Hi Folks, Need some help thrashing through the thicket of possibilities for a casting blank, 7' 2" or 7' 3",MH weight, fast taper (enough mojo in the butt to move a bass out of the branches), 12-20 lb. mono or braid, used for worms and soft baits starting at about 1/4 oz.. Customer likes the lower and mid grade St. Croix rods, and is currently using a Carrot Stick. He also has a tend
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Hi Melburn, Although Tom is absolutely right about the heat tolerance of older glass, may of the rods built in the time range you indicate were assembled with a thermosetting glue, which can be heated, with care (I usually use a lighter, bringing the heat from the side for a few seconds only while rotating the blank) and the ferrule removed. If the ferrule is in good shape, you may want to tr
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Jeff, David is spot on - the enamel finishes (model paint) will typically need about a week, depending on humidity and temperature, to harden completely. As an alternative, automotive touchup paint , if you can find the color you want, is usually a much harder acrylic base which sets up well in 2-3 days and may resist the "sinking in" more. Also, you may be able to reduce the thread
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Hi Chris, You can tone down the white color with Helmsman spray spar varnish - it is amber and may give you the shade you're looking for with 2 coats or so, and you won't need to strip the original finish, just sand it enough to dull the gloss. To change the color completely, Duplicolor auto touchup paint comes in a 5 oz. spray can in a wide variety of colors - check your local auto parts s
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OK, you lathe-using folks, I'll bite - how do you use one of those neat steel mandrels to turn a grip? I understand the part about coating the mandrel with a non sticky substance, such as wax, to keep the glue from attaching the cork to the mandrel, but what I can't seem to get my head around is, what keeps the grip from spinning on the mandrel when you apply any pressure to it on the lathe, sinc
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Again, thanks for the input and comments, folks! I'm going to stay with the size 6 guides for this build, as the customer wanted the Berkely guides and they don't offer a size 4, but I will definitely be building a spec. rod with the smaller guides as a demo to see if I can win some converts. The size 25 butt guide seems to give a somewhat better line path on this rod; even it could be a tad high
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Chuck, you could also put a coat or two of spar varnish on the white wrap, which will give it an amber tone. When it's thoroughly dry, then overcoat with your finish of choice.
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Thanks for the all the input. James, the length of the butt from the center of the reel stanchion to the end is 13"; this guy is 6'5" and that puts the end of the butt just ahead of the elbow bone with two fingers straddling the stanchion. Tom, that was the concern I had going any smaller on the butt guide - I'm already so far out that I'm worried about line slap, as you suggested.
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Hi Folks, Although I've built a fair number of rods, I'm in the process of building my first for sale rod, and I'd like to get some input about my guide spacing. The blank is a recycled (at the customer's request) Quantum TGS661MW, 6' 6", rated 6-12 lb. line and 1/8- 1/2 oz. lures. After complete stripping and refinishing , I 've installed a split grip with a Fuji cork covered quicklock g
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If you've got a spigot type ferrule, how about wiping on a thin coat of epoxy, and then truing it up with very fine (400-600 grit) sandpaper as the butt is turning in your winding motor? That would give you a slight increase in the spigot OD, and allow you to adjust the coating thickness until the fit is where you want it.
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Pat, Rather than risk a compatibility problem with the 822 (see threads further down the board), why not use the Permagloss for the rod coating first? Then you won't have an issue with the two different finishes, and I think you'll find that the Permagloss is a harder, more durable finish. Just keep it thin, and try and work fairly fast, as the P-Gloss starts to set up pretty quickly. Pet
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Randy, The type of break you're describing is very repairable. As the other folks have indicated, the library article on this site by Ralph O'Quinn is excellent, and will work fine if you follow his instructions and suggestions exactly. Don't try and substitute materials (i.e. don't use a graphite sleeve - it's got to be thin wall fiberglass to work). That close to the end of the rod, the ins
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Hi Folks, I'm a relative newbie to the rod building and repair biz; I made a couple a LONG time ago, and have gotten back into it in the last couple of years. I've been greatly helped by this board and the library, for which I thank all those who have contributed. Due to a complete absence of repair alternatives in my area, I'm thinking of getting a little more into this as a side business. Th
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Thanks, folks, for the tip about the library and the other input - now all I have to do is find some fiberglass tips to scavenge!
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Hi Folks, I've built a few rods and have been very interested in the changes in the materials and techniques since the middle 60's (when I built my first one). I've recently started to build and repair rods again (after a LONG hiatus) and would like some help on repairing tip section breaks in graphite rods. I know the conventional wisdom is to trim the break and mount a new tip, but some of t
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