Finished my second rod. This time Dad wanted a crappie rod. I used Forecast components from Al and Bill at Midwest Rod and Reel. I used a 7' RX7 IP840 blank, pipe style reel seat, Double Black Chrome guides using NGC and Forhan locking wrap. I turned the grips using pine. The decal of the crappie profile was done in the fashion of a complete wrap. This created some air pockets but they worked
Forum: rodboard

Built a northern pike casting rod for a family friend. It's a Batson IMB785 and has guides sized 12, 8, 6,6,6,6,6,6 placed using static testing. The grips are chokechery wood from the farm where the friend grew up. They are finished with CA.
Forum: rodboard

Finished my first rod the other day. Dad wanted a jigging rod for walleyes so I used Forecast components that I bought from Al and Bill at Midwest Rod and Reel. I used a 6 1/2' RX7 blank, G-16 reel seat, Double Black Chrome guides using NGC and Forhan locking wrap. I turned the grips using eastern red cedar with a 2008 penny inlay. The decal was done using a tutorial I found that was authored
Forum: rodboard

Built a 4 wt fly rod for a guy who wanted to incorporate his hunting dog into the theme. We started with an RX8 four piece fly rod from Batson and a black ash burl blank that I turned into the handle and reel seat. The finish is CA. Used a spent .45 shell for a butt inlay. I got a picture of the customers hunting dog and photo shopped it to get the profile for the decal on the handle. He chose
Forum: rodboard

Started building custom fly rod tubes for my fly rod customers. Every tube is personalized and is made from 3/8" birch plywood. The end caps on this one are eastern red cedar. To protect the rod inside the tube I designed a fleece sleeve with separate pockets for each rod piece. One end cap is epoxied and the other is secured with six sets of 1/4" rare earth magnets.
Forum: rodboard

Rainshadow RX8 XF906-4. TiCh plated zirconium guides. Hand poured and turned handle, reel seat and butt cap. Spiraled double axis fish decorative wrap.
Forum: rodboard

I've got a customer who wanted a rod to catch northern pike and also to be able to handle big carp. We used a Batson RX7 IMB846, grips turned from Fiddleback Maple, and I finally tried a tiger wrap. The tiger wrap was fun...I may be doing more of those on future builds.
Forum: rodboard

I'm donating this rod for a silent @#$%& for the Prior Lake girls fast pitch softball team. It's a Batson ISB722, custom turned oak handle, and circle wrap with decals for each individual seam to make them look like softballs.
Forum: rodboard

Mark, hope you don't mind me sharing your photo of John Lentz's Lighthouse Rod with the folks here who won't see it on Facebook.
Forum: rodboard

So after building rods for three or four years I finally got my wifes first rod done. Not a huge deal because she's just getting into fishing but she was very particular about the design. She wanted something to remind her of autumn, her favorite season. I turned the handle from basswood, used a wood burner to create the leafy design and protected it all with CA. It took two different approaches
Forum: rodboard

This one is ready to ship to Florida. I've got a customer down in Tampa that has a 2 acre bass pond in his back yard loaded with +3 lb. largemouth. He shore fishes so I built him this rod based on his favorite author Ernest Hemingway. The blank is the Rainshadow IMB843 from Midwest Rod and Reel. This seven footer will give him plenty of casting distance. Guides were placed using the new guide con
Forum: rodboard

Mark Crouse does some great work. I built something similar back in 2012. If you have access to the proper tools they're fun to build. 2nd one used rare earth magnets to keep it capped.
Forum: rodboard

Other aspects of my life have reduced my rod building opportunities over the few past few years but I still check in here every couple days so thought I'd chime in. I fish bass club tourneys throughout the summer and one of my confidence presentations is dock skipping with spinning gear. Though I no longer have time to build customer rods, I still build my own rods and have built 2 more for
Forum: rodboard

