No need for protection. It's all about cosmetics.
Forum: rodboard

Roger, your tensioner is the either the same flex coat tensioner I used to use or another brand based on the same principals. I only had trouble with metallics a couple times; most of the time it worked fine with metallic thread.
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Maybe I'll try to cobble my old (Flex Coat ?) tensioner that develops tension by pinching the thread on to the wrapper. I never had uneven tension and never had thread damage. What do you use, Roger?
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My experience indicates that 5mm running guides will work fine. I believe that sizes below that offer little or no advantage, and can have problems like Roger mentions. As is often the case when something new comes out, we tend to go overboard with it which at times can be counterproductive, as in the smaller micros.
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One of the uses of thread is to wrap decals/abolone/etc to be sure it's tight to the blank after many hours. A thread that stretches a lot, wrapped at high tension, is ideal for this function. Probably the D size would be best. But Hitena should be better than threads with less stretch. Using the small spools I find that on my AmTak wrapper, with the spools being loaded axially by springs t
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I've had a number of tiptops groove, all from factory rods before I started making my own rods and using premium materials for tiptops. None of those has grooved. Tiptop grooving is an issue.
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If you are looking for a decal that will be used on all your rods as opposed to a one of a kind decal, Decal Connection is as good as it gets. The problem with most home-made decals is that they are printed with ink that is not that stable, and they change color depending on the quality of the ink. I know of no way to know what inks are better than others, but I don't believe any "home
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Ah ha! Thanks, Tom. It acts a lot like oil when applied like oil. In the old days I used linseed oil, applied in the same manner, and it would dry or cure or somehow change from wet to dry. The safety sheet for Tru Oil describes it as a mixture of three ingredients, 40-70% Stoddard Solvent, 15-40% modified oil (proprietary), and 7-13% linseed oil.
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The response of the cork will vary with the texture of the sanded/turned surface of the cork. If it feels wet, you most likely are applying too much. My experience indicates that you want just a few drops on your hands and rub it on vigorously. My experience is with Tru Oil gunstock finish. I agree with Phil and Wikipedia. My gunstocks and burl cork grips with Tru Oil finish do not feel w
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Agree with all the positive comments above, cannot go wrong.
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I think there are two points being missed here. The party line is that cork doesn't absorb finish therefore finish won't work. But, when cork is sanded its surface is disturbed to the point that some finish is "held," it changes the color of the cork slightly, and depending on the coarseness of the sanding process, it does not always "come off." Oils work to give a little
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True Oil gunstock oil works nicely on burl to bring out the grain and prevent soiling, so I would expect other oils to work well too. I don't know if it's "coming off," but the appearance is stable and has looked good for years on a couple of my rods. Another striking finish is wrap epoxy for a very handsome, glossy, finish. Search photos for my full name and note the green
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Blanks don't get confused, only we humans do that. I have a light power conventional wrap casting rod that twists 180 degrees under heavy stress, doesn't seem to hurt it.
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Send me an e-mail, click on my blue name.
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PacBay has a "TiBlack" finish on 304 stainless steel. 316 stainless is more corrosion resistant, but I could not find a black 316 snake. Alps X series snakes are 316, but the darkest finish is TiChrome, which is nothing like black. I would contact PacBay and ask about salt application of this guide. I would think it would work fine as long as you wash the rod after every salt ex
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Seems like "light action" isn't right for what you are doing. I suggest you pick a blank, give us all the specs, include what type and test line you'll be using, and go from there. Also, check out the Anglers REsource catalog, available in the left column of sponsors. It covers the K series guides in detail. I think the size recommended above for salt runners is about right.
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The Rod Geeks people are very good to work with. Call them with questions.
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I have used borh flex coats and Pro Kote and my conclusions are that the major difference between Pro Kote and the Flex Coats is cure time. Pro Kote took so long I was always worrying, even over a day after application. The differences between the Flex Coats is obviously viscosity, and I prefer the light over the high build. I most always have a nubbin or something to fix after the first coat,
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It's not as much about the micros, it's about the reduction train. I would start with the running guide size of about 5 minimum (it they would pass any knots you may want to use) and then try to find a reduction train that will work. I wouldn't even consider trying to make 20 or 25 work (on a spin setup),and 15 would take pretty large guides, like 30-20-10 or something like that. For these tes
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I'm not sure I'd trust some of the wine corks I've seen. Some are pretty poor quality. I'll stick with foam cores when I need a core.
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Lamson Guru II will handle anything fishable with this rod and costs about $250. For fresh water you can go with less, but if you want also to be able to go salt, the Lamson is a very capable reel at a reasonable price.
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I say don't overthink this. Reel angle is, IMHO, highly overrated as a significant factor in rod design. Do a 27X, select stout single foot spin guides that will best cast that 30 pound mono, and experiment to get the best performance. The real issue is 30 pound mono, not the reel angle or lack thereof. I would start with a stout 30 guide, reduce in no more than two more guides, and use mat
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Got it, didn't think of that.
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Roger, your plugs will be in 1/8 in increments, right? What about blanks in between. ? I used to drill through then mix an epoxy/shavings mixture, plug it, sand. Now I usually drill through then plug with an auto interior trim rubber bumper available from auto parts shops. Gives a good , soft feel to the end and a pad on which the butt rests when the rod is stood up on its butt.
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I tried heat gun, too easy to overheat and get wavy finish. Also, unless you have a really clean area, it will stir up dust, fly tying feathers, etc. It can be done well, but easy to screw up.
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If you ever lose a rod overboard and cannot retrieve it for a day or two, you'll probably be happy if you used waterproof glue. Don't ask how I know this. Also, I've had rods I've used in Canada that didn't leave the boat for a rainy week. I think waterPROOF is the wise choice.
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I suggest putting the stripper guide where you can reach the line easily when reaching for it. Maybe a little stretch to reach it, but you want to make that important action easy and natural. Advantages of snakes over ceramic: MOst likely lighter, so more sensitive rod with faster recovery than if ceramics were used. Sensitivity probably not an issue for this rod, but recovery speed may be.
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I suggest putting the stripper guide where you can reach the line easily when reaching for it. Maybe a little stretch to reach it, but you want to make that important action easy and natural. Advantages of snakes over ceramic: MOst likely lighter, so more sensitive rod with faster recovery than if ceramics were used. Sensitivity probably not an issue for this rod, but recovery speed may be.
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Expert advice for handling this troublesome product above- not the brand, the viscosity. But. . . For the future it seems the obvious choice is to go to a lower viscosity product, and use two coats if necessary. Easy to avoid footballs, fewer bubble problems, less need for heat or diluting. Overall, more reliable high quality wraps. If one is new to Pro Kote medium build, be aware that it take
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Ernest, I didn't mean the rod had "extra cork," or any judgment on the design of the rod, only that the rods I build, for lighter duty fresh water fishing, have much less cork. Therefore they displaces less water. And would, therefore be less likely to float. In spite of being very light. This string has really been interesting, a mix of jest, facts, physics, myth, and NIH. I'm sur
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