do not take any type of bait or hook due to their feeding preferences as well as skeletal structure. Paddlefish were introduced into these western rivers and they have flourished very well in these waters. The fishery is tightly cont
Forum: rodboard

I happened to catch a session of "Redneck Wedding" tonight and the groom was casting a big heavy long surf rod for Paddlefish in the Yellowstone river in Mt. I did a bit of checking for this style fishing and it appears that the common rod that is used for this style fishing is a 12-15 heavy action surf rod with large 80 treble hooks and 50 lb line. I am curious of any builders on
Forum: rodboard

Nice folks to deal with: Take care Roger
Forum: rodboard

Jan, When I first started building rods, I had the same problem. The proportions were right, the temp was right, but the finish ended up tacky. After talking to a few other folks who didn't have the problem, I was told the solution. TIME i.e. mixing time. I mix the finish in a 2oz plastic cup with a square ended wooden stick. The key thing is time. i.e. I now mix - looking a
Forum: rodboard

I really 2nd Bills comments on simply purchasing a good lathe, with accessories and don't look back. Unless you really have the desire to build a lathe, you will often be money and many times time ahead by simply going out and getting a nice commercial lathe with its accessories. So often, when doing a home built lathe - unless you have access to other machining equipment, you end up with
Forum: rodboard

p.s. A very simple walking stick handle that I have seen used on many is a very inexpensive hardward store rubber tool handle, that is used on rakes, shovels, bicycles, or lawn mowers. Take care Roger
Forum: rodboard

Bob, I think that if I were making a walking stick, I would likey use a wrapped cord handle. Wrapped cord handles are extremely tough, are very weather resistant, very long wearing, and are adaptable to any size handle very easily. Here is a link that gives some information on the construction of cord handles: Take care Roger
Forum: rodboard

Bill, One thing to look for when comparing different blanks is to take a dozen different rods from different manufacturers all claiming to have the same length, action and power. Then, use a caliper to measure the blank thickness at the butt. Then, use a well calibrated scale to measure the weight of the blank. If you truely do have identical blanks with respect to length, action and
Forum: rodboard

Gavin, I am with the train of thought that I normally don't fill holes in cork. However, if I do fill the holes, I use a filler that is made of cork dust and an adhesive that sands at about the same rate as cork. I generally don't like to use epoxy, because it typically sands much harder than cork. The result is that unless you are awfully careful about sanding these filled spots, you can
Forum: rodboard

Sir: Here is an example of a nice 36 inch industrial lathe with no motor that would work very well with your motor: This is just one of many examples that you can find by searching the internet and looking for used equipment. @#$%& sites, Craigs list, used machinery in local papers, surplus stores, etc. Take care Roger
Forum: rodboard

Robert, If your motor has no threads on it, but is simply a simple keyed or unkeyed shaft, you are probably better to use this motor with a pulley and belt system to drive a chuck system. On the other hand, if your motor is threaded on one or both ends of the motor, then you can obtain various types of chucks to screw directly onto the end of the motor. The key thing about a "good&
Forum: rodboard

I will 2nd Jim's comments. Great articles this time around. Keep up the super work. Roger
Forum: rodboard

Jason, I had looked for a similar blank as you are looking for - for a long time. I finally came across a rod that fits the bill perfectly. This is the "tight line" rod that is avaiable from Bass Pro - for about $45 for a finished rod. The thing about this blank is that it was designed to be used when "spider fishing with many rods for crappies. This technique uses up t
Forum: rodboard

Patrick, With respect to the first guide, I think it depends quite a bit on how the rod is going to be used. If you are going to be using light line with light lures, I think that you can go with a bit smaller initial guide. However, as one goes up in line test and or lure weight, then it makes sense to think about going with a large initial guide. I have several customers who like to see
Forum: rodboard

I 2nd Russ's comments 100%. I mix up the finish. I really don't care if there are bubbles in the finish in the mix or not. I put the rod on my variable speed wrapper - up to 300 rpm and start applying finish. Typically I will apply the finish at about 50 rpm. The nice thing about using this method is that it is easy to stop the rod at any point to apply extra finish at any point on th
Forum: rodboard