Simply put, and not looking for an argument here, but a Bic is hardly an open flame. If you drop a Bic the flame is out before it hits the floor. If you bump it off your work area, you pick it up. Every other item you mentioned will stay lit until physically turned off or blown out. I'm advocating for common sense the safest way to accomplish the simple task of removing fuzzies or bubbles.
Forum: rodboard

If your goal is to remove fuzzies or gently warm epoxy to remove bubbles then there is no reason to use a dangerous alcohol burner. They're nothing but an accident waiting to happen. All that is necessary is a simple Bic lighter held to the side of the fuzzy or epoxy. No need to hold the flame directly underneath what you are trying to heat. Hold the lighter to the side of the wrap and the ra
Forum: rodboard

What Michael is referring to is a method of wrapping guides on a baitcasting rod where the running guides are placed on the bottom of the blank...just like a spinning rod. This is often referred to as a spiral wrap but there are other names for it also such as Robert's wrap or acid wrap. This is the only real way you'll prevent rod tip twist on a baitcaster...even if it is built with guides o
Forum: rodboard

I always have put hook keepers on my builds. When I started using rod socks a couple years ago I began to experience problems with the hook getting tangled in the rod sock mesh. I began using the frame from the first guide as my hook keeper. It tends to keep the hook aligned and positioned next to the rod rather than protruding from the side like with a hook keeper. I still get a tangle from
Forum: rodboard

18lb., thank you James.
Forum: rodboard

James, what is the density of Batson's foam cores? 6lb?
Forum: rodboard

I don't think they'll be a consensus on this. I mention it to the customer and I let them decide so I've built some with and some without. I think most builders would agree. Maybe that's the consensus right there. :)
Forum: rodboard

Done lots of them them way Tom just described. Be mindful that if you bore them out too much and the acrylic is somewhat translucent, the urethane foam core may be noticeable through the acrylic.
Forum: rodboard

No intent to hi-jack thread but want to let others know my experience with CA. Did a bunch of grips and handles using CA a couple years ago and I thought it was great. Quick dry, multiple coats and handle ready to go right away. Found out after a year or two that the finish can crack badly, very badly. One person I know who is a pen turner has had the same thing happen to some of his work a
Forum: rodboard

I've had to cover wood grips with epoxy once and awhile. The best method for me is to mix the epoxy by hand for two minutes( I use Threadmaster, your mixing time with another epoxy may vary) apply it to the handle while it's spinning on the lathe, maybe 200 to 300 RPM, once completely covered stop the lathe, using your brush move the epoxy horizontally left to right while slowly hand rotati
Forum: rodboard

I would just use my Dremel and remove 1 or 2 thread widths from the tip of the rod.
Forum: rodboard

Doug, Mark Blabaum shared with me a method that he uses for finishing wood grips and I've found it to work extremely well for carbon grips too. I've modified his process a little for my use but it's still very similar. The process uses a product called Enduro Pre-Cat water based urethane. It's applied with a Preval sprayer while spinning on a lathe at low speed, say 500rpm. You need to
Forum: rodboard

Nate, I adhere them to a 3/4" metal disc and then that is inlaid an 1/8" or so. (Hint, the metal disc is a US penny with one side sanded flat.) :)
Forum: rodboard

I use a 3/4" paper punch and try make my own. Print the image/logo that I need, punch it, spray it with fixative, use adhesive spray to adhere it and then a small amount of epoxy to protect it. Works great and can be as custom and you want it. That's how I do all mine.
Forum: rodboard

Welcome to rod building William. Based upon your detailed questions it's obvious you're done a considerable amount of research prior to your upcoming first build. However. the biggest thing I would recommend before you get started on that build is to take an old rod and practice. Wrap some guides, do some trim bands, find a way to apply epoxy that works for you, work on static testing to p
Forum: rodboard

Just an observation but the printer you listed, MFC-J8700w, is an ink jet printer. But you say you're using Laser jet paper so that may be your problem. Get a hold of ink jet waterslide decal paper and that should clear up your problem.
Forum: rodboard

Jon, head over to Michaels and get a 3/4" paper punch. That's the exact size of a penny.
Forum: rodboard