Forum: rodboard

Forum: rodboard

A snapshot from a trip last year after I redesigned and rebuilt my casting deck. When fishing from a 14' boat, organization is paramount. The rods in the image are my set of finesse casting rods including a ISJ781, a IMB783, a CB66M, a RX8 S822.5, and a RX8 S823.
Forum: rodboard

My first tiger wrap
Forum: rodboard

Forum: rodboard

Forum: rodboard

My first ribbon wrap after CP.
Forum: rodboard

The components used to assemble the front part of my split grip. The handle is a 3.5" tapered woven foregrip.
Forum: rodboard

A close up of the components used to make a rear grip from the Batson 2.5" tapered woven graphite foregrip.
Forum: rodboard

This is my plumb bob for aligning tip tops on spiral wrapped rods. Just feed the loop through the tip top and drop the weight through. Just make sure that you level the reel seat. The weight is 1/16 oz bullet weight.
Forum: rodboard

This is the handle for my first build. It is built with the Batson tapered foregrip pieces and butt cap with a Batson exposed blank seat. First stupid mistake, didn't put enough rod bond to provide enough lubrication for front bushing on the rear grip, so the eva split a little near the center. I used an o ring as a winding check to hide the mistake, thus having to put one on the other end.
Forum: rodboard

This is my first attempt at a homemade wrapping jig. It is constructed from 1 8' 1"x8", 2 1/4-20 bolts, 3 10-32 bolts, 3 springs, a few washers, some old felt, and a guide from a broken rod. Total cost around $15 for all parts. I plan to buy the components for my first complete build soon. It's not nearly as nice as some I've seen here, but should provide good function
Forum: rodboard

Forum: rodboard

Forum: rodboard

I'm another vote for glasses from Zenni, especially if you are in the market for prescription glasses. I wouldn't hesitate to use them for non-prescription glasses, but the savings over what is available in some of the name brands off the shelf isn't nearly as much. With my vision insurance's annual glasses credit, I got both my regular and fishing glasses for pretty much the cost of shipping a
Forum: rodboard

If they come in a variety of I.D.'s to match up to blank O.D.'s, "let's shake and bake!" If they only come in 1 I.D. and require an inner sleeve that adds 1-3 additional glue joints and shim material, then I will never say "I love crepes." There are so many interesting reel seat designs that have been brought to market in recent years that require an inner sleeve completel
Forum: rodboard

You need to rotate the grip as you dean otherwise you will not remove material evenly. Make a few turns with the reamer. Let the grip turn slightly in you palm and repeat. Things should improve. You may also benefit by starting with the work side diameter a little closer to the final size. You can do this by drilling out the cork rings and using tape arbors on your turning mandrel for a snug fi
Forum: rodboard

This stuff? There should be no dips in the tubing. It should be a uniform diameter. The outer woven layer on this type of handle is decorative only. When the tube is made, I believe it is wrapped in cellophane-type tape and cured under heat. When the tape is removed, it will leave a ridge. On rod blanks, the ridge usually gets sanded off, but you can still see the line under a high
Forum: rodboard

No. 11 blade on a No. 3 scalpel handle
Forum: rodboard

The popping line blanks are designed for use with popping corks and bait for inshore fishing. They also make very nice crank bait rods in the freshwater world. While the specs of action and power look promising, the IMMP70H will not make a good flipping stick. It would be more suited for larger deep diving crank baits such as the Rapala DT14. Because of the power needed, a graphite flipping
Forum: rodboard

The FP885 is a nice blank. I doubt that you would go wrong building it up for your application. The action is right and it has plenty of power. Mine is trimmed down to 7’. Longer rods start to get in the way in my little boat especially if I have someone else onboard.
Forum: rodboard

Going off of what I've stumbled across over the years. I would start with one of the first generation high end Phenix blanks. I think they quotes blank weights of around 1.6-1.9oz or so for a 7' bass rod, among the lightest I recall. For a casting rod, it would be spiral wrapped with 2mm micro guides with minimal thread wraps and coated with just a couple coats of permagloss. The seat woul
Forum: rodboard

Tim, I do not build in high enough volume to be able to fuss over the longitudinal frequency (ringing frequency) of a blank, although I certainly understand why it's a good thing. However, when given the opportunity to handle a bunch of blanks in person, a combination of basic visual inspection, flexing, and ringing the blanks can allow for the opportunity to select the best available. Without
Forum: rodboard

When it comes to the relationship between the normal modes (fundamental and harmonics in transverse and longitudinal waves) of a rod blank and sensitivity, higher is better. Transverse waves are waves where the displacement of the blank is perpendicular to the direction of propagation, i.e. the movement used when measuring CCF or Mick's technique for measuring the natural frequency of a blank.
Forum: rodboard

Can you? Yes. Should you? No. The two coats of Flex Coat is likely referring to the guide wraps, label area and trim bands.
Forum: rodboard

For an NGC 27x setup with your reel, you are barking up the right tree, but I think you need one more reduction guide in the train. I would try in A frames 30, 20, 12, 8 and then however many single foot 8s are required to get to the tip. I've always found with larger reels using every other guide size in the reduction train tends to give a progressive spacing that is pleasing to the eye and pe
Forum: rodboard

I'll echo Lynn's comment. I've used them in the past, and left exposed, they will dry rod and crack when exposed. The ones I've tucked inside the front end of a reel seat on rod with no fore grip are in good shape after a decade or more covered by epoxy.
Forum: rodboard

Guy, I hope your treatment was successful, and here's to a lifetime of remission! The level of artistry in that rod was very impressive. I'm amazed that he added that many embellishments and did so in a way that looked great at the end. My daughter would be begging for one just like it if she saw it.
Forum: rodboard

Ben, if you can find a new old stock Batson SPG600, it would probably come fairly close. I don't think they offer that power any more. I built one for my daughter years ago as a casting rod, spiral wrapped to pair with a little Zebco 33. I'm not well versed enough in fly rods to recommend a starting weight, but I bet you could duplicate it very well with the top half of an appropriately powere
Forum: rodboard

Just as the building style of Rich Forhan has greatly influenced what a typical freshwater fishing rod looks like today through years of tinkering and trying to develop the right tool for the job, BFS is a similar culmination from the reel enthusiast side. Anglers like the late Craig DeFronzo originally from Long Island and Ron Yurko from Ohio made reputations and careers (granted they aren't ho
Forum: rodboard