Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I will look at a few of thes options. I like the looks of the Tiger Eye, but the Loomis are a bit more costly. Andy, I will check with you offline about CTS. Will you perhaps be bringing any to High Point?
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I have been building on a lot of Amtack Matrix blanks, and I like them, but I am trying to find a blank that is gloss brown or Chestnut in color, in the same price range. I am able to pay wholesale for my Matrix blanks, and would love to find a source for a comparable blank in brown. The green is a great color, but I have some visions in my head using a brown blank and some of the burnt cork I bo
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Tom, what a timely post about fly guide sizes. I am sitting in Apopka, Florida, 20 miles from Mudhole, and am putting together a shopping list for my annual trip to their facility. I was just wrestling with what size guides to buy for a project I'm working on. You have solved the problem. Thank you! Fran
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Wes, unhide your email, and we can discuss having cork handles made for you offline.
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Then you can bet I won't be changing the method anytme soon...
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I use the sme procedure with TM as I did with FC: I set the bottles of finish in a sink with warm water for about ten minutes while I prepare the rest of my finishing tools & work space. I pour Part B and then Part A in one of those marked plastic cups, one dram of each. I mix at a constant speed, by hand, for three minutes, timed. I pur the finish into a glass ash tray lined with aluminum fo
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I'm getting very few bubbles with Threadmaster, and I use a gentle flame to eliminate them. I use an alcohol lamp from Buffalo Dental to direct the flame exactly where I need it. CP or no CP, it makes no difference in my process. If you've got bubbles in the first coat, and put a second coat on top, haven't you captured the bubbles permanently? If you are removing them before the second coat, the
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I have noriced the phenomenon refered to here by a few of the one coat sometimes not quite looking perfect on top of the guide foot. However, I use the sag/wick method, which I find works very well, and pay special attention to the foot after most has been wicked off. If I need to, I then put a drop of finish right on the foot, and let the rod turn. It seems to add just enough to correct that iss
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After reading a few of the threads here, I began to wonder...How many builders are using two coats of finish on their guide wraps. When I used FlexCoat Lite, I used two, sometimes three coats. When I switched to high build, I went to one coat. I switched to high build to use on repairs, to cut down labor and time to complete the repair. I'm using Threadmaster now, and using just one coat. Most r
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I do the inletting while the grip is on the mandrel, in the lathe. I slide the hood onto the mandrel so I can fit it as I turn and I use a parting tool to remove material, beginning close to the mandrel and working my way out. A steady hand, a little material at a time, and you should get a good fit in a short time.
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A good way to determine a match is to look at the thread you remove, on the underside. You usually can get a good idea of the color. It helps if you have a color wand built, to match the original thread with your spools. I built several wands on wooden dowels painted black, wrapped two wraps of each color thread and finished the wraps, one with CP, one without. Now, when I do a repair or refinish
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I just did a recess in a fly handle I turned tonight to accommodate the reel seat. Before I started, I marked the end of the grip by using the seat as a guide. While the grip was on the mandrel turning on the lathe, I used a small parting tool to cut the recess, going just a little at a time, from the inside out, fitting the seat part as I worked. It came out pretty well.
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I prefer wrapping with the thread carriage in front. My Pac Bay wrapper is like that. When it's time to finish the wrap, after I cut the thread free from the spool, I just slide the carriage out of the way. It's on rolers, and a slight push, and it's gone. I can do it while still holdiong tension on the tag end and the looop.
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While at last year's show, I decided I needed to switch to spatulas from brushes. However, I did not like working with them. But since I now only use the brush primarily to apply finish to the wrap, and not to smooth it out, I have much better results. I hand turn the rod, and then let the rod sit for a few moments, and wick off the excess from the bottom (the way Tom teaches) and then resume tur
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Boy, how true the statement is on turning speed here. I found the supplier's recommendation too slow to be productive.
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My suggestion for you would be to find an old blank, or a painted dowel, and do two wraps of each color thread you have, each about a half inch long. Use CP on one of each color, and leave the other one alone. Then apply your finish of choice (Threadmaster is as good as I've found) and when you're done. you will have a color wand that tells you what you can expect from your thread color choice.
