I suspect that Tim is simply trying to understand and learn more about rod building. No one can be faulted for that. The thing is, any system that is designed to work with a broad array of reels, lines, blanks, etc., is never going to be absolutely optimum for every conceivable set up. Basic systems and methods are a means of doing something well but will always require tweaking if you want t
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Jerry, I appreciate your comments. Currently I have a $1.20 gross margin on a full year's subscription to the magazine. Adding the various options you mention (all good ideas) would not be possible for the amount of funds available. Although CDs and electronic downloads are less expensive in the long run than hard copies of the magazine, there is an expense involved nonetheless and with thing
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Tim, There are a lot of people that use this forum and you will not always get a consensus from all the users. The 2 sentences here are not in contradiction in any way - they both say pretty much the same thing. "The butt and the subsequent guide just after it, are the important ones in that regard. Beyond that the guides have little to do with "taming" the line coils&q
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If the line can still pass easily, then the reduced weight will result in quicker reaction and recovery, greater sensitivity and better utilization of the imparted casting energy which often means greater distance. This isn't anything new - it was true 100 years ago and it's true today. Using the smallest guides that will still pass your line and any required connections, and hold up to the t
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All the rod companies subscribe to RodMaker so I'm pretty sure they would already know about it, or any other spiral for that matter. For most, spiral rods aren't going to be something they want to sell - too much customer education required in order to get fishermen to try them. ................
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I was away most of the day finishing study and practice on a craft I've been working on for about 2 years now. Some things take time to become proficient enough to the point where you're ready to instruct others. This is one of those things. In the Volume 12 #5 issue of RodMaker, due out in late October, we'll unveil a process that almost any custom rod builder can utilize to further expand h
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Richard, Thanks very much for that information. I had not heard about it previously. I still have some contacts at Shakespeare, although the company is quite a bit different today than it was during that time period. I'd love to talk to someone there that has some recollection of their machine and how they went about solving certain problems with timing the line release from the spool on spin
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I have size 4 Minima fly rod guides on a rod used with a 6-weight line and have nothing but good things to report - other than the noise they make as line is pulled across them. But it's no worse than with snake guides. The reduction in weight easily offsets any added "noise," in my opinion. .............
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Torin, You misread my statement. I did not say the casting accuracy improved with the 27X method, I said the location of the choker guide was more accurate with the 27X method than it is with the totally arbitrary spool upsweep method (which often puts the choker guide off the end of even very long rods). To the best of my knowledge, I am still the only person that has ever built a mechan
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I am continuing to update the Expo website Most everything is up to date now. We have nailed down most of the seminar presenters and I hope to have all the seminar presentations listed by the end of next week. The morning's mail brought a couple more booth contracts. .................. As of 8/19/09 Vendors who have purchased booth space/s to date: Batson Enterprises (Rain
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The distance of the choker guide from the rod tip makes no difference, other than how it may look to you. For instance, if you had 2 rods, one a 6 footer and another a 10 footer, but plan to use the same reel and handle, the location of the choker guide should be the same on both. On one the choker will be closer to the tiptop than the other, but on both the distance from the reel to the choker
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Upsweep angle plays almost zero role in casting - the line isn't shot off the reel, it's pulled off. This is why spool diameter is the more important factor to work with when going for best casting performance. There are some newer guides on the market as of late that are very high, with small rings, and these allow you to maintain the best distance between the reel spool face and choker guide
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It is my understanding that he is certainly still in business. I assume he still has a website. ..............
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Just for reference, the spool centerline is on the spool spindle shaft. I would recommend using 27X for locating the choker guide, but if you want to draw a line to the rod from the spool centerline, along the reel upsweep, just take the spool off the reel and set the spool spindle in line with the table edge. ................
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The chuck on the Renzetti will do the same thing. They aren't really designed to work with hard plastic butt caps or blank butts. You have to have some means of compression which a few wraps of tape or a rubber band provide. .............
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Send them to me if you can't post them and I'll be happy to put them on the photo page for you. .....................
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How long is the rod and how many guides are you using? With the very small and low frame guides, you might have to use quite a few and even then you can't completely prevent the line touching the rod blank. Unless the line actually passes below the blank on a good flex, I'm not sure I'd worry about it too much. .............
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For all around general purpose rod building, "How We Do It" by Flex Coat is tough to beat. .............
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The repair must be an oversleeve - you don't want to employ an inner sleeve or plug. The idea is not to make the area "strong," but to restore it to what it was before it broke. It can be done. Refer to Ralph O'Quinn's repair article in the online library here. I think he covers that exact repair in his text. If the blank is a clean break, then you're possibly dealing with an impact
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I'm assuming that you haven't read any of the articles on making your own decals in RodMaker Magazine. We've done 3 such articles and each one focused on a different element of doing this in stunning and productive fashion. The media you use must be suitable for use as a "decal" and able to withstand the coating you're going to be covering it with. This isn't a difficult process but
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Maybe not, but with braid you can do pretty well. 10 or 12lb braid is small enough to allow you store a good amount of line around the float. Of course, if you're fishing the Marianas Trench. or some other seriously deep water haunt it's a moot point. .............
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Right - it's not there to seal anything. It's just for looks. ...........
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I had originally tried to build the device inside a small tube but quickly determined that the space the tube required reduced the amount of room for the float within. This made the device less than practical on the smaller diameter rods. Thus I went back to simply constructing the device for each specific rod, employing the largest sized float the rod butt would hold. But you could certainly
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The thread doesn't know which way the letters are turned - it's just another pattern and sequence as far as the thread is concerned. There is nothing unique or difficult here, you'll just have to make your pattern or left list in such a way that the letters are turned (to your eye) 90 degrees and in whatever sequence you need. There is nothing wrong with extending the rod with a dowel or scrap
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Single foot guides were originally designed and intended to be used on spinning and fly rods - rods where the guides are underneath the blank. So a spiral wrapped casting rod puts you into roughly the same category. You can damage any guide if you bump and bang it enough. And even double foot guides can be ripped from their mooring. I'm not sure there are really any failings with single guide
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The magazine is considerably older than this website, which just passed 8 years back in June. ...........
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The RodMaker issue that is in the mail now marks the beginning of our 13th year of publication. And as it turns out, the number 13 is anything but unlucky - this issue's mailing was the first time in RodMaker's history that we mailed to over 16,000 subscribers. It seems like only yesterday we were struggling to get to the 5000 mark. In reality, however, that was almost 10 years ago. The Expo h
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If you find the line flows nicely between each pair of guides, but suddenly in-between one pair it seems too flat; out of place, etc., then you may need to adjust the spacing of those guides or add another guide. In general, for most rods, if you'll use 1 guide per foot of rod length, plus 1, plus a tiptop, and use even marginally decent spacing, you're going to be okay. .............
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Yes. ..........
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Tru-Oil is a polymerized oil that acts like a wiping varnish. It dries very hard, unlike most common oil finishes. There is going to be a trade-off where real protection for your cork handles is concerned. If you want to help protect them from chips and dents, then you're going to have to use something that forms a hard coating on top of the cork. If you simply want to make the handle easier t
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