Jeff, I think I am going to follow your advice. The REC reel seat in question has an internal, non-removable extension butt which firest unscrews, then extends, then threading in the same direction locks into place. Your comment makes me think that the extra leverage the extention butt gives me fighting a fish may also apply to the extra leverage those 3" give me casting - especially while
Forum: rodboard

I'm going to build a fly rod on an 8wt. TiCrX 4-piece blank. I'm planning to use an REC reelseat cannibalized from a broken rod. This seat has an internal, screw-out fighting butt which will add 3" to the length of the completed bottom section of the rod. If I trim 3" off the butt section of the blank to make all four sections equal in length will it significantly degrade the performanc
Forum: rodboard

With a huge number of sizes, weights, materials and tapers in rod blanks available even an inveterate tinkerer such as I is astonished that someone would buy a blank and immediately start sawing pieces from it for whatever reason. I think it's unwise to underestimate the expertise and experience that goes into the design and manufacture of rod blanks.
Forum: rodboard

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a water soluble polymer which has been successfully used to stabilize wood. PEG has a very low toxicity - it is used in laxatives - and does not require heat to saturate wood. You just "pickle" the wood in PEG. This stuff isn't cheap, but reel seats aren't very large. Selection of a finish coat to adhere to PEG stabilized wood is tricky.
Forum: rodboard

How about adding five or six ounces of weight to the butt of the rod? The momentum of this extra weight should really drive the hook home.
Forum: rodboard

Taper has a significant influence upon the performance of a blank, but ultimately this influence can not be quantified. Given a similar resin matrix is there any way to quantify the modulus differences between E-glass, S-glass, and, say gereration IV graphite? Is there any way to quantify the difference in durability or resistance to fracture between these three materials?
Forum: rodboard

Here's where stuffing lead into or wrapping lead around the tip of the rod would do a world of good. The added inertia would not only slow the "feel" of the bite to the angler but the added mass at the rod tip would delay the hookset. Anglers could then use low-stretch gelspun without fear of prematurely jerking the bait out of the fish's mouth. This looks like a "win - win"
Forum: rodboard

Tests with movable weights attached to the rod had one possibly helpful observation. When a sliding weight located about a foot above the spinning reel seat at the start of the cast is pulled rapidly downward toward the reel during the cast it seems to increase the speed of the rod tip, like an ice skater doing a spin. It doesn't work with a fly rod, though.
Forum: rodboard

Fly rods and spin rods are almost always butt heavy when they are equipped with a reel and line. The balance point is behind where the hand falls on the grip. If balance is desired then weight has to be added in the right place. I have struggled unsuccessfully to find a way to add a weight to a fly rod which moves toward the butt as more line is put in the air - so as to balance the rod, you kno
Forum: rodboard

Lead tape can also be used to balance your rod if it is butt heavy. Roll some tape into a tube shape, adhesive side out, and use a piece of thin dowell rod to ram the tube of lead tape up the inside of the tip section. The adhesive will usually keep the lead tape from shifting around too much.
Forum: rodboard

I recently completed a surf rod with a snakeskin inlay on the blank and was pleased with the result. I have no idea of the technical difficulties involved with "curing" a snakeskin, but a brook-trout inlay on a fly rod reel seat would be really sweet. I hope someone is pursuing such a possibility.
Forum: rodboard

I secure guides to the blank with three or four turns of elastic thread, pulled taut and secured by a reef knot. This allows me to easily move the guides on both axes, yet still holds guides in place well enough until they are wound on. One "snip" of the scissors and the elastic thread literally flies off the blank. When I'm feeling fussy I frequently re-adjust the guides after they h
Forum: rodboard

St. Croix service is second to none. I once tried to roll cast off a half-hitch which had materialized on the tip of my #10 fly rod. Unfortunately on the pick-up I snagged a Chinook by the propeller. I pointed my St. Croix at him, down the river he went with the top 1/3 of my flyrod until he reached a the next pool, went under a rock and broke off. At that point the half-hitch apparently came off
Forum: rodboard

For the ultimate in weight-reduction and sensitivity, handlining with straight gelspun is the only answer. It depends on what you're looking for, and how much you are willing to sacrifice to get it.
Forum: rodboard

About ten years ago I "quick-fixed" a surf rod while on vacation - cut off broken guide, hand wound new guide and coated with 5 minute epoxy. I haven't got around to re-fixing the quick fix yet. The 5-minute job is homely, lumpy, and yellowed, but it works.
Forum: rodboard

I would appreciate any tips on how to pack and ship a completed rod safely and economically. I have completed a surf rod for my son and it will require a container a bit less than 72" long and 4" in diameter. Thanks.
Forum: rodboard

I'm going to build a surf rod for my son, and I plan to try a rattlesnake skin inlay. I'm also partly color blind. I would appreciate suggestions as to what color wraps would compliment the snakeskin. Knowing thread color requirements in advance will save me a second trip to the Mudhole. Thanks.
Forum: rodboard

Legitimate comparison tests are done "blind." The tester is prevented from knowing the brand or price of the product he or she is testing. The reason for making comparisons "blind" are easily appreciated. The credibility of any comparison test of fly rods would be greatly improved if the "Minnie Pearl Effect" were eliminated by disguising the rods.
Forum: rodboard

Legitimate comparison tests are done "blind." The tester is prevented from knowing the brand or price of the product he or she is testing. The reason for making comparisons "blind" are easily appreciated. The credibility of any comparison test of fly rods would be greatly improved if the "Minnie Pearl Effect" were eliminated by disguising the rods.
Forum: rodboard

Suggestion: Touch all the wet wraps and tell people it's a new style of moire effect.
Forum: rodboard

Roller guides require a couple thousand times more maintenance than stationary guides. Not complex or time-consuming maintenance, but absolutely necessary maintenance, nonetheless. This fact might help determine your choice of guides.
Forum: rodboard

Keep in mind that the guides on a fly rod endure a great deal less wear than the guides on a spinning rod or surf rods. It's pretty easy to over-build and over-spend for fly rod guides. From those who disagree I would like to schedule fly casting lessons or, better yet, several guided fishing trips!
Forum: rodboard

It sounds like the "nano" part of this technology currently applies to the epoxy matrix rather than the main structural fibers? In any case, it's good to learn that the benefits of S-glass are being utilized and recognized.
Forum: rodboard

Steve G.: Thanks for the link. I caught up on this informative web. I am chiefly concerned with fly rods, where sensitivity to the pick-up of the bait is not a top priority. Nonetheless, the "balance" of a fly rod, exclusive of reel weight or line weight, continues to be a frequent concern among many anglers and custom built rod customers. I would appreciate suggestions of how to re
Forum: rodboard

Many references are made to "rod balance," and weight kits are marketed to improve the "balance" of a rod. Is rod balance an objective measurement or is it a subjective matter of feel or preference? If it's an objective thing what are the measurements? If it's a subjective thing how can a custom rodmaker take "balance" into account BEFORE assembling the rod?
Forum: rodboard

I have seen advertisements for knives which claim a knife has superior "balance," a claim which makes no sense to me unless the knife is to be thrown. I am also confused by discussions of "balance" in a fishing rod wihthout consideration of the size and weight of the reel which will be attached to the rod, or the weight of the object the rod will usually cast, or the leverag
Forum: rodboard

Mel: After a long soak in boiling water did you try slow, steady, constant pressure?
Forum: rodboard

Be patient while you boil it and don't scar up the seat with pliers. Rodbond will soften sufficiently, if boiled long enough, to allow you to use your hands and hotpads to pull the grip off. Slow and steady is the ticket.
Forum: rodboard

If we fly anglers spent more time improving our casting stroke and less time fiddling with our equipment we might well be better off. Learning an efficient double-haul and using the big muscles of the back and legs while casting, as batters and golfers do, will lessen arm and shoulder fatigue at least as much as adjusting tackle weight and balance.
Forum: rodboard

A wonderful suggestion! Thank you.
Forum: rodboard