Herb- I just built a Batson/Rainshadow SW967F 8' that would be perfect for your use. It's a 2-piece graphite/fiberglass composite that will take a little abuse including travel. If you're interested, send me an e-mail and I'll send you back my build recipe (anyone else for that matter). Pete Kornegay Camden, NC
Forum: rodboard

I agree with Stan. Once, long ago, I accompanied my wife to a department store that was having a tremendously advertised sale on ladies unmentionables. That vision of all of those ladies fussing and feuding and grabbing has forever been etched in my brain and in some respects is similar to the sight rodbuilders rushing to Andy's trash cans; although a bit less chaotic. I can't wait. Pete Ko
Forum: rodboard

Many great ideas here. Bill- yes, I am overdue a visit to Jesse and this will give me another good reason to go and see him. Did I mention that the folks on this board are a tremendous resource to the novice rod builder?? Thanks very much! Pete Kornegay Camden, NC
Forum: rodboard

There have been a good number of repair questions posted in the past few days and the answers mostly boil down to following Ralph O'Quinn's sage advice as found in the library section. My problem is that I haven't been in this hobby long enough to acquire much of a collection of scrap materials so the prospect of hacking up an old, yet fishing-worthy fiberglass rod, just to supply myself with fi
Forum: rodboard

Scott- I just finished a light surf rod using a Batson/Rainshadow 8', SW967F. This year Batson introduced this blank in a two piece model (the "F" designation). If you need a little extra range, you may want to step up to a 9' model. I test casted the SW967F a couple of dozen times with 2 and 3 oz. sinkers and it is great. It will be used for exactly what you said, small blues, fl
Forum: rodboard

I need some advice on a broken rod. See photos- Fred's Broken Rod 1 & 3. This is a Rainshadow SWS70L I built for a friend. After a fishing trip at the beach, Fred pulled his boat into a car wash (the type of car wash in which you use a spray wand). He washed down his boat, rods, equipment, etc. to remove salt & sand. Upon arrival at his home, he discovered the rod broken off about 1/
Forum: rodboard

But there's still the color shifting powder (added to lite coat epoxy and applied to the entire length of the blank) that Ken Preston demonstrated at the Rod Builders show in 2005. Spectra FX made by Alsa- it shifts from blue to emerald in full sunlight and is very impressive. Pete Kornegay
Forum: rodboard

Hi Rich- I've been a fisheries biologist for nearly 30 years and have a considerable amount of experience working with fish scales- we use them to estimate the age of fish. First of all- there's a lot of "stuff" on fish scales that you'll want to thoroughly clean off. There's epidermous and pigment cells that will need to come off because all of that gunk would be a perfect medium i
Forum: rodboard

Seems as though certain topics here run in cycles. For a few days, the discussions will center around favorite epoxies or tip-top adhesives and then for another next few days, heated debates will focus on the dreaded color preservers. Discussions in recent days have popped up on the troubles with getting epoxy down into the tunnels: the pesky empty spaces formed between the thread wraps, the
Forum: rodboard

Please tell me I can throw away the rat tail files forever. Pete Kornegay
Forum: rodboard

Alan- in reference to your subject line, and with all due respect, we do have ladies who build rods and visit this site !!
Forum: rodboard

As usual, you guys are a wealth of information- Thanks! Pete Kornegay Camden, NC
Forum: rodboard

This afternoon, my son gallantly fought and danged near landed a submerged stump. At the conclusion of the epic battle, I noticed that the tip guide on his rod (that I built) was terribly askew. I've always used Brand X tip top adhesive sticks with no problems whatsoever. Upon arriving back home, my investigation revealed that at the time of construction, I had incompletely filled the tip gu
Forum: rodboard

Mudhole has good bluegill decals. PK
Forum: rodboard

Penn 9 for saltwater, Mitchell 300 and 308 for freshwater........to me, three of the most reliable reels ever built Pete Kornegay
Forum: rodboard

Bill- be sure to tell him that the entire rod building community is rooting for him and that I still personally look forward to spending a day with him in his shop. Pete Kornegay
Forum: rodboard

