You can do a google search for Taig Tools and find their website. Most of their lathe parts are available direct. ..............
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For all but the heavy duty rods, what you find at most any hardware store or home improvement store will be fine. Just stay away from the extremely thin-wall tubing, although this is rarely sold at such places anyway. .............
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Remember that most files cut in one direction only - so don't "saw" back and forth. Also, slow, steady long strokes will be more effective than short rapid ones. A good file coupled with good technique can shape a guide foot in just a few strokes. ................
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The sleeve should be made from fiberglass - the lower modulus material coupled with the larger diameter should result in characteristics that are closer to the graphite blank across that same area. The ferrule needs to flex at roughly the same rate as the blank in that area does. .................
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I've done it and the results were very good. But the rod has seen limited use so I have to stop short of making any statement about how well or how long it would hold up under rigorous use. .............
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Just wrap and finish it as you would normally would and you'll be fine. You can only put so much pressure on a tiptop - because that's the most flexible part of the rod. Any force applied there transfers quickly down the rod to the stouter portion. ........
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That's the Fenwick "Ferullite" tip over butt ferrule. It's a good ferrule. You can sleeve the inside of the male ferrule to reinforce it. You don't want to go overboard - the ferrule still needs to move and flex so you don't want an overly stiff sleeve in there. If you've lost a portion of the male ferrule and no longer have sufficient overlap, you're in for a bit of trouble I'm a
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You can wrap right over it as is, but you may find it easier to do so if you apply either a coat of CP or a thin application of epoxy on the underwrap first. ..............
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Try a Simple Spiral and I think you'll have what you want. ..............
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Yes, it creates a pretty tough grip because minor dents and dings won't show, although traditional flocked grips were done over cork. .................
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Shops often give classes for free, but there is a profit motive involved (nothing wrong with that). They are hoping that the attendees will return to buy rod building supplies in the future. ...................
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Billy Vivona. Click on the sponsor link that says "NERBS" ............
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The epoxy will give the foam a type of "skin." It won't be as hard or durable as the carbon fiber, but it will be better than bare foam. ...............
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The trick will be putting something on the blank that the plate seat can be screwed into. Take a look at Mud Hole's collet surf rod seat. It can be loosen at either end and slid anywhere along the handle and then retightened in place. This could be the ticket for what your customer is wanting. .............
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It forms a hard skin over the foam which would otherwise be prone to digs and dents, like cork, but because the foam is rigid even the small dings and dents won't come out. Once there, they're permanent. ............
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Fly rods guides are prone to grooving because fly line picks up a great deal of miniscule grit and debris, which then turns the fly line into a file of sorts. This is why stainless and chrome pear tops are so quick to groove and cut. The Minima 3 guides do come in more colors, but the ring is only swaged on one side. For the tiny price difference between them, the Minima 4 series makes more se
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Again, if you haven't taken a hard look (actually held them in your hands) do not overlook the Minima 4 guides. .............
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Humidity plays no role in the cure time of epoxy. Temperature does. At room temperature, the rod should be safe to use in about 3 days. I wouldn't use it before then, even though the finish may seem well set. It will still be soft enough that water, fingers, etc., can leave marks and dull or cloud the finish. If you put the rod in an area with higher temperatures, say above 85F, you may s
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There are pros and cons to any guide type you select. I don't think ceramics are heavy, provided you size them wisely. I use them on 3-weight rods and can keep the whole set up as light as if I had used snake guides. You shouldn't have to use very large guides on your 5-weight rod so I don't think weight is going to be much of an issue. The Recoils are very nice guides, if you can stand
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I would be happy to take a photo and put it on the photo page if you need it. But is your carriage the current Renzetti style with individual spool tensioners, or the older type where the thread passes between steel plates for the tension? I'd need to know which one you have. ...................
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PermaGloss was actually designed as a bamboo blank and wrap coating. Few builders know this, but Ralph O'Quinn was a bamboo rod maker at one time. He developed PermaGloss because he wanted a lifetime finish on his bamboo and his silk wraps. ..................
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I was assuming, incorrectly perhaps, that he was referring to uncovered EVA, or cork with X-wrap. If you put X-wrap on both, the hardness isn't going to vary by much. ...........
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It's not a treasure, at least not in monetary terms. Old boat rods like that are common. They do make nice wall decorations and some fix them up and put them back into service. Hardly any are sold for a fortune, let alone more than a few dollars. ...............
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Cork and flock. Even lighter would be foam and flock. There are some types of EVA that are reasonably light, but none I'm aware of that is going to be as light as cork with anywhere near the same rigidity. ................
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If you do that, make sure the cushion the blank tip with masking tape - it's quite easy to crush a tip with the pressure from the chuck jaws. .................
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Epoxy is not considered to provide the "right" look for traditional bamboo rods (it can be made to look like varnish, however). Tru-Oil can be used to finish cane, but it is not the preferred product. Most cane rods are varnished by dipping or brushing. ..............
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When I do a search under your name I get 620 results: ............
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I would use high frame dbl foot guides for the butt and transition guides and low frame casting dbl foot guides for the choker and running guides. .....................
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I should add that the Common Cents Frequency component adds the measurement for speed, which many people confuse with action. Action is where the rod initially flexes, while speed is the relative rate at which a rod reacts and recovers. .........
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