The filler I used sanded alright but sunk down in the middle and needed a second coat. Once complete, it did not look good to me, the color didn't match. The rod was my own so I'll keep an eye on the filler and see if it eventually comes out. I have been building split grip rods for my customers and making each piece from a single cork grip by splitting it where I need it and sanding the cor
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Thanks for all the ideas. I had some of the Elmers Wood Filler here so I tried it. I have not got to sand it down yet but it looks really good. Thanks again for the advice, Steve Chontos
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I know there is a recipe to make your own cork filler but I couldn't come up with anything using the search function. Can anybody help me out here? I have a bunch of cork dust that I saved from shaping a split grip, what do I mix it with? Thank you, Steve Chontos
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Ed, I seen those blocks at the show, let me know how they work out. Thanks, Steve
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Bored or not, it doesn't matter to me. I am a machinist by trade so I can do what ever I need to make it work. Email me a phone number and I will give you a call. zeke392@yahoo.com Thank you, Steve
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I am looking to purchase some foam blocks to build grips out of, which vendors currently sell them? Thanks, Steve
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I guess I am not really cramming it into every available space but fill up any space. Fill in openings between arbors, fill up the space between reelseat splines, etc. I am sure that I use too much and would like to reduce that amount considerably. I don't have any poor fitting joints when assembling, I like to think that I have done everything I can to eliminate those with arbors, tape, etc. T
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I have been building rods for about a year now and still learn something new each day. I assembled a couple rod handles yesterday and as usual, I crammed as much rod bond into the grip and reelseat as possible. Afterwards, I was wondering, how much do I really need? In the quest for light weight rods, I am certain that I can eliminate some weight here. I am sure that I am using too much but fea
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Ryan, You stated under $20 so I recommended looking at Fish Sticks. I know Lance at Swampland had some very nice Castaway blanks for $25. I just got an order in from him and they are beautiful. Steve
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Ditto on Fish Sticks, they had a ton of trash can blanks at the show and I thought they were going to continue the sale for a little while. These blanks were pretty nice stuff. Better check with them though. Steve
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Duane, The customer asked me to repair the rods so I am replacing some guides and tips. Believe it or not, his are not peeling that bad so I don't have to worry about that. As far as that style reel seat, I don't think they are available anywhere, not that I found anyway. Daiwa has some different reelseats that I like but can't buy outright. Good Luck, Steve
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That looks like the original Team Daiwa rods that were maroon and black? I have 4 in my shop right now that I am repairing for a customer. I have and had a bunch of these over the years and the finish peeled on all of them. I also had 2 with the same reel seat problem that you describe. I found thet the grip was slipping on the rod and needed to be re-attached. Can't buy those rods new any longe
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I called the hotel today around 1:30 pm and booked a room for Saturday night. I talked to Melissa who was very outgoing. I told her that I would be attending the Rodbuilding Expo and she said that they still had rooms available. Look forward to meeting some of you who have been so helpful to me in my first year building. Steve Chontos
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link not working for me either Steve
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Look at the Castaway Blanks link, 2nd page. Steve
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What is the application? Since it's a 6'10" rod, I am guessing that the rod length means something to your customer. I would definitely ask the customer his opinion. Most bass fisherman I know, including myself, don't like a long rear grip. I just measured all my baitcasters, factory and custom built, worm rod, jig rod, crankin rod, topwater rod, etc, and they are all 10.5" to 12"
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Thanks for the input, I'll check everything out. Steve
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When I started this trade less than 1 year ago, I purchased a Pac Bay Rod Dryer. This is the RDM-1 item that consisits of a drying motor w/stand and adjustable chuck and a separate steady rest. The dryer motor has been making some noises and now it started jerking while I have it on. I do not have a ton of time on this unit. It really doesn't affect the drying process but I don't think it will l
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WOW !!! This is definitely a record for me. I do try and mix the epoxy slow to reduce the amount of bubbles I use a flat spattula to mix the epoxy I have mixed the epoxy in the small cups and in a lid lined with aluminum foil. I like the foil better because it does not have the small ridges in the bottom that the cups do preventing me from mixing the epoxy as good as I can. It also seems li
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I have been using Flex Coat Rod Wrap Finish for some time. Lately, I been having some trouble with it not drying all the way. I have begun to pay more attention to my mix ratio, even allowing for a little more hardner than resin and that seems to work. However, I have a couple wraps that never fully cured and remain tacky to touch. Is there anything I can do to the tacky wraps to harden the finis
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Thanks for all the replies so fast. I am going to try the hot water trick first but I might have to cut the blank. Luckily, with this type reel seat, the blank only goes into the seat about 4 inches. Thanks again, Steve
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remove a rod blank from a reel seat that I want to keep? The reel seat is very old but different enough that I want to re-use it with a new blank. What are some tricks to remove the blank from the seat without damaging the blank or seat? Thanks,
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Thanks for the input guys, I hate to waste perfectly good handles. Steve
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A friend gave me a bunch of broken rods to see what I could salvage. I found 3 telescopic rods that were broken beyond repair. Each of the handles are in great shape so I was wondering, can I purchase 3 blanks with butt dia measurements the same as the broken rods and use them to rebuild the rods? I had inquired recently about building telescopic rods and how to buy the blanks but this is a diffe
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Thanks for the help guys. Steve
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I have been using a bottle of American Tackle Color Preserver / Thread Sealer for almost 1 year. I am having problems with the CP bubbling when I apply it then drying in this condition on some wraps. It doesn't do it on all threads, just some of them. It doesn't seem like it is absorbing into the thread then dries like a coating on the surface. I am thinking that maybe I should thin it out some?
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I looked at the page, no virus alerts for me. My problem with these blanks is that I have used All Star rods for a long time and have several favorite model numbers that I like. However, I can't figure out how the model number crosses over to the blank number?? Is there a cheat sheet available to tell us what they are for? Steve
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Thanks for the input guys. Nice talking to you Ron and thanks for helping me out with what I needed. Steve Chontos
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Well, Since my deer hunting hasn't really been going as planned, and I had to have hernia surgery, I decided to work on a few rods. I have 2 old Browning / Lews Cranking Rods that a friend asked me to completely refinish for him. Both of these have the off-set reel seat that positions the rear grip high on the reel angling back and down. Actually, holding the rod with a reel feels pretty good bu
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Thanks for the input guys. It seems to have worked fine. I did notice the rod "free falling" so I taped a counter-weight opposite the first roller guide and that did the trick. Thanks again, Steve
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