You can use either a Bumper guide on the Simple Spiral, or a transition guide on those that utilize a single transition guide. ..........
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It doesn't hurt a thing but over time can dull the finish or paint on the blank there. Most of my rods are natural finish and there is nothing to scuff. But if that bothers you, install a Bumper guide. Just make sure you do not adjust the spacing of the other guides. The Bumper guide is an addition to, not a part of, the regular guide spacing. .............
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Yes. ...........
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These are all good points but are getting far away from the questions asked by the original builder. Let's try to get back on track. Thanks. .................
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We have done several articles on that topic. If you're talking about the most recent article by Bobby Feazel, that would be Volume 12 #1. It is not yet available as a back issue however. It should be in about 2 weeks, however. ...........
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I've used all the various systems and found them all to work. For me personally, I put the first guide at 0 degrees and the next one at 180 degrees. Then all the rest at 180 degrees. If I were casting and retrieving hard running plugs, I might offset the first guide to the opposite side of the rod that the line passes by on, so that the line comes onto the reel from a true 0 degrees. Otherw
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Not nearly as much because the metallic usually has an opaque core material that prevents the blank color from showing through or changing the shade of the thread. ............
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The Bumper guide is not a transition guide - it doesn't transition anything. The line on the Simple Spiral just goes to the bottom of the blank of its own, exactly where it wants to go if you'll only let it. When I cooked up this method, it was due partly because I wanted an easy means of explaining how to do a spiral wrap to all the folks that call me on a daily basis asking how. Plus, it daw
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The spine is rarely going to be along the straightest axis, nor exactly opposite it either. Since spine orientation can't make the rod stable (stop twisting) nor affect casting accuracy, it may not be something you will wish to bother with. ............
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The other thing you can consider is using a larger diameter thread, say D, instead of A. This gives you more thickness (you may not like this, or you might) which means the yellow will be less affected the blank color underneath. ...........
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They're certainly good guides. For the tiny bit of money difference I'd move to the Alconite concept rings (or similar) which will be a tad bit lighter. ..........
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Nylon yellow over dark blue will require that you carefully wrap and pack the threads. You need a good wet coat of CP, perhaps 2. Nylon Yellow, Goldenrod, etc., is notorious for bleeding through when used over darker colors. If you're set on using a lighter colored thread as your main wrap color, the sure solution is to use NCP thread. .....................
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I prefer the Concept system as outlined in RodMaker Volume 10 #4. It's quickly, easy and puts you just about right on the money out of the gate. There are some interesting things you can do with the Morton Guide Graph too, however. If you'll do a search here on the forum you should be able to uncover some older posts that discuss some of these possibilities. .............
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This problem is easy to correct but I can't spend the time retyping what I already put in the book for Amato, Rod Building Guide. It shows how to deal with all the tape and does so in photos. ...............
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1 wet coat of CP is generally enough. 2 coats will not hurt anything. More than that is usually just a waste. I put one coat of high build epoxy on my wraps. That's all. What you want is enough to give you the build depth you desire. You may do it with 1, or you might require 2. That's up to you. There is no right nor wrong answer here. If what you've done "looks pretty good" then
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Yes, denatured or solvent type. But when they speak of thinning they are talking about what to use to clean your brush. Hopefully you won't need to thin the actual CP. If you do, go easy - you want to put CP on the wraps, not a concoction that is mostly alcohol. The CP should uniformly wet the threads, making them turn much darker as the CP is applied. This should be uniform. If not, try thi
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Phenix has a reputation for making high quality products. That nomenclature is screen printed on the blank - they spent extra to have that done and it was done for a purpose. First, so it won't peel or scratch off easily. Second, so any warranty return will have the logo fully in place so there is no question as to who made the blank. GUSA used to screen print their logo on their blanks as w
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It's there to prevent a split out so it needs to be at the edge of the ferrule. If you read the article on ferrules in a recent RodMaker, you now know which companies do not require ferrule reinforcement wraps. A few still recommend them, however. ............
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It's a plotting device based on angles corresponding to lines intersecting a flexed blank. Similar in some regards to a story pole type spacing, just a little more involved. You can use it with or without a spine finder. It works as advertised. ................
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I think Scott's bought the bulk of what ATC had left. Not sure how many were fly rod blanks but a quick call or email to Scott or Karen should get the information you want. ...............
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If you apply too much heat you will actually boil the finish which creates tons of micro-bubbles. Different finishes will tolerate different amounts of heat before this happens. Heating of a finish should be limited to a just 2 or 3 seconds per wrap. You're not trying to cook it, just very slightly warm it to expