I’m with Roger in not using CP or pre-coated thread. I select dark thread colors as most look nice after being wetted out with epoxy. I also consider that some of the blank color may show through. This actually allows for quite a bit of artistic license. A little VooDoo Dust pigment can add even more. Ultra Poly in maroon and blue dunn are both great without CP. They are are classic rod building
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My rod building strategy is to do everything possible to save weight without getting weird or giving up durability. I agree with Tom that you give up durability to use CP instead of epoxy. The tiny weight savings just doesn’t seem worth it for how I fish. Most of my builds are used in situations where failures are far from desirable. Bass fishing doesn’t lend itself to having a backup rod for eve
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It’s worth considering that a feature’s effect on rod performance may extend to other factors besides its weight. I took a completely unbuilt 7’9” saltwater blank and put rings of 1/2 inch masking tape on the edges of planned guide under-wraps just to get a visual of the layout. I was stunned how different that fairly hefty blank felt and flexed with nothing but masking tape bands on it.
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I work towards a neat, strong epoxy job that wets out the drywall tape and has a little end overlap. That seems to me to be the best balance between strength and controlling weight. I tried the CFX carbon/foam insert bored to fit with a failure. The blank had a full layer of foam stuck tightly to it after removing the seat and grip. It fully appeared to be a part failure and not an epoxy failure.
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I performed my first first CCS measurement a few weeks ago. I was careful with the process and am used to scientific methodologies. I gave up on sorting pennies, though. I added water to a cup and weighed the cup, subtracting the weight of the cup and the hanger. It’s below if anyone wants to enter. United Composites UC78L: IP = 472 grams, AA = 61 degrees
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I mostly jig two features with one running around 325 feet in depth and the other at about 510. My friend keeps a small boat at a remote cabin in Alaska so we don’t safely have a large reach where the humps and ledges can be shallower. I normally have a freshly caught herring inside of the big hoochie. I get much better catch rates jigging this than using bait on halibut spreaders. Hopefully this
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Thanks, I’m considering the US55XXOS for a halibut stick. I often use the Pitbull Tackle Bora Jigs enhanced with 9/0 hooks and 12” hoochie. I take it you like the popping blanks?
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A CTS dual helix surf rod is one of my remaining dream builds, but I don’t think I can justify its cost as a near entry into surf fishing.
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I know that United Composites is not a sponsor, but I do buy them from sponsors like GetBit Outdoors. I just finished another DHX series build and fished it. I really enjoy them when strength is more important than ultimate lightness. Mine have come straight and perfectly finished. They don’t have the advanced, smooth tapers of a St. Croix freshwater blank, but they are so much more pleasant to f
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Tom Kirkman Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ultimately it will be some sort of nylon composite > used to make a modern, strong yet flexible guide > frame. And it may be sooner than you think. > > .............. Tell me more, tell me more…
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Carol is one my favorite rod building vendors. She is very knowledgeable, friendly, and responsive. I’m sorry she hasn’t gotten back with you, but she has earned a lot of people’s admiration and benefit of doubt. Casey at Voodoo is superb. Karry at Batson is great to talk to about product questions. Deb at St. Croix/Rod Geeks is outstanding at customer service. John at Flexcoat is in this strata
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I wish makers would go back to the days when they stated their modulus in the same units. That was no guarantee of the lightest or most sensitive rod, but it was a quantitative comparison that could be used with other pieces of information. Now, several blank makers state in various ways that they use Toray’s newest generation of carbon fiber. Scrims, resins, rolling, taping, vacuum, and curing t
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My hunch when the AGS guided rods came out was that they typified the classic law of diminishing returns. Titanium guides are already excellent and quite expensive. It’s hard for me to see where they aren’t overkill on anything but a small handful of blank series that are equally high in performance. There aren’t a lot of rods that need to be that extreme in performance and cost in most anglers’
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I no longer use any thread but Fuji Ultra Poly. It just works so well from wrapping, finishing, to fishing for me. I’ve landed plenty of large fish on “A” and “D” sized Ultra Poly with no failures. I now only use Gen4 as a finish, too. Other products could very well be just as good as these. However, trying them would add variation to what I’ve been reliably doing. There is a lot to be said for c
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Thanks for sharing your lesson learned.
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One change I’ve seen over a few decades is that tapers and construction techniques have become more refined. At moderate and above quality levels it’s rare for contemporary blanks to have abrupt shutoff, flat, or hinge points. When these still exist, they are usually purposeful to a technique. More guides combined with fairer bending blanks equal less guide adjustments from a a good, progressive
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I normally do static testing on guide trains that I first spend quite a bit of time setting with progressive based calculations. Like Mark stated in his original post, guides barely need adjusting. I use ten on seven foot casting rods. There are an increasing portion of builds that I am comfortable with skipping the static testing, though. These are ones that are informed by several previous stat
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I fish that famous, really deep canyon between Oregon and Idaho (it’s real name is censored here). Ned rigs can be very effective, but the near vertical shoreline often calls for heavier rigs. Sizing up the plastic often results in larger bass, too. It’s still a Ned style of rig. It’s just that the bottom of the littoral zone is down 80 feet.
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I find the Tiemco ceramic hook hone absolutely magic for quick and smooth guide preparation.
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Daryl, I’m petty conservative about stopping dryer rotation so I can’t give you a great answer. I keep a sacrificial, test disc turning with rods. This allows me to do touch tests without messing up finish on a rod. My best guess from this would be four hours. Andy Dear also writes, interviews, and produces fly fishing related content. I wish his 15 minute epoxy was still available.
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I just used some Gen4. At 69 degrees it took about eight hours to cure hard. The mix was extremely close to 50/50 and well blended. The coat thickness was medium. I lightly used a butane torch to release bubbles after application. My supply is pre-retail sent to me by Andy.
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I am going to color the space between split grips this evening. I use VooDoo dust in rod finish (Gen4) to do this. It durably and reliably does two steps in one. I’d just leave the raw carbon, but I put a hook keeper there and like to have finish between the hooks and the blank.
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They are cryogenically cooled in a massive refrigerator and then hard boiled to perfection. That’s a pretty good punch line.
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I appreciate the information provided by your experiment. Depending on the elevation where you live water boils at something less than 212 degrees F. Obviously, the release point was somewhere between that and 375 degrees F. Without knowing the epoxy Garcia used, it may not matter. Still, it’s worth knowing if these parts can be removed without harm to blanks.
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Michael Danek Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sounds like you're on the right track. I always > go Fuji for the quality; never had a failure. > Because it's salt, go titanium, and for > hot-running salt water fish of substantial size, I > would go with the SIC rings on all guides and > tiptop. What guides you to SiC over the Torzite?
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It would be great to have an epoxy that reliably released in a temperature range between what sun rays do in a hot climate and what would damage CF and the thermal resins that hold blanks together. The idea of dry ice is interesting for releasing epoxies. I use white rod tubes for roof top carry.
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Will dry ice damage carbon blanks?
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I’ve never used a non-metal reel seat that was expensive enough that I would bake it loose, clean it up, and then hope for it to last on another rod. The compressed carbon ones are under $20 with the higher end nylon options, like the Fuji PTS, barely breaking $10.
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I wish you would add a high, reverse frame casting guide with a number six ring to your selection. The silicon nitride rings seem really functional from both the use and material specification standpoints. The SeaGuide HSC Carbon Fiber Casting Reel Seat is my go to for most casting builds. The double nuts do really make a difference and I like the ergonomics. Please offer your “no logo” butt
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I do build for technique and carefully research each one. I measure my forearm length against components on pertinent builds. I’m an inch taller than average USA male height. I usually find that I prefer a little less rear grip length than the factory offerings for given techniques, though. I put the least amount of weight I can in the blank and everything else in front of the reel. I like Rob’s
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