Ken, Forget about trying to take the cork and reel seat off the blank. If you want to use the handle section of a rod - use the handle section of the rod with your new blank. Use a joiner piece to connect the handle section to the new blank. If you use a joiner section of 4-10 inches, it will work very well. The only issue, is that if the original blank is of a fairly small size, yo
Forum: rodboard

John, This chuck may or may not give your problems, even though you have every t hing perfectly adjusted. For a drying chuck, you might consider one of the flex coat style chucks. Essentially these are a 2 inch pvc cap, with a piece of neoprene stretched over the end. The neoprene may be held in place with a clamp, or a slightly larger pice of pvc pipe. Then, on the neoprene piece, the
Forum: rodboard

Its cheaper for a couple of light bulbs, but it is sure nice and cozy to come down to a 80 degree room in the middle of winter. If you have a separate room for your rod building, and if you do NO dust intensive things in it - like handle work or turning, dust is normally not an issue. If so, you can just use a space heater in the room for the times that you are drying rods and it will work ou
Forum: rodboard

Tony, I have had both the delta and the harbor freight sander. I wore out the delta. Actually , I had a fairly earily failure on bearings, and the main drive pulleys also failed fairly quickly. I have since had the harbor freight for several years with no problem. I do agree that the obvious quality of the delta, but the harbor freight has held in just fine. Another option is the u
Forum: rodboard

J ason, It depends. I balance some of my rods, but others I don't. If you have a rod that spends its life in a rod holder, I don't think that there is any point in balancing a rod. Rods that spend their lives in a fisherpersons hand, need to have better balance. The one thing to consider is the use of rod butt length to counter act the tip weight. If you have an exceptionally heavy rod,
Forum: rodboard

I am looking for some solid graphite ice rod blanks. I need them a bit longer than normal. I need them to be 34 inches. I am looking for some that are medium - fast action. I am also looking for some medium light dead stick rods. I really want a continuous blank and don't want to have to worry about extending it. The perfect blank would be 36 inches, and I could trim it to what ev
Forum: rodboard

Rogue makes some wonderful blanks and rods: On this site; you can also download their blank catalog. Take care Roger
Forum: rodboard

Don, Normally your local Ace Hardware store will carry a good supply of various springs. I agree that normally Home Depot and Lowes are normally not a good souce for springs. Go to an old time hardware store and you will find what you need. If you have any industrial surplus stores in your area, you can normally find springs in such a store as well. Roger
Forum: rodboard

Bob, I have heard this problem so much with TOO much finish curing and causing waves. If folks would use a bit of heat, you would eliminate the problem. After getting the finish on all of the guides and butt wrap, just go over the rod with a heat gun or hair dryer to insure that the epoxy has spread nicely, penetrated the threads well, and there is no excess. I generally apply my finish a
Forum: rodboard

Tony, I had built many rods and had never had the "spike problem. Then, I was building a new rod using blue thread. I had picked up a new spool of thread and had finished the wrapping. I didn't notice any spiking until I put on the finish. Then, it was as though the thread had exploded. I was able to salvage the rod, by using a razor blade to scrape off the "spikes". Then,
Forum: rodboard

Jan, In spite of your likes, if you primarily use the rods in rod holders, the best bet is to forget the Cork and continue with the EVA. EVA is tough, easy to work with, easy to machine, and easy to replace if needed. You can certainly cover the cork if you decide to use cork, but then why use cork? You can use a plastic tube, a slick butt, or any other combination. But I still beg the
Forum: rodboard

Buzz, Suprisingly enough, some of the ultra light blanks that are unsanded from Mudhole fill just such a purpose. You sometimes have to sort through a couple to find the right one, but you can get them for less than $10. Take care Roger
Forum: rodboard

Scott, It is not a bad idea to keep a bottle of Gorilla glue around for general purpose gluing that is NOT related to rod building. Gorilla is a great glue for lots of different types of wood working chores, especially in framing applications and possible sheeting applications. Great tack, great holding and final bond strength. However, as the other posts suggest, Gorilla glue expands, ex
Forum: rodboard