The tiptop still looks a little clunky, but the guide design is much improved over earlier versions, IMHO. I would be interested in how their weight compares with equal size titanium frame guides and tiptops, , on a percentage basis.
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I have used rigid polyurethane foam reel seat arbors for ramps off the front and rear of spin seats. I have painted them with "hardware store" paint to get a uniform color , either in white or ivory, and they take paint well. I then finished them with a couple coats of wrap epoxy and of all the rods I have done this with, I only had one failure. It was made from a foam grip form and
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Don't dress them.
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I always totally encapsulate my tape arbors. Never had a failure. Water cannot get to the tape if totally encapsulated. Tape is good for small gaps. If larger gaps than a few layers of tape, go with polyurethane foam arbors. Easy to ream, easy to turn them down if too large for the seat. Just stick a slightly larger drill into the bore and spin on a drill driver, holding 60 grit sandpaper a
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I would certainly try a patient sanding attempt before resorting to heat. If there is "damage" to the finish that will be exposed, it can be covered with thread, abalone, or other decal type trim products. I think with patience you will get out of this just fine.
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Low build epoxy in time will get a tan tint. So it's not a great solution, IMO. I think that urethanes that have an amber tint are formulated to do that, but there are clear ones. You would want to get an exterior grade. But PG if you can make it work is the right solution. One thing to try is to do an experiment with a decal on a scrap blank piece, use CP over it, then PG, and see if it w
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It's not the seat edge that's important, it's where the reel stem is located. I'm not sure all reel seats have the same dimension from their edge to the stem. To be sure you get what you want, focus on the reel stem position.
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The issue is ergonomics, the placement of the reel relative to the butt considering snagging the butt on the elbow area if it gets too long. It might depend on the intended use of the rod; thick clothing might lead you to a shorter dimension. Balance also can get into it as longer dimensions between the reel and the butt often are said to balance better. There is no set rule. I suggest yo
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Looks pretty darned good to me. If you are worried about the little bit of cloth texture that shows, I consider it simply the nature of this type grip. I would be very pleased to get the look you achieved.
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Ask Tom. I think he will tell you about many disagreements. But in this case, I have to go along with him. He's not going to get everything wrong. :-)
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Sure looks to me like the #20 example by Tom is the way to go. I don't like the idea of putting a thinner on and expecting the epoxy to perform as usual when contaminated by thinner. Why take the risk when epoxy can be the lube? Just my opinion. I've only done it one way, #20.
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If you are talking the area in front of the threads, usually a front grip of some sort would go there and could be effectively sealed, then a winding check or epoxy fill in front of that, as David suggested. But there are also winding checks that can go onto the front of the seat if no fore grip is used. They are sized for the size of the seat. I believe the seat from the front of the thre
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"On a fishing rod, the only thing fixed to the blank are the components on the rod. The line connected to the lure being cast isn't fixed, and it's flexible. That flexibility is going to eat up any energy that may be transferred to the line from any rotational forces generated by a loading or unloading rod blank." If I understood this , I might agree with it. Or disagree. I'm c
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I personally think that aluminum winding checks are ugly, gaudy, lipstick on a pig kind of thing. Yes, there are some nice builds with them, but most appear overdone and phony. I like the black vinyl/rubber checks-they make a nice transition, understated, classy look. Cover the whole check with wrap epoxy and it will basically just look like a black line at the end of the grip, then do a thin
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"Whatever direction that tip is going at that final moment is where everything else is going." yes, but if the rod recovers in a direction not opposite to its defection, there will be an error. Whether Orvis has done something significant, like FLO, to ensure that this does not happen, is debatable. The issue is whether or not one can accurately predict the direction of recovery
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But spine will still be a significant issue in rodbuilding. Probably forever. All the "proof" will not change that. Look at all the tutorials that still advocate it, and tools marketed to find it. It is not going to go away, no matter what "proof" there is. Believe that FLO/Orvis accuracy arguments could be significant or not. Your choice. But there is no evidence th
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The rod WILL recover from being loaded, but will it recover exactly in the plane of deflection? It is the first recovery that is the issue, not subsequent recoveries, and based on the traces of the tip, it may or may not recover in the same plane as the deflection. No, it will not be a great difference, but there is likely a difference. Significant? It's easy to dismiss new information, e
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Interestingly, the traces of tip movement Orvis is advertising, as pointed out to me by David Taylor, are the same as those one gets on golf clubs when the FLO, Flat Line Oscillation technique is used to select the proper orientation for the shaft/club face. FLO builds result in a trace that is a straight line. And they are the same as observed when doing the True Natural Frequency process. Yo
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Sam, your process is by your own report defective. And keep in mind that all decals are not the same. The NFC decals and Decal Connection decals should be handled as Norman writes. First, your blank should be smooth and clean, don't clean it with alcohol or any other liquid, just a light buff with something like a Skotchbrite pad, then wipe clean of dust with a paper towel or similar. A
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"critical error" Try Fuji/AnglersResource. It always works, great products.
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"Titanium seats do not come close." But Alps aluminum seats do just fine in salt. And look great as a bonus. Double locks, reel never moves. What more could I ask?
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Listen to Herb-he knows saltwater fly builds/fishing. My Alps aluminum seats after many years of salt fishing look like new. I rinse with fresh water from a hose immediately after every use. Same for the same seats I've built into many rods for my son.
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There may be a better way, but all I do is to put the tips on the floor and bend the blank to close to 90 degrees in a smooth arc, rotating it to feel the spine and check it under all orientations. I have to say I've never failed one and I've never had a "surprise" failure in the field. But acquaintance builders have told me of failures.
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Agree with Patrick on the RV-that's all I use on BC stripper + the KB / KT runners he recommends.
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All good advice, in my opinion.. I will ad that regardless of the corrosion resistance of the guides, wash your rod and reel immediately after each use. Do not immersed the reel / rod grip in a bucket of water as some recommend. This is asking for trouble. A rinse is right and doesn't expose the grip or reel to long periods of immersion. Do not skimp on epoxy in gluing the seat and grip on.
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I pasted the web address (URL?) into the comment field and it shows the path to the image, but not the image. I'm doing something wrong. Thanks, Tom I then went back to the image, right clicked , hit copy image, then came to this comment and hit paste, but no image appeared. Not getting it right yet.
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Anglers Rsrc-Fuji in the left margin is a good source, too. I strongly endorse the KR series of guides for spin, and use the KR software to locate and size the reduction guides. Hit the menu button to find other stuff, including the two line stress method of locating running guides. The two line method is actually easier to use than the one line since you can move the guides easily without unl
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The size depends on your preference. I would start quite fine and see how it works.
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I believe that using regular wrap epoxy then a top coat of matte finish exterior polyurethan will do the job nicely. Don't use a product not called "exterior." Do a test wrap to see how it looks.
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I used to use Papilio media, and it was very good. I cannot find them now, maybe out of business. But do a search for decal media on Amazon and you'll find plenty of options. Unless you know something I don't, be prepared for big color changes when exposed to even reasonable amounts of UV/sunlight.
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