Russell has it right-open the tiptop. You will be surprised how much difference you can make without compromising anything.
Forum: rodboard

Lorenzo, what you are doing is very much like the process for gunstocks. By the way, I had to put regular epoxy on the butt cork of a rod a few years ago, very glossy, and it still looks like new and has not shown any separation from the cork.
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You can write on Papilio clear stick-on decals with sharpie type pens, use ultra-fine to get a look a lot like the old Heddon hand written specs, then coat with a sealer like papilio's or krylon. I seal the edge of the decal with CP to help keep the epoxy from attacking the edge. Make sure to use a piece of the decal backing over the decal as you are going over the decal with a plastic burnishi
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Tru Oil started as an oil finish for gunstocks, or at least that was its major use for a long time. As a gunstock finish, it provides penetration and protection with the first coat. If one keeps adding coats it will build up a "coating" above the surface of the wood, or cork. The nature of the surface with multiple coats will be different than that for just one coat. I use just one
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Lorenzo, my prediction (based on zero actual data) that the Microwave would be less sensitive to reel dimensions and line type was based on the observation that it takes most of the loops out with the first guide, and that guide didn't look to me to be very sensitive to the direction the line is coming from. It was only a logical "guess," and it appears from other responses that it was
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After searching the forum and not finding my thoughts already covered, I thought I would open a new topic: I think there are some aspects of the Microwave system that have not received much or any attention. First I'll admit, I've not tried it yet. But from reading, watching video, and applying logic to the system, I would think that the system has significant differences other than its ca
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Not sure how everyone is defining "decal." If it means waterslide, I have no input. If it means putting an image onto a rod through the use of a film then I can contribute. If you have an image of what you want to put onto the rod, then you can scan that image into a computer file, then print that image onto a film, then apply that film to the rod. Not that difficult once you can ne
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Often the hot water approach with no cutting will do the job. Try it first.
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Roger, have you considered that what you have when you do the one guide replacement is in concept pretty close to the Fuji "Rapid Choke" concept?
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I have found for SPINNING RODS that the ergo recommendations in Rodmaker Magazine are valid, that the diameter that works best is usually bigger than the normally considered size 16. For freshwater spinning rods I have found 18 the best for me (9 inches from tip of thumb to tip of pinky with hand spread max). Using an 18 pipe style reel seat with a ramp matching the front diameter of the reel s
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Are they not quite high for the 90 degree guide on simple spiral?
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I don't think it matters to performance whether you spray before or after cutting. The decal will be encased in epoxy, probably the ends will be covered with thread and epoxy, and only the "seam" parallel with the blank axis is the issue. It too will be covered with epoxy. And on the bottom out of the sun. I have seen no issues with decals I have made that were sprayed before cutti
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Just thought of something else, putting a fingerprint on the lower side of a blank or ramp identifies the rod very well. Would a thief ever think of getting rid of the print? Not likely.
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Never thought of the fingerprint idea. I think it has possibilities, especially for rods for offspring and grandkids. My father was one to use a vibrator tool on all his reels, and as I encounter his signature on the reels, it gives me a really warm feeling. A fingerprint? Yes, it is a great idea. Pennicillin was discovered by accident, too.
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I don't use them for normal rods, but yes on travel rods where the tall guides are troublesome in tubes.
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I don't use them for normal rods, but yes on travel rods where the tall guides are troublesome in tubes.
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George, thanks for the video link. Regarding the casting rod, I'm no expert on this setup, but I'm not convinced the action of the rod will have anything to do with the layout of the first two guides FOR THE CAST. The rod, close to the reel, is essentially straight when casting. I think I'll start with what Fuji has spent a year on perfecting. Maybe the fast action comment is valid for the d
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I agree with Joe. One area that many don't consider, but can add significantly to rod weight, is burl cork. It can be almost double the weight of natural, unmixed, cork, according to some measurements I recently made.
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Do a google search for Papilio for media. For most decals the white vinyl is my favorite, but under certain conditions, clear works well (you have to have designs and colors that give very high contrast ratio-not as critical on the opaque, white background, vinyl media). You have to experiment and adjust. Keep in mind, your printer will not do metallics. White is made by leaving the area wi
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When I have had trouble with darkening of some of the areas treated with CP, I think it was due to insufficient drying time between coats or not enough coats of Cp. Also, some threads are more demanding than others, especially the lighter colors of thread. There are some CP's that are sold as "clear" products that require very long times between coats. While it is time consuming and i
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When I have had trouble with darkening of some of the areas treated with CP, I think it was due to insufficient drying time between coats or not enough coats of Cp. Also, some threads are more demanding than others, especially the lighter colors of thread. There are some CP's that are sold as "clear" products that require very long times between coats. While it is time consuming and i
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If a major part of your requirement is portability, like having a 4 piece rod, then go for the fastest action fly rod blank you can find. If a 2 piece 8 1/2 foot blank that will build into a wonderful casting rod for spoons will do, then the Batson XST1024F is as good as it gets.
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I cannot imagine that someone has a product out there that accidently is better for an application than the experts in that application have been able to design and produce.
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If this rod is typical of most old rods, just heat a deep pan of water that will allow imersion of the seat, let the seat get hot, and it should slide right off. I just did one a couple weeks ago, piece of cake.
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I just saw an old (40 years?) cheap glass rod I had given my son, and it had silver colored guides and tiptop with no rings. I doubt the guides were as hard as minima 4 hard chrome yet not one guide was grooved. The tiptop was heavily grooved, but not the guides. IMHO this substantiates my long-held view that the guides we use most of the time today are way "over-designed." I person
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Jim Gamble makes some very good points regardless of the testing that is mentioned in the early posts, testing that is limited in that only one rod, reel, and one line type is included in the tests. If I am not mistaken. If this system can ultimately result in an insensitivity to line type and test and rod characteristics and reel details (or be predictable for reel details, like the old 27
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One thing I notice with both guide systems is that the line comes off the reel with a "wave length" that probably depends on the line and reel spool characteristics. With regular guides that wave form persists through the first guide, on into subsequent guides. It takes many guides to damp it out. With the Microwave, that wave gets attenuated mostly in that first guide, and the job r
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If you don't want to do them yourself, Decal Connection is excellent. Easy to talk to a real person who knows the products well.
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I would not use a tall guide on a fly rod because rods with tall guides don't pack very well, regardless of the slight, if any, performance gain that might be acheived. Unless I lived on a lake I would never again make a two piece rod, same issue. The 4 piece blanks are excellent.
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I have many decals that are about 5 years old with no discernable fading. After printing them I coat with a Krylon or Papilio clear coat that advertises UV protection. I am sure that in time, anything will fade in the sun, and the closer to the equator, the faster, but I think it can be put off to some degree by using the UV clear topcoats before the epoxy.
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