I am almost sure I bought some drilled rubberized cork from Bob McCamey at Custom Tackle with tapered cork plugs that were much larger than 1/4 inch. In fact, I'm looking at a split grip spiral wrapped crankbait rod I built that has a plug that measures 5/8 inch. Check Custom Tackle Supply.
Forum: rodboard

Hey Bill, Tom..I don't know what a sabiki rod is. Can you explain it's construction and use for me?
Forum: rodboard

Pictures would be great, but unless you are trying to keep a "proprietary" secret of the newer products you are using, I would be very interested in learning more about them. Thanks for your feedback.
Forum: rodboard

Jeff, your local rodbuilding store is an hour away? Good grief, I would be living there! My primary supplier is nine hours away, and I get there probably twice a year in person. The colors you see on a Gudebrod chart are pretty much what you get. Fishhawk is the same way.
Forum: rodboard

Ron, thanks for the heads up! I have bookmarked the page you sent. Now if I can just get to the bench to start the repair. I need to trim the end and resize before I order the top.
Forum: rodboard

Harry, your cane rod class sounds like a great experience for those that can make it. I wish I could, just for the hands on experience. But I do have a question for you: While I don't fish with or build bamboo, in fact, rarely fly fish except for some panfish on the local lake, I do occasionally do a repair or refinish on a bamboo rod. I actually have used shellac on the guide wraps, and spar var
Forum: rodboard

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like there is only one real option; cut the tip. I have examined the blank for further damage, but haven't removed the tip wrap yet. Unless the damage is under the wrap, whuch I doubt, I should just be able to cut & resize. My concern is that if I have to go to a size 10 tube, I can't find one with a size 8 ring. Best I can do is a 10/10.
Forum: rodboard

I got a boat rod in for a repair today. When the guy called me he said the tip "came off." It looks like that is the case, but the tip of the blank itself has been flattened so it is oval, not round. It looks like the tube size should be around a 10, but the ring size is only an 8. Tube size is a lttle hard to determine, because of the flattening. It might be a 9. I can find an 8-9 Fuj
Forum: rodboard

Ked, I have done several rodbuilding classes, but not for large groups. I had my brother the woodworker build me four wrappers, and I have four dryers I have accumulated over the years. I offer a "Build YOur Own Fly Rod" class at the local fly shop. Students build a rod in three evenings over a three week period, plus some homework. If you go to my rodbuilding blog, , you can see and re
Forum: rodboard

If my memory serves, Tom K did an article in a back issue of Rodmaker on determining the best fit for a reel seat. But what I took away from the article was you should fit the seat to your hand, not to the blank. You can always shim the seat, and fit the cork to it. I know some of my first rods had 16mm & 17mm seats, and they feel very small in my hand, and I don't have a large hand. I have b
Forum: rodboard

Mike, why don't you bring an example of your feather inlay to High Point in February. I'd like to see how you do it. I have found that even after CP, my feathers have become somewhat muted in color when I apply finish. I have been using mostly brownish colored feathers. I like the muted look , but I want to try a brighter color feather and try to hold the colors.
Forum: rodboard

Actually, Russ, you can control which direction the chuck and the rod in it turns. If, when you start the drying motor it turns counter clockwise, turn it off and back on. You may have to try it a few times, but you can get the rod to turn either way. I do it all the time with my Pac Bay.
Forum: rodboard

Boy, this topic comes up all the time, doesn't it? I concur with Jim Gamble here. I have written before that I never have a rod come out of my Pac Bay wrapper or dryer, both equipped with the standard chuck. I do just as Jim says; after tightening the rod grip in the chuck by turning the plastic wheel tight, I turn the metal locking nut counterclockwise very snugly. Then I start the drying motor,
Forum: rodboard

This is an often run thread. I have made the comment before, and say again, I have a Pac Bay Rodsmith wrapper with the standard chuck, and it never comes loose. I just came home this evening at 6:30, and I had a rod turning in the chuck since 7:30 this morning. No issues at all. For those experiencing problems: At the risk of stating the obvious, are you sure you are tightening the chuck and the
Forum: rodboard

