Mark, everyone is answering your specific question, and they are right. But in a more general sense you are asking what can you do to make cork more attractive. Consider my first post. The green burl cork on the rod in my photo was terribly ugly as machined. Little to no character, looked dull and dusty, no class, nothing attractive. But compare to the photo. True Oil will be about half way
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If you used burl cork, you can change the appearance dramatically by applying Tru Oil, which will show the character of the burl nicely, but will darken the cork. You can apply wrap epoxy which will also darken the cork, but will also give it a beautiful gloss finish while exposing the character of the burl.
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Try reaming after finish forming your complete grip. I think you'll find it precise enough and much easier. I have never reamed rings individually.
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Don't overthink it, not rocket science. Just make sure of a few things. 1. don't under-ream so that the cork has to be stretched to go over the blank. Cork doesn't stretch much without splitting. 2. use plenty of epoxy. The excess will come out at the end and can easily be cleaned up. 3. You want to make sure that every void or hole or spot of irregular fit is filled with epoxy, so use ple
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The blank is at least 4 or 5 years old, is brown, and is definitely an SCV, seven foot, medium fast. It was about a year or two after they changed from green to brown. If I remember correctly. Norman, you may be dead on as the Rodgeeks level 4 7 foot med fast is about 500 grams, maybe a bit more. I expected it to be same as the St Croix SCV, but it defintely is more powerfuI. I get the AA
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The colored burl corks really look dull and not at all attractive without something on theme. I'm sure all the products mentioned will do a good job of brightening them up and bringing out the "grain." Try to find the cork burl that has various size chunks in it-much more attractive than the burls with all tiny, uniform-sized chunks. Night and day difference.
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Yes, CCS is valuable for all rods, and I think the interest in it is growing. More brands are providing data, and more people on forums are familiar with it and getting better at trading data. Others have tried to collect and publish data, and it is, I believe, a monumental task. Which is why they usually do it for a while, then give it up. Just consider how many blank models there are. Are
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I get 452 grams 77 degrees. Great blank, I've built 4 for my family and me. Point Blank now gives their version and the true version of CCS, as stated above.
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"Unless there is some thing structurally wrong with a rod. . .". Like damage? You're right, you said structurally wrong. Never mind, our points have been made. regards, Mike
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"Unless there is some thing structurally wrong with a rod. . .". Like damage? Never mind, our points have been made. regards, Mike
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Robert, that process should work. I was thinking of something like that with the polyurethane finishes, but they dry so fast there might not be time to finesse it. Wrap finish should work. I'd test anything I was planning to do on a scrap rod.
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All of these good suggestions assume you want a round grip, but this may be a good time to experiment with something else. Like maybe a hammer handle shaped grip. You can remove cork rather fast by hand with 60 grit sandpaper, then as you get the shape you want, go finer in stages to end up with a good, smooth finish. One casting grip I made too big based on ergonomic guidelines (which work
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Keep the "dry wall principle" in mind. It is: There comes a time in any project when all attempts to make it better will make it worse. If you have a scrap glossy rod, scratch it similarly to the one you're trying to fix and try just a drop of Tru-Oil applied and rubbed with your fingers on it. The problem with putting fingernail polish or other finish of that type is that i
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It also specifically mentioned that the caster can adapt to "any rod" that is not structurally damaged and cast it accurately. "It's not the rod."
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Phil, your comment disputes that the rod is a factor, then you state how the rod is a factor in accuracy.
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Ben, regarding the ramps I use off the front of the uplocking seat, the photos below are typical of them. Usually I make them out of rigid polyurethane reel seat shims and put 3 coats of wrap epoxy over them. Keep the diameter just smaller than the hood diameter to make running the wrap epoxy up to the seat hood easy. If the ramp is bigger than the hood diameter, it is very difficult to get th
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Question number 1 almost answers itself. You say you would be happy with the $150 build. You can leave it at that. But if you want to go further, I don't believe you can build a $150 rod that will match the GLX. Also, if you are a beginning builder, you may not reach your expectations on the first few builds. I always recommend starting on the less expensive stuff; make your mistakes there,
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I do believe that some spinning and baitcasting rods are harder to cast accurately than others. I expect it's true for fly rods too, but i'm not very experienced or talented to comment on fly rods. As the length gets longer, it is harder to precisely cast the lure, especially if you are not going for distance, but are trying to place a lure at moderate to short distances. I also think that the
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I never use size 16 seats, always 17's for that kind of rod. Tennessee has the advantage or allowing infinitely variable reel position, some rings don't hold the reel as securely as a regular or Aero seat, not sure you can get kits for them, might have to custom turn your grip. Look for components from Mudhole. Aero is very comfortable. I don't like the looks, but that is just me. For that
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Herb, no need to get that number, I was just curious as to how it compared with the ones I already know. Don't bother with a special setup. Ouch on the tendon, I hope you recover well.
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CCS AA?
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How fast is the CTS?
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I'm not familiar with the Pac Bay, have used the single foot spin guides from American Tackle, and found their yield strength (easy to bend) lacking. I have used the Alps a number of times and love them. They are very handsome and appear to be very tough, although I've not tried to destroy one. I believe that all titanium alloy guides will work fine in salt. I've used Alps stainless steel t
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Brook Trout, bonefish (if you can get the reflective nature of the scales of the bonefish-"hologramish."
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It is my opinion that there are two major candidates-Quickline, which is about half the price of the eternity2, has an action just a little faster than the Eternity2, and very close to the same power. The other is the Eternity2 which has nano technology, which should mean a tougher rod, less likely to be damaged. These two blanks are very reasonably priced (especially the Quickline-shop around
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I have done two green/white Rodgeeks blanks with about a 12 inch decorative wrap over the transition, which is a "soft" transition. One has CP protected Pro Wrap evergreen for the wrap, the other has Madeira rayon in forest green without CP. In neither case is there a problem with seeing the transition through the wrap. For what it's worth. On the Rodgeeks blanks, lower 1/3 in gree
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Ken, while I agree with you on the hand drill set-up, using a drill press is a very different story. It is quiet, smooth, easy setup, allows precision in the shape and dimensions. Not suitable for woods and acrylic, but works perfectly for cork and EVA. The cost, if you already have a drill press, is less than $10 for a bearing and a clamp.
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Anyone who is not experienced in using heat on a blank is better off to continue that in-experience. It doesn't take much of an error to ruin a blank. And as stated above, there are many ways to avoid heat and get the job done. "Experience" like this may be restated as "I learned the hard way."
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If you have a drill press, sink a ball bearing with a 1/4 inch bore into a piece of 1 by 4. Clamp the 1 by 4 onto the drill press platen, or whatever it's called. Mount your rings onto a 1/4 inch mandrell. With one end of the mandrel in the drill press collet, and the other in the bearing in the 1 by 4, you have both ends stable and all is safe. Experiment for the right speed, then use 60 gr
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Why do you conclude that the rod is too long? What is the problem you are trying to solve?
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