"They" may be able to build them cheaper than "us" but I really think that "we" may be influencing "them". I just went & grabbed my Cabelas Master Fishing catalog and quickly counted about 43 pages devoted to nothing but rods. Anybody notice the product descriptions in the catalogs these days...... the emphasis on the exact components used, and the ap
Forum: rodboard

Thanks to everyone for weighing in. Judging from the number of responses, this is a topic that would definitely benefit from some research and development by the major spinning reel & line manufacturers. I was also glad that no one said "Oh yeah....it must have been the way you placed your guides!!" A couple of things jump out at me here: #1- I think I'll first try to find
Forum: rodboard

Hunter- Just to chime in- doing what you are doing is a great way to learn a lot about how rods are made and how to get started if you haven't already, etc. I once put 28 hours of labor into rebuilding a surf rod for a friend.
Forum: rodboard

Seems as though I have constant problems with line twist on my spinning reels and I've done all the suggestions, such as periodically pulling the line behind the boat, etc. A while back, I built two, 8 foot spinning rods, equipped one with a Penn reel and one with a Shimano, and spooled each with Berkley Vanish line. When I first installed the line, I slowly towed the empty line behind my boa
Forum: rodboard

Thanks to all for the advice!! Bill- I had considered a Hummer in which to store and transport ALL of my extracurricular activity equipment. The wife found little humor in that idea. PK
Forum: rodboard

My population of thread spools has multiplied like rabbits. Anyone have a favorite thread spool storage box (and source) ?? Should I be concerned about plastic boxes being contaminated with silicone or is that a thing of the past? Thanks for any advice. Pete Kornegay Camden, NC
Forum: rodboard

I did a rod as a Christmas gift last year for a neighborhood kid who also happens to be a huge NC State University fan. I called the NCSU copyright office (yes, they have an office & staff dedicated to copyright issues), explained the situation and requested permission to have a NCSU logo decal made. Once they knew it was going to be a gift, the nice lady sent me an e-mail of permission whi
Forum: rodboard

Rumor has it that good ol' Ken Preston is working on an article for RodMaker dealing with blank coloring. If you haven't seen his samples at the Rod Builders Show, you've missed a treat. Most impressive is his technique using the Alsa Spectra FX color-shift paint additive. At Ken's advice, I bought a little jar of the stuff. If my wife finds out how much it cost, I'm referring her to Ken.
Forum: rodboard

Michael- you said "ya'll" ?? Next thing you know, we'll have you eatin' grits. Enjoyed meeting you guys and look forward to seeing you next year. Pete Kornegay Camden, NC
Forum: rodboard

Mailing address for Norfolk General is: Sentara Norfolk General Hospital 600 Gresham Drive Norfolk, VA 23507 I just met Jessy last Saturday night at the Rod Builders Social and in less than 3 minutes, I could tell that this was one special guy. I told Jessy that I was a relatively new rod builder and that I lived nearby and he immediately invited me up to his shop to watch him work and
Forum: rodboard

Ditto, Rick.....except for the wife part. Mine stayed at home and I will pay dearly for that. Outstanding show! Pete Kornegay Camden, NC
Forum: rodboard

Tom- I have several favorite parts. 1: Doing thread inlays- now that I've learned how, they make me look a lot more competent than I really am. 2: Checking my epoxy and NOT seeing a bubble. 3: Doing guide wraps- once I get one right to my satisfaction, I get a great sense of satisfaction. 4: Looking at my epoxy and NOT seeing Golden Retriever hair. 5: Presenting the completed rod to its int
Forum: rodboard

Ancient Chinese Proverb: "Never speak of how well outboard motor is running until one is back at dock. Same fate will befall one who speaks of good weather forecast." Seriously, I'm with you Tom. Optimistic. We've been in a see-saw pattern here in NC for the past several weeks. This weekend is supposed to be icy and next weekend looks much better, Pete K.
Forum: rodboard

Ken- let me guess...... Talk rod building, swill brewskis, tell fishing lies. PK
Forum: rodboard