It is a higher modulus glass fiber that offers better performance, albeit at just a bit less durability, than E-glass. It does not really compare to similar graphite models, falling a fair bit shy of that kind of stiffness to weight ratio. Manufacturers have generally not pursued it heavily in the past few years due to the greater demand for either high performance graphite or super durable a
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The proliferation of guide frame and ring colors has been a nightmare for the dealers. Time was, you had perhaps 2 frame styles and 2 colors (black and chrome) and dealers could stock deeply in all available models. Things have changed - in the new Pac Bay Minima guides alone you've got 4 frame styles offered in 5 or 6 frame/ring color combinations. Do the math and you'll see why most dealers c
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I still have hard copies of Volume 1 #3 in stock. Not on the website, but they are $7.95 ppd by mail. ..............
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The problem is, I don't have the film for the first two issues and we only did 5 issues that year. So what I have would comprise 3 issues, which is hardly worthwhile I'm afraid. ...........
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I'm sure it's a good unit. Talk to Clyde Alho at the Rod Shop as well. He carries the excellent line of Zebra Lighting Systems. ..............
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I think the acetone or alcohol will just smear the ink across the thread. There is one other possibility - get some red paint, every bit as close as possible to the color of the thread. With a fine brush, cover the ink mark. Let dry, apply finish. If you're lucky this may not show. ...............
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End of June or thereabouts. Always the end of an even numbered month. .............
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No, nothing has been added or changed on the Simple Spiral. I run into this quite often and find that many who have not read the article are confusing "Bumper" guide with "Transition" guide. They are not the same thing. What your friend has built is a standard "Roberts" or "Revolver" spiral wrap. It does not have a "Bumper" guide, it has trans
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Orders placed for the CDs thus far can be expected to ship on Monday of this coming week with delivery typically taking about 2 to 4 days. ..............
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I should mention that I now accept PayPal as a form of payment. We'll see how that goes. ...............
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Harold, No, I'm afraid that just changing the website doesn't affect the time it takes me to hand carry items to the post office and fill out customs forms, nor does it change the delivery issues we had in the past. I'm simply not able to afford the time nor cost associated with shipping items outside the U.S. Sorry. Hope you can understand. ..................
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RodMaker Magazine has a new website. This completely revamped and updated site now features a single shopping cart for all items. I believe this will make ordering or renewing subscriptions, or purchasing back issues and CDs, a much easier and quicker task. ............
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I have decided to release the RodMaker Special Edition on Guide Sizing and Placement on CD. The run will be limited to 250 copies. They are $29.95 each, postpaid (no extra shipping charge). Check or money order to RodMaker, PO Box 1322, High Point, NC 27261. Or credit card via www.rodmakermagazine.com I have packed a lot of "extras" into this edition and there are several article
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The greater the angle, the greater the angle, the greater the pressure. But make sure you read my entire statement above - there is a 2nd component there that wears the tiptop. The line picks up minute dirt and debris. Fly lines are particularly bad about this. So in effect, you have a file working against that tiptop guide. The reason the rest of the guides don't get that same wear, is that t
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Friction is a function of the pressure pushing the surfaces into contact with other. There is very little pressure pushing the line against the ring surface on a cast. Thus, friction between the line and the guide ring/s is minimal. Even on the tiptop during a cast. During a fish fight, however, the maximum load will be on the most powerful part of the blank - where the stripper and subsequent
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I don't put on that much so it's hard for me to say. I just apply enough so that the threads turn uniformly dark - this indicates that they fully saturated. It's like the old saying, you can only get so wet and you can only be so dry. Putting on excess isn't something I do (nor understand). But my guess is that if you have that much on there you've pretty much saturated your wraps and thus th
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Without any sort of industry trade group, or similar, there is no one to standardize how such things are measured. You could do what we have done with the CCS measurements - compile a living database and allow builders to add their figures and consult the listings. .............
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The constant is the unit of measurement. As far as where to take that measurement - well... that's certainly the problem. Until the rings themselves are the same thickness across the board, it is going to be very hard to ever arrive at any measurement that would adequately state the actual opening diameter. You would have to fabricate a different frame for each different ring being offered.
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But... 16mm is 16mm all the time, everywhere and everyplace. It doesn't vary. There is nothing you can do about folks mis-sizing their seats or whatever, all you can do is pick a unit of measurement and stick to it. .......... Now here's a tidbit on why most guides are sized as they are. Back in the pre-ceramic days, when all guides were simple rings mounted/welded to legs and feet, the
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One of the modifications I made for dozens of fly rodders over the years was to replace just the tiptop on their new fly rods from the stainless or hard chrome pear to a ceramic. Even the guys who detested ceramic guides on a fly rod would often request that a ceramic tiptop be used. This cut out the one problem area that many of them had. ............
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No. 1-wet coat does about all you're going to do insofar as what the CP is there for. 2 coats isn't going to hurt. Beyond that, it's just not necessary. ..............
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During casting there is very little friction between the line and the stripping guide due to very little pressure bringing the 2 parts into contact. Wear on the stripping guide due to casting is not generally much of an issue. At least not nearly as much as it is on the tiptop. .............
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The tiptop. Not because it handles the most load (it doesn't) but because of 2 main factors: First, the angle of the line at that point is more severe than at any other guide. And secondly, any dirt or debris picked up by the line crosses that point first, where most of it is stripped off and falls back into the water. But the tiptop is the sacrificial link in the guide chain where dirt and deb
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I would assume that they are better equipped to handle such requests by email, which I believe is listed on their site. ................
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It will, but it needs to be something that will load with the same amount of weight as that of the fly line at roughly that distance. I think you'd be about right with something rated 1/2 to 3/4 ounce. .............
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Without any gear reduction, there is little torque available. But Flex Coat also sells units for wrapping that have the chuck attached directly to the motor. About all you can do, since you already have the machine, is give it a try and see how well it works. ................
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The 4 is double swaged - the ring is flared up onto the guide frame on both sides. The 2 is single swaged, flared up on one side, straight through on the other. In theory, the 4 should have a ring that simply cannot come out of the frame. The 3, while difficult, could possibly toss a ring. Maybe. The ones I have here have been prodded and poked and I can't get them out. The Minima 4 guides
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We'd be talking very heavy IGFA trolling, heavy boat or heaver type surf. Although, these are tough blanks and really don't require them either, but they certainly won't be noticed on such heavier rods. I doubt what you're doing requires underwraps and in fact, since you seem to be trying to eliminate unnecessary weight, I'd skip them. .............
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It can be effectively applied to any tube or shaft. It does not care what the object is. It's just a relative power and action rating. Occasionally I see someone make a statement that it can't be applied to some type of rod, but that's absurd. That's like saying a tape measure will measure the length of a wooden object but not the length of a metal object. There is always a difference between
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If he does remember to wash and rinse them very well after each and every time he uses the rod in saltwater, then no, you don't need totally corrosion resistant guides. But I would make sure the customer understands that failure to take care of them after each and every use in salt or brackish water will result in trouble down the road. Another good reason to prepare and supply a "rod
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