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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As the copyright information on the website says, as long as you don't put it on an item that you are marketing for sale it's perfectly fine. In fact, I put artwork on the website so you could download it and use it on your business cards, brochures, etc. ............
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Not much information to go on. True fisheyes are generally caused by some type of silicone in the work area. Silicone can get airborne and travel far and wide. Have you brought any cleaners, polishes or coatings into your shop lately? Sprayed any sort of automotive tire or vinyl protectant just outside? ..............
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RodMaker Magazine has published more than a few. You might look through the photo page here to see more. As long as the line follows the overall curve of the rod you're fine. ..........
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The link has not been activated yet. ...............
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I'm guessing you haven't attended the Expo? What you suggest takes place all weekend long. In addition to the seminars (some like woodturning are hands-on) we have vendors in the booths doing thread weaves, pouring foam handles, skinning grips, doing small impromptu demos on a wide variety of rod building methods. Whatever you want to see, you can see it here. You can even try your own hand a
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I believe Bill Colby reported that same thing near the beginning of his article. ......
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I've had a couple guys in the U.K. email to thank me for the decals. I get scattered reports from rod builders all over about seeing vehicles or boats sporting the decal. Even with tens of thousands out and around, however, we're stilling talking about a pretty small number against the overall population. .............
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In a little less than just 1 year, a full 50,000 window decals featuring the International Symbol for Custom Rod Building have been distributed, free of charge, to custom rod builders all over the world. Of course, some builders have wound up with 2 or even 3 which brings the actual number of builders sporting the symbol down quite a bit from that number of 50,000. But we're still talking about 1
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Size 4. ...................
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The thing is, some of the mega stores will indeed replace such a rod. This is why it pays to not only know your customer, but to make sure your customer knows you and your warranty policy. These days, many fishermen believe that the word "lifetime warranty" means that the rod is supposed to be unbreakable and that they are owed a replacement for any damage or breakage no matter h
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A longer rod will set the hook more effectively than a shorter rod. Sweep, speed and line movement are the keys in hooksetting. ...........
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Assemblies should be snug fitting - neither tight nor loose. Just a good slip fit. ..............
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I have. It's been in use for a couple months now and I like it a great deal. These guides weigh roughly 20% less than similar sized ceramics. Because the ring openings are larger per size, you can drop one size and, keep the same ring opening and effectively increase weight savings to about 35% or more. I had recorded the weights somewhere but can't remember where I put them. But I do recall th
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The list continues to grow: 2010 International Custom Rod Building Exposition Vendors Batson Enterprises (Rainshadow/Forecast) Midwest Rod & Reel Seeker Rod Company REC Components Donart The Rod Shop, Inc. Skin Shop USA Scott’s Custom Rods (Fish Sticks/RodDancer) Kinnikinnick Wood (realseatblanks.com) Swampland Rods Angler’s Roost Enterprises
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The point of drawing the blank through a membrane is to keep weight to an absolute minimum - this is known as a "squeegee coated finish." It creates a thinner coating than dipping or gravity feeding, which can be important in blanks where all out performance is the goal but you still desire a painted blank. .................
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I believe they are production rods made by a small company on the West Coast many years ago. I would date the rods as being from the 1940's but without better photos that's the best I can do. The componentry is usually a good means for dating rods. .................
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The blanks will be very light due to the material, construction and the fact that they will be unfinished. No paint, no clear coat. The final retail prices have not officially been set to my knowledge. However, North Fork intends to produce a high end product and customers should expect the prices to reflect that. They are not trying to be everything to everybody. They're aiming to serve tha
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If these are in good shape then you have some novel items. Not highly valuable, but a long, long way from flea market stuff. Generally the highest prices paid for bamboo rods go for those rods made by well known individual makers and small custom shops, not production type rods. But like I said, if the stuff is in good shape, it's novel and worth hanging onto. ..............
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North Fork has acquired the necessary machinery and related equipment to make their blanks in-house right there in Woodland, WA. These will not be imports brought in and then sold under the North Fork label. ..............
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This is where a good dealer will be an asset to you. Call a few of the vendors listed to the left and tell them what you just said here - explain what you're wanting to build and the budget you'd like to stick to. Most will be happy to steer you to good quality components that will be within your budget. It's nice to see people recommending the magazine, although I think you should probably
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A class is certainly good, but most builders started out by just reading a book and getting underway. Flex Coat has a DVD titled, "How We Do It," that walks you through each step and shows how easy this can be. It be a low cost investment and help you get started right away. Decorative butt wraps are not necessary insofar as the function of a rod is concerned. You can delve into
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That's right - the credit card processor is still working for and depositing the funds into the original owner's supplied account. Nobody can "take over" a website and then have access to the funds that site may be generating from the credit card processor. If you bought or took over the RodMaker Magazine website right now, any orders that came in via credit card would still come to
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The material the membrane is made from is very important. You'll go through a long list of types, butyl, latex, etc., before you find the type that works with the paint you intend to you. I will give you a hint - the material that "punch" balloons are made from works with the widest variety of paints. ..................
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If the guide is positioned properly, the line shouldn't touch the frame either way. ...............
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Subscribe now and you'll get it. ...........
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Yes, unless your rod sees enough rough handling that 1 application of finish isn't enough to protect the thread from being cut or abraded. .............
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If that's what they're doing, it is indeed a lot of unnecessary work. ..............
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Again, if he's reaming each individual ring and fitting them to the blank, he isn't having to use tape. That's the point of doing them that way - so that you won't have an imperfect taper inside the grip which would otherwise some type of shimming. ...........
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If he is reaming and gluing rings on the blank, then he is not using a mandrel. The blank is his mandrel. The idea is that because he is reaming each ring individually, the fit should be more precise than reaming an entire cork cylinder which could possibly contain areas that aren't perfectly fitted to the rod blank. The key to doing a good job with the latter, is to bore each ring to fit a
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