They're filled. You can easily get the same, or better cork, from most any of the sponsors to the left. Do a search here to find good methods and materials for filling cork. If you want a top quality ring that you don't have to fill, you can get those too, but will likely have to pay $2 per ring and upwards. Also keep in mind that other than the RodMaker Cork Grade Scale (CG-1, 2 and 3) t
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Epoxies are not flammable. ...........
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You can also write or letter what you want on paper, scan it and then have a decal made from that. Sure, it's cheating a bit, but it's still your penmanship by proxy. ..................
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This won't be the answer that you're looking for, but I'll chime in nonetheless. As I've gotten older, I spend less time using different techniques and more time fishing. And the net result is that I catch more fish than ever before. None of us catch as many as we'd like to, but in fishing with a good many people each year I've learned that I do manage to catch my fair share, or more. I like
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The combination of mass and velocity required to cause that to happen would be practically impossible in a real world fishing situation. ...........
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You'd have to call them and ask, but I was under the impression that the Mud Hole anodized winding checks and colored reel seats are Matagi products manufactured for Mud Hole. But I'm not certain - better to call and ask. At one time Billy Vivona was able to obtain some Matagi product, I think. ..........
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Exactly, and a fisherman working within the confines of average human ability and the length of most fishing rods isn't going to be able to create the necessary velocity to create a problem in this regard. It's a non issue. Keep in mind also that Rich Forhan is a very practical guy - he would be the first to tell you that his rods won't cast the farthest, but they will cast more than far enoug
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There won't be a bowstring effect unless the guides are too far apart. And that doesn't change whether the load is applied slowly or suddenly. The article was written for all guides, macro or micro, or whatever you want to call them. The dynamics involved didn't change with the advent of micro guides. .........
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You're reading way too much into this. I simply provided some answers to your questions. I see no irritation in either of them. What I was suggesting, is that if you don't believe what you are reading, or are not able arrive at a concensus from a variety of responses, you always have the option of trying things for yourself. More builders need to do this. If your question is specifically
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Better yet... I’d suggest you do this - buy about a dozen rod blanks of the same make and model. Due to the method employed in manufacturing a rod blank, they won’t be absolutely identical, but if it’s a quality manufacturer they’ll be reasonably close. Affix the butt securely and begin loading the tip of the bare rod blank. A bucket in which you continue to slowly add water works we
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Chuck, Thank you. I swapped ends on the percent. It is 6% when sold to the end user and 10% when sold to a reseller. ............
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Your 2x4 might fail in that scenario, but it won't be a shear failure unless you have it rigidly supported somewhere along its length. Likewise, you would be hard pressed to cause a shear failure in rod blank unless you set the blank on a hard edge somewhere along its length and then suddenly apply the load. If you do that it will shear at the point of rigid support. If you use a sufficie
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The trouble with contact cement is that once you set the tape on it, you're finished - you can't adjust the tape on the blank. Contact cement won't allow you to move the surfaces around on each other. It sets on "contact." If it were me, I'd toss that roll and purchase another. If you must use what you have, your best bet is probably going to be to coat the rod blank with a thin fi
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If you stand the rod up straight, then pulling the line back to the floor is going to "high stick" the rod. You want to maintain the direction of pull that you would have if you set the rod at 45 degrees. If I were you, I'd set the butt on the floor and use a couple stacks of books or something to secure the butt and rest the foregrip on so that you have the rod at 45 degrees. This
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If you want the blank to behave and perform exactly as it was designed, then you should forego the guides and just tie the line to the tip. As long as you use a sufficient number of guides on any rod you do not need to worry about excessive amounts of stress occurring between any pair of guides. A 7 foot rod with 7 or 8 guides is going to flex and progressively load much as it would if you had
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Yes, just remember to change the direction of the line pull. ............
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Yes, the tax is capped at a maximum of $10. So either 10% or 6% of $500 exceeds the $10 cap. AFFTA lobbied for this cap in an effort to help domestic makers of premium rods better compete with the lower price import rods. ............
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This is not correct. If you are selling to the end user (the fisherman) the tax is 10% of the selling price, or $10, whichever is less. If you are selling to a reseller (tackle shop, sporting goods store, etc.) the tax is 6% of the selling price or $10, whichever is less. ...................
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The same things that tend to make a rod more "sensitive" are also the things that tend to make a rod lighter, better balanced, more responsive, etc. The benefits in building a better rod don't stop with sensitivity. ..............
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No, the rod will still flex initially in the same place and an inch length added to the butt isn't enough to change it to the extent that you'll ever know the difference. .........
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Don't rely on the wood barrel hanging off the end of the blank to safely support the rear barrel. An inch should be fine. ............
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You're just going to have to look at it and use your judgement. Depending on the barrel and what it's made of (wood, one-piece aluminum, etc.) you can only hang so much off the back end of the blank before you run into problems. .................
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I wouldn't push my luck. Without knowing exactly what type and style seat you're using I wouldn't begin to hazard a guess. An inch wouldn't be of any real concern on most any seat, but with some you might be looking at some sort of failure or problem if you go much past that. ............
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There is something about a hand written inscription that just "fits" a true custom rod. Most of us don't have the penmanship to allow us to do it very well, hence the use of decals. But if you were/are a decent tattoo artist, I'd bet you would have no trouble in this department. Set a book next to the rod to support your hand so that you have a more level surface to work from. .
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There will always be rod building seminars, shows, events, etc., with or without me. Just maybe no more like the Expo. ..............
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I doubt you will need that many guides on you rod. If you've read the articles on guide numbers in RodMaker, you'll note that surf rods don't need that many guides. I'd say you can do it with about 7 plus a tiptop. The size of your butt guide will be dictated by the line you use. Smaller and more supple line doesn't require a very large ring. Stiffer and larger diameter line tends to do bet
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I wouldn't use the stouter Hot Shot blanks on any tuna I expected to push much past 100 pounds. ...........
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Actually, I had no plans to host the 2010 event. I only decided to move forward as of last May. Currently, I have no plans to host the event in 2011. That may change, of course, but for now my energy is directed on the 2010 event. I try not to look too far down the road as far as things like the Expo go - keep in mind that I could drop dead tomorrow so future Expo’s can’t be guaranteed
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An inch of the seat beyond the end of the rod blank isn't going to be a problem. ............
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In the past I have used the heaviest Hot Shot type blanks for this which allows the casting of smaller lures and plugs but which retain good power in the mid and butt sections. Depending on how large your tuna are, this might be something to consider. ..........
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