I have a single chuck Pac Bay Rod Dryer that I have been using. I will be repairing a salt water down-line rod that is very heavy. Will my dryer be able to handle this rod? I am using Flex Coat Rod Wrap finish so my spin time will be 3 to 4 hours I guess. Thanks, Steve
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Ditto for me too!!
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Sorry, I thought you were asking about foam blocks. Heck, I didn't even know they made pre-shaped foam grips. Also, I don't know why my reply came through twice, sorry about that too. Steve
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I get my foam blocks from Fishsticks4U. Check their link on the left. Steve
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I get my foam blocks from Fishsticks4U. Check their link on the left. Steve
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James, Before I learned this craft, I changed several of my own rods to a split rear grip. I also extended 3 of these rods rear grip length at the same time, making my spices at the rear grip. This was not the way to go as all 3 have failed. 2 broke on hookset and 1 on casting. If you are working with a blank, I would put the splice under the real seat, as Tom recommends. This will of course req
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I would not use anything long enough to wrap around the part you are polishing. Steve
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I have read the post from Mike Barkley, glad to hear you are alright. I have also read the other topics around mandrel collars and micro chucks. I have not yet turned a wooden handle but have made foam and cork ring grips. I am a Machinist by trade with 28 plus years experience running all types of machinery. I also have 5 years experience in safety and accident investigation. I would like to m
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Mann, 3 replies and they are each 1 minute apart and basically carbon copies of each other. Thanks alot guys, I'll take a look at them. Steve Chontos
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I did a search and found no results so I am coming to you all. How do you build telescopic rods? Do you buy the blank fitted as 2 pieces or do you piece it together yourself? Since beginning this craft, I have looked at almost everybody's blanks and I don't remember seeing any 2 piece blanks. By 2 pieces I mean a handle about 20 inches and the rest of the rod slides back into the hande for tran
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Mark, I don't know what finish process I'll use yet, I have never used any. That will most likely be another plea for help. Steve
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I had a customer give me 2 old Browning / Lews cranking sticks today and asked if I could rebuild them for him? These are the rods with the angled rear grip and they each have all their guides but the finish is shot. After I remove the guides, what are some options to remove the damaged finish? Also, How would you re-make the information labels that will be destroyed? Thanks again for al
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Thanks again for the reply's and for the emails. I should say that I have not experienced any problems related to rodbuilding orders, all mine were from actually using a card and having my information stolen, copied, scanned, whatever. I am heading to Daytona Beach in the morning, vacation with my family. I will not have internet for 7 days, I hope I can make it. Thanks again, I can't wait to ge
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Thanks for all the input guys. Some very good information here, as always. Thanks again, Steve
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Since beginning this craft in early 2008, I have ordered from several sponsors. On all but 1 occasion, I called them and placed a verbal order. This is very time consuming for both the vendor and customer, and leaves some margin for error. I know that the online option is there for most sites, but I have been a victim of identity fraud 2 times and both have been related to credit card usage. I am
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I just started this craft and bought the Pac Bay model. I too have heard some warnings about the chuck opening but I have been using mine religiously for 4 months and have not had any problems out of it. Good luck. Steve
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Thanks again guys, I appreciate all your help. I have a few things to try out next time. Looks like In need to subscribe to the magazine too. Sounds like the perfect Fathers Day gift. Steve Chontos
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Thanks for all the input. I was able to scrape up enough of the U-40 to apply 1 more coat to a heavy butt wrap (between a split rear grip) and to a double chevron in front of the foregrip. I am still struggling to get a perfectly smooth finish here. I apply the material and let it rotate for a little while. I stopped the rotation and let the excess sag to the bottom and I wiped it off. I spun it
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"BTW, as a silly question, why three coats? Two usually seems to be plenty - - -" Uncle Russ, I have been struggling to learn how to do long runs of epoxy over my wraps and I still have a long way to go. I had a really bad 1st coat (uneven) and my 2nd coat was much better but I still have a couple thin spots. I'm learning though! Thanks, Steve
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I should be finished with my 4th rod build however, I am going to need a 3rd coat of finish over a couple wraps. Since beginning this craft, I have used U-40 but I don't think I have enough left to do the wraps another time. I just purchased Flex Coat to try it, Can I use the Flex Coat over the U-40? Thanks, Steve
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I have been building on some "trash can blanks" that I bought to learn with. They are good blanks but the color is thin and inconsistant. I am building 1 now that I used a heavy thread to wrap between the split rear grip to hide a poor finish. The wrap actually looks pretty good but it is really heavy thread. 1, Do I treat the whole wrap with CP as I would any regualr thread? 2, I g
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DR, I did not wax the grip, I have only use it once and will again tomorrow. Scott, I have a split rear grip with the front piece tapering to nothing as it transitions to the blank. The shape you have may work better. Those carbon grips look great, how do you build those? Steve
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I used U-40 High Build, L. S. Supreme as the coating to strengthen the foam. Basically, the finish is as smooth as any rod finish. Yes, it is a casting rod with a trigger but it is slick in your hand. If I dip the handle in the water before I use it, it provides a grip, maybe through suction? However, no water, no grip, you will throw it right out of your hand. Joshua, Are you going to comple
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When I was being taught this craft, I chose to build my grips from the 8 lb foam block material. Once at the desired shape, we painted the foam then coated it with epoxy. This made for a very light rod and sharp looking too. However, it is very slippery to use. It actually grips well if you wet it before using it. Anyway, I was wondering if anybody uses a different coating that is not slippery?
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I notice the same problem when building rods with the "blank exposed" style. These seats must fit tight to the rod and in my opinion, each manufacturer's vary in size. You can not use an arbor with this set up. I have been building my own 2 piece reel seats too and the size is most important here also. Right now I have 2 exact same rods that I am building with 2 different manufacturer's
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I would define "fast drying" as being able to remove it from the rod dryer in around 2 hours? Maybe I have too high of expectations for this? I plan on buying / building a multiple dryer but until then, I was just looking for an alternative. I had somebody tell me that they use off the shelf 2 ton epoxy and I also seen that mentioned here but that did not get favorable reviews. I guess
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I have been repairing some rods for my friends, kind of getting started into that business and have been in a bind recently when I have multiple rods going. Since I just began, I only have a Pac Bay single drying set up so I can only run 1 rod at a time. I have been using U-40 high build and just got some Felx Coat to try but I was wondering if there is a fast drying thread coating that I can be
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If your talking about the skeleton, split casting reel seat design, I have been looking for those myself. Swampland had a line on them and I been waiting for their arrival. If anybody else has them available, I would sure appreciate knowing about it too. I have made several but you sink a lot of time in them. Thank you, Steve
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Being new to this craft myself, I have been learning on "trash can blanks". Some of these have severe scratches and inconsistant finishes so I removed all the color from 1 blank, down to the graphite by hand, with mild sand paper. When all the color was removed, I made an arbor for it, spun it in a drill and finished the blank with fine sandpaper and scotchbrite. The fine sandpaper true
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Jeff, I just started building and repairing rods and have built 3 to date. I borrowed a book from a friend called "Modern Tackle Craft" by C. Boyd Pfeiffer and began reading the sections around rodbuilding. I built 4 'V" blocks, 2 singles and a double and started looking for materials. Around the beginning of this year (2008), I started inquiring about materials that I thought
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