Strangely enough, I seem to be the only one that throws most crankbaits with a kind of sidearm motion, making my rod perpendicular to the water almost all the way through the cast. I'm sure there are some good reasons for throwing overhead, like better positioning, but I seem to tend to throw most baits sidearm. Since I am usually in the bow, and control boat position, I am able to use this techn
Forum: rodboard

I always gently heat the wrap before putting a blade to it. Put the blade on top of the guide foot only. Not on the blank. If you don't heat the finish first, you will certainly go through a lot of blades, and one of them could slip on the hard surface, and cause an injury. Once you get the thread cut, you should be able to grab a tag and unravel the rest, as long as the finish has been heated an
Forum: rodboard

I, for one, have enjoyed Gene's articles in the magazine, Tom. My thoughts and prayers go to his family.
Forum: rodboard

I'm looking for thoughts on what size butt guide to begin with on a 7' crankbait rod I'm building. It's going to be spiral wrapped with Alcontes, BLNAG and BUNAG. Fuji packages a set for a 7' casting rod that starts with a 16, but that seems big to me. I'm leaning more towards a 12 and a 10, with an 8 as a bumper between the transition. Any opinions? (ridiculous question, I know)
Forum: rodboard

Tom, did you say that there would be someone at the ICRBE next February that deals in lathes and turning accessories?
Forum: rodboard

Good Grief! Thank God that's over!
Forum: rodboard

Mike, one more thing I wanted to mention: After I posted my reply to Ray's thread, seven people visited my blog from the link in the post. Thanks!
Forum: rodboard

Mike, there are a lot of tekkies out there who will tell you that blogs are going to replace conventional websites, precisely because they are interactive and not static. There's no doubt that there may be a stigma attached to a "free" site, but not by everyone. Look at the reputation this forum has, and it's "free" to most of us, thanks to Tom & the sponsors. Besides, the
Forum: rodboard

The last time I saw it being done, a major manufacturer was thinning their first coat of FlexCoat with MEK, not acetone, and acted as a thread lock.. The second coat was full strength.
Forum: rodboard

Ray, blogging can be as addictive as rodbuilding. I created one several months ago, not as a projects journal, but more for an ineractive website to showcase some of my work and to perhaps generate more business. For that to happen, though, you need to spend a lot of time blogging and visiting other sites to get the search engines to crawl your blog. But you can't beat the price (free) for a webs
Forum: rodboard

Andy, your hard work and dedication the craft is paying off for you! I hope that in your new position you will be in attandance at the ICRBE! Congratulations!
Forum: rodboard

Gavin, I have built a few crankbait rods on SCIII blanks. Both 7', one medium heavy, the other heavy. Both perform well. The med hvy is used by a tournament angler. The moderate action makes it a good rod for throwing crankbaits, and it's so much lighter than a glass rod that you can throw it all day. I think you'll find that the SCIII is a great blank for that moderate priced rod.
Forum: rodboard

I have seen this topic discussed here several times before. i have to say that my experience is the same as Harold's. I do not have the "new improved" chuck on my Pac Bay. My rods turn opposite of the direction of tightening the jaws, and I don't have a problem with the rod coming out. I always make sure the metal tightening bar begind the chuck itself is very snug, and in the case of a
Forum: rodboard

I'm going to chime in on Threadmaster. I have never tried the Lite, but I have used several bottles of regular TM, and have had zero failures of any kind. A dozen guys have told you the same thing. What I really wanted to add is that I am not a proponent of putting a new coat of finish over the mushy one. I believe you still will have mush underneath. I built a SCIII crankbait rod (with a differe
Forum: rodboard

David, thanks for the link... I will be ordering a set.
Forum: rodboard

Mike, your mishap on the lathe, and the subsequent thread make me want to research these drill stop collars. A few folks mentioned 3/8". Do they come in more sizes? I have a complete set of Andy's mandrels. Or are they "one size fits all" Any tips on where to find them? I want to take a few more precautions, since I have the same lathe as Mike. (also the same belly) Mike hope
Forum: rodboard