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Rick, the best alcohol lamp I believe you can get is a product that actually is used in the dental industry. It is made by Buffalo Dental MFG., Inc., Syosset, NY 11791. It is Item # 82440. You can probably Google it and find it, but you'll need a dentist to order them. I had my dentist get them for me. They are inexpensive enough to order two, and I recommend that. Check it out.
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I saw Jim Brandt's post asking about thinning FC Lite. I never thin my finishes, but I know of one well known American manufacturer of fishing rods that uses Flex Coat, (I don't think it is the Lite), and they cut the first coat with MEK. This is just to lock the threads. The final finish is applied full strength.
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I'm trying to repair a handle with some big flaws in the cork, and am not having good success with a mixture of Titebond II and cork dust. I'm wondering if there's a better glue to use. What do others use with good success? Is there a product that works well? And is there a ratio of cork dust to glue that I need to learn? As usual, I appreciate all feedback!
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I recently began encapsulating my hookeepers with finish. I think it keeps them more intact. I also just finished a 9' surf rod, which does have underwraps, and double-footed spinning guides. I encapsulated the guides after wrapping them, as well. They are not going anywhere, and I like the look better.
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I echo what Mike Barkley says about sharpening. Look, the reality is that if you don't invest in a sharpening system of some kind when you get the lathe, you'll be out of business before you finish turning your first reel seat. If your tools get dull and you continue to work, you'll more than likely just break your project. Trust me, I know whereof I speak. I use the One Way Wolverine and a dece
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If you are talking about the surface that meets the reel seat or foregrip, I use a small parting tool to make the edges clean and crisp. It works well for me.
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I recently conducted a class in a local fly shop. Three sessions over three weeks, meeting after business hours, 6-9 PM. We met the first night, discussed basic steps in rodbuiilding, and assembled the grip & seat. We then had a little time to start learning to prep and wrap guides. Homework was to prep all guide feet before next week's class. Session two we began wrapping guides. Homework w
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White CP because that's the color that comes out of the bottle. I've never used any other kind. It works fine, so I don't switch brands. I'm going to get some Testors white and paint a guide foot, wrap it, CP it, and apply finish. If it doesn't bleed through, I'll be good to go on the rod. I can't believe I'm actually wanting a rod white from one end to the other, especially if you were to look a
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I actually wrapped white NCP over a blemish in the paint, at the ferrule wrap, and coated it with white CP. I thought it would cover the blemish. It didn't. I can still see the spot under the wrap. And it was a good solid wrap with no gaps. The white just gets a little tranclucent anyway. That's why I don't think the guide feet will be hidden. Besides, I prepfer the look of thread that is not NC
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I just did underwraps for my 9' surf rod. White NCP size A on a white blank, used CP anyway, and coated them with Threadmaster. They are White! I put a garnet NCP size A inlay right in the middle of each underwrap to mark where the guide is placed. I was going to order size D thread for the guide wraps, but what I'm hearing now is that size A will work fine. This is a 15-30# line weight rod. I'd
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Hey, one new thing at a time, guys. I just did my first cork tape handle, and now you start talking up twine. If I order twine for my next one, what will you be surprising me with next? I am destined to be just one step behind the curve in this game. Besides, I like the look of the cork.
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A few years ago I had the opportunity to talk with the folks at St. Croix, and they were at that time considering offshore supply of their low end blanks in an effort to rremain competitive in that category. They had no plans at that time to outsource all their production, just the bottom of the line. I believe they will remain committed to producing their high-end rods & blanks right there i
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I hve read with interest all the opinions on length of a surf rod, since I am in the process of building my first surf caster. I must confess, my decision to build a 9' two-piece rod was driven by the availability of the Amtack white graphite composite blank. 9' was the longest available, and my first goal was to build on the white blank. Just a vision of something I ahev been carrying in my head
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Tom, I just read Tim's post about your help with photographing rods for posting on the web. Made me wonder, any opportunity or interest in a seminar at the show in February on how to use a digital camera to photograph our work and post the results? I know I'd benefit from it.
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