I want to know what the comparable ratings of the the available blank actions are. Fast action blanks usually allow greater casting distance with light lures than slower action blanks allow. ERN is still a great tool to compare blank power but on spinning rods I'm more interested in finding fast action blanks to build on. Individual manufacturers vary widely in their designation of action making
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I'd hate to be without it now. I won't consider new blanks unless I get a chance to compare them with the system. I think being able to find the AA on spinning rods is very valuable.
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I've been happy with the Lamiglas CHJ 6650 blanks. They have enough tip action to recognize the bite and enough backbone to do some serious lifting on heavy fish. I have two rods made on them with spiraled guides and all that have used them to date like them.
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Scott has good advice and I have flocked over flock that had adhered well but was too sparce. This worked out well.
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I use unstabilized wood that I cut green and dry myself. I cut the wood into 1 1/2" X 1 1/2" blanks while still green and seal the end grain with a wax sealer made for that purpose . Other substances may be substituted as a sealer such as paint or varnish. Anything that will seal the ends and slow the rapid escape of moisture seems to work. Upon sealing I allow the blanks to dry at ro
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I haven't checked lately but at one time G Loomis used identical spacing for all of their 9', 2pc. flyrods in GLX and IMX material. This indicates that their spacing works but as the blank characteristics varied considerably some fine tuning by a custom builder was appropriate.
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The Lamiglas LSJ models made from their XMG material are great blanks for your purpose as are the many other blanks being recommended here.
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I have good luck using guide foot glue on these small guides but this method gives me an alternative. Thanks for sharing.
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G Loomis helped greatly to improve graphite rod blanks and made some of the best. Now there are others that compete well with Loomis in quality and performance. Life is dynamic and change is inevitable so make the best use of change and take advantage of the advances it brings. There are are many opportunities to replace G Loomis blanks with others of equal performance at more modest prices.
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The rubber leader straighteners tend to heat the leader material and leave it weaker. A straight pull using your hands that stretches the leader is preferable. A furled leader is best of all. Those made from thread don't exibit any memory and last a long time by replacing tippets as needed.
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I know little about the Eco Wrapper but I started wrapping with a borrowed Sulley. I then picked up a hand wrap version of the Custom Power Wrapper. Upon using it a bit I found I really missed the tensioning arms on the Sully so I added stainless music wire tensioners to the carriage on my Hand Wrapper. This serves me very well now as I really liked this feature on the Sully. As John says the Sul
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I have had very good success using Lamiglas CHJ 6680 50-80# blanks for standup rods. they are composite construction with fast actios.
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St Croix has a wide range of very good blanks made in the USA. Lamiglas as well as others also manufacture here but may carry some imported blanks along with their own. Others may have suggestions as well.
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The CCS Data Site will give you some technical information about Dan Craft blanks in the rod section as well as the blank section. Frankly I have found his blanks to perform well against all others but at the same time all manufacturers tend to design some unique features in their blank lines that don't allow perfect comparisons. Since I can't build on all of them I now limit my personal rods to
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I have been using CA on fly rod and spinning rod reel seats and wood grips for about three years. Previously I used and liked Tru-Oil. Depending on usage, but normally the Tru-Oil grips I used were ready for touch up after a year or so but it is easily done. To date I haven't had to touch up a CA grip but I'm certain that time will require it at some point. CA touch up or repair shouldn't be a ma
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Rod Bond!
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If you can put it in a freezer for a few minutes. It works even better than cooling with ice. I've been able to separate a couple of rods by doing so and then using something similar to Colby's tool or a similar gripping aid to pull them apart. The advice given above by Joe is also helpful in the process.
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I haven't tried it on cork but I've had good results using thin CA glue in the same situation on wood.
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Rat tailed files turned in reverse work well but I like coarse 80 grit sand paper strips wrapped and glued to a section of rod blank as reamers. There are two things you need to do with either tool however. 1) Feed the reamers to the wood slowly and patiently. Too much speed creates heat. 2) Clean the reamers whether file or sandpaper often. Don't let them clog. Reaming wood is more demanding t
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My neighbor was given a bait casting reel and wanted a rod to use it on. Since most of his fishing was trolling I gave him a spiral wrappped rod I had built and told him to try it. On his first trip with it he had good success but on his second trip he attempted to cast it with limited results and many back lashes for he had never cast with anything but a spinning reel before. Rather than learn t
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I recently had the opportunity to wrap a five weight sage tip section that was identical to a factory wrapped section with snake guides. I used fuji alconite size 6 blag guides. The tip section i wrapped was lighter than the factory section due to using less finish epoxy on the single foot alconites. Had I used single foot wire guides it would have been even lighter. The epoxy used in finishing
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For the easiest answer and consideration of your question follow Bill Boettcher's advice above and view the www.common-cents data site that he recommends.
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Check this photo site. I have had good results flocking reel seats.
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I agree with Spencer. The SH series Forecast blanks have soft tips and are extremely fast action as well as being durable. Based on two SH 1084's I have built and used I believe a SH 1081-2 or an 1141-2 would come close to your need. A 125 lb Salmon Shark was landed on one of the 1084's I put together and the other rod has taken several steelhead from shore on the upper reaches of Idahos Salmon R
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If you don't want to use CP for the initial coat prior to using epoxy you can use a coat of Permagloss in place of it. The Permagloss will coat the thread and also eliminate the lubricant problem.
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Some of the fastest of the fast action blanks I have measured have been Forecast blanks. These certainly aren't high modulus or expensive.
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When you have mastered making your own cork grips wood may lure you iinto further experimenting. If so the addiction process may become too strong to reject.
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Titebond III definitely is corrosive on steel mandrels.Some folks coat their mandrels and work with it. I tried it once and returned to Rodbond as It works good for me without the corrosion headache.
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The Rainshadow XST 1084 blanks I have measured came out with AA's of 73 and 76 which makes them competitive with most spinning rods as far as action. These are great blanks in my experience.
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The method Andrew suggests eliminates the off center problem.
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