I just got one from Fishsticks. Works great!!
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Thanks guys, the light just came on. Mark's suggestion of using the miter gauge slot make sense. I'll try it today! Thanks Mark.
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I'm rolling the cork through the band saw and getting a clean cut. I'm having a real hard time getting the straight edge to line up correctly. I'm using the marks on the deck of the band saw and I've also measured from the right edge of the deck to try to get a straighter cut. Any tricks here? And thanks for all the feedback, cork is expensive and I hate getting bad results. I'm also cutti
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This was my 3rd show and I had a great time. My work gets so much better just talking to all the talented people. I've made a lot of good friends and appreciate all the effort Tom puts into the show. Also, Morris with his lathe seminar is a great added touch to the show. He truly enjoys helping people. I hope you bring him back next year. With a little luck the I-40 rock slide will be repai
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I've been using my band saw to cut cork into a smaller size. I get a good clean cut but have a hard time getting the cut straight. I talked to a few people at the show about it and they didn't feel that a band saw was the best tool to use. Any suggestions? What about a mini table saw? Thanks in advance! Brandan
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Thanks for the information. With a 6' grip behind the reel seat and a 3" of cork at the end of the blank, you really don't have much space that is unused. This is a 10-12 # bass rod. Do you think I should go without the split grip? My main reason for the split grip is the client wants a BUNCH of decal work on the blank. I need more space for this reason.
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I'm building a 7' casting rod and will be using split grips. Can someone recommend the correct size needed behind the reel seat. The guy I'm building it for is about 6'6". Should the grip behind the seat be longer since he most likely has larger hands? Thanks for the help!
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Thanks for all the input. I'm much further along after adding this post. Rodbuilder.org is a great resource!!
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Bill, great suggestion. It seems like it would be an easy extension and easy to hide the transition under the cork grip. Does any one see an issue doing this?
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I need to build someone a 10' 3wt or 4wt fly rod with fast action. (he would prefer 3 wt) I've had trouble finding a blank. Any suggestions? And to make it tougher, the guy wants a blank for a reasonable cost. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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Eric, what is this modified quick bar clamp that you use?
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I need to build a rod for a guy that wants the flag of Ireland on it. Anyone know where if they are available? I've looked at the sites for a few decal sources and have not see one.
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I have been gluing the cork rings on my 1/4' mandrel using Titebond. I have been putting a coat of wax on the mandrel first. What is the issue if you get a little rust on the mandrel?
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Roger, I'm turning formed handles. I've tried wax on the mandrel and let the glue help hold it in place. It seems that I'm pretty close to what many other people are doing. John Z. - if you are using threaded rods, you put it on a mandrel to turn after it has been set up? Thanks for the ideas guys.
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When I turn cork rings I build up the mandrel with masking tape to create a more snug fit so the rings don't spin when I'm turning the cork. I'm sure there is a better way to do this. Any good suggestions to get a tight fit on the mandrel?
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I put this post out last week and Jim Gamble was kind enough to send some thread to me. Unfortunately, it was the wrong thread. I need Gudebrod HT ELECTRA Metallic in size D color 9326 red. They make it in HT Metallic but the red in ELECTRA is out of production. Would anyone have 6' they could spare?? I've got a butt wrap done and won't have enough to finish. It has to be ELECTRA, it looks
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I think Scott Parsons at FishStcks4U is the owner of all the Roddancer products. His # is: 919-900-8998.
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Brad, Give me your email. I'd love to talk, you can teach me a thing or two.
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Jim, Thanks so much! 6' will get me done. I'd be happy to pay for it or more than happy to buy you a cocktail at the show in High Point if you go to it. Let me know! Thanks again, My address is: Brandan Martin 7610 Twisting Creek Lane Ooltewah, TN 37363.
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I have a rod started and won't have enough thread to finish it. The thread is no longer in production. It is Gudebrod HT ELECTRA Metallic in RED # 9326 size D. Does anyone have a spool they would sell me? Even a remaining portion of a spool will help. Even if someone could part with about 6' from a spool, I could get this rod done. Hate to re-do the entire wrap. Thanks for the help!!!!
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I have not tried vacuum bags. I may give it a try but I don't think it would have helped this situation. I'm expecting to see some sort of abuse when I get the rod back.
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Tom, I've made some out of 5# foam that is hard enough to drive a nail into something. For the life of me, I can't figure out how it could get damaged. A friend of mine who knows the kid that has the rod suggested that it could have been left in a car and exposed to high head under the rear car glass. I don't think the glass could produce enough heat to cause damage.
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I have been building rods with foam core grips for the past several months. I've used different weight foam, different sleeve materials and different finishes to 'test' the results. Last month I build two for a customer in Florida. I got a call this morning that one of the grips has a major problem with it. It was a rod built for a 14 year old boy. The failure was the rear grip has three dee
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JP, Thanks for your help Sunday afternoon with the basics of the Jet lathe. I bought it and truly appreciated your advice. I would hope that someday I could make something like the pieces I purchased from you for a split grip rod. You do beautiful work and that will be a rod that is really going to stand out. Again, thanks for your help! Brandan Martin
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I use a small 2 oz. cup and line it with tinfoil. I find that I get less bubbles with the tinfoil. I also heat it under a 75 watt bulb that hangs over my work bench. I think the tinfoil helps heat it quickly under the low heat source I use. I can build 20 rods with the same cup. I save all the tinfoil that my wife was throwing away that is in good shape. Just rinse it off. I guess since I
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I bought three skins at the ICRBE in High Point last year at what I thought were very fair prices. The folks in the both were extremely helpful pointing me in the right direction to get started. I've made 5-6 rods with the snake skin over the past year and was thrilled with the results. I consider it very easy to work with and it looks amazing under epoxy. If you are going to the show talk to
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Tom, I know the article did not have a cap. I bought a mold that did have a top cap and was unsure how to deal with it. I'll give it another go tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the help.
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I don't think i made a bomb. More like a iron pipe!!! Tom, I did try to follow the directions in RodMaker Magazine, but I was not sure what to do with the cap. I'll try another one tomorrow with any cap on it. I was very suprised how hard the second one came out. I thought it would be much more brittle. One more question: I had a few holes in the grip. Should they be filled prior to put
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At last years expo in NC I bought a mold from Scott Parsons and just tried it out for the first time. I bought 8# urethane foam and my first try came out heavy as an anchor!! I mixed a good amount of foam and filled the 1 1/4 pvc just under half way to the top. I put the plug and washer on and screwed it down. The mold came out great looking, just heavy. The color was a dark yellow compared
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I called Robert this morning to place an order and was shocked and sorry to hear that him and Ray had sold the business. I have been a very loyal customer of theirs for about four years. The difference of thier company was as strong of a service committment as I have seen from any company. Both Robert and Ray have given me a tremendous amount of adivce over the years making rod building more e
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