GUSA folded a while back. A new company called United Composites is gearing up to make many of their old models along with some new ones. I do not see them on the sponsor list here so you will have to do a search for them on google or somewhere.
Forum: rodboard

Bernie- I met you at a Rodcrafters seminar many years ago when Dale was still the host. As good and as much fun as we had, Tom\'s expo is something that even Dale could never have imagined!
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Had a chance to scope the new Steel City lathe today. It is MUCH larger than even new larger JET or Rikon. But priced similar. The headstock and bed are solid granite! Should be plenty of mass for smooth turning on about anything. The size means it will allow you to do about any turning work you would ever want to. But the headstock is not reversible so it is still limited on bowls to about sixte
Forum: rodboard

The Daiwa DF100A GIANT is advertised as being the largest spinning reel in the world. It’s huge! The spool diameter is 3.5”.
Forum: rodboard

You can also mill a flat on the insert just by holding it against a belt sander for a few seconds.
Forum: rodboard

If you can successfully use the small micro type guides the benefits loom even larger. I have been able to use Baton size 3 micros on the choke and running guides and the tip is almost as lively as it was out of the bag! Getting rid of that excess guide weight on the top half of the rod is key to having a more crisp feeling and acting rod. The old cone of flight type system works but really weigh
Forum: rodboard

Looking for opinions on TFO fly rod blanks and the best place to buy them. If one of the sponsors has them please inform. If supplier is not a sponsor, please contact by private E-mail. Thank you very much.
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This is part of being in the rod building business. Also why it\'s a good idea to discuss eventual warranty issues with the customer BEFORE such issues arise! Learn as you go. Thing will get easier as figure out the ins and outs of this business.
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I followed the instructions. Why wouldn\'t I? Always a good idea to listen to those who develop a product and use it in the way they intended!
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Most companies wouldn\'t worry a speck about those who bought previously. Good on \'ya, Tom!
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Dale Clemens would know a pretty good bit about it but I guess his days of writing are over.
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You can glue the rod blank into the first few inches of the tube. This is how most modern rods from Daiwa, Shimano et. al, are made.
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This weekend I had need of boring several pre-formed cork grips to pretty large diameters. Starting with a 1/4\" hole and needing to go to at least 5/8\" I thought there was no way I could ever ream or rasp them and keep the hole centered. Then I remembered the article in a past Rodmakers mag about making the \"reverse pilot bit cork cutters\". I went to the local HD and pick
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If you are worried about it getting too short and the ferrule is not so loose that it flies off when casting, try a little beeswax on the top of the male section. That may be enough to stop the clicking.
Forum: rodboard

I will also mention that MIke at Riley Rods has most of the stuff to get going with for carbon fiber grips.
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In all seriousness, Derec, almost anything you want to learn or any rod building technique you see on the \'net came from one of these- I have no business connection with the mag at all. But compared to the little bits and pieces you can pick up on the \'net the mag articles are very complete and go into great details with great photos. In the long run it may be cheaper to get the original a
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The top scenario looks good with the guides you circled. I bet it would work fine. But like Tom said this is much easier to do if you have some guides in hand and can just start fiddling around them. I would not even be sure the listed factory heights are totally correct.
Forum: rodboard

I have been using LS Supreme High Build since 2005 and it suits what I do. It is thick. You have be patient when stirring it but it will give you a true one coat coating on any type of rod even HD saltwater..
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Can I combine different color preservers on the same wraps? Don't want to waste it but if they are not compatible I won't risk it. Know you can do it with epoxies but not sure about color preservers.
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Tom, another great Rodmaker issue. I thought it was nice to run the obit for Gene Bullard. I was a customer of his for many years but I never realized how many things he was involved in other than custom rod building. I will never again pull up to stoplight and not think about Gene, the man who invented the automatic trip-timing device for stoplights. Just goes to show that we never really know a
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Trying to complete a rod builder library. When did Rodmakers begin publishing?
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Sage has introduced two new fly rods for tournament bass fishermen. Both are 7'11" in length so they confirm to most bass fishing tournament rules. Has anyone here tried one or built one from a bare blank? How well do they work being that short and that stiff??
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I did a dumb thing. Only had one night to get a cork grip together and used Gorilla Glue. It was all I had in house at the moment. It got all over the cork and sort of stained it. I don\'t think it will turn out. Any way to rebleach the cork to get rid of the ugly brown stains and glue lines?
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I saw their pics on the photo page and thought they were paintings! Not sure I\'ve ever seen scrimshaw art that was anything other than black ink on a white background. How do you get the different colored inks to go where they are supposed to and stay out of areas where they are not supposed to go? I will be waiting to see exactly how this done. If they can teach me to do it, they can teach anyo
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If you did charge a hefty licensing fee so what? Companies who plan to profit from something you designed and spent a ton of money to get into worldwide circulation should be more than happy to pay up. Or do they think they should profit for free? I know you said you woudn\'t do this but even if you did no one would have any right to complain.
Forum: rodboard

I looked at your cork clamp on the photo page. I understand the long ears are handles that you squeeze to clamp the ring in place, but how do you get the ring back out of the clamp? Also would I be right in thinking that for different sized cork ring diameters you would need clamps with different bores in them?
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I put my new rod builders logo decal on my truck window before I read about how to position it. I didn\'t see the little line thing at the top. Is this okay? I put the rods pointing straight up instead of at an angle.
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Pac Bay Tradition II T2MBC844 or 845. The 845 for the really big fast wiggle baits and the 844 for anything under an ounce. These are NICE blanks.
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I have misplaced the copy of RM that had the article on the smallmouth bass river rod. I want to try and duplicate it as close as I can. I have about a half dozen blanks that I can run the CCS numbers on but don't have the numbers for the rod in the article. Can anyone supply those?
Forum: rodboard

Have him contact FEdX for a pickup on his number and then it all falls on him to provide all that info. All you do is build the rod and charge him for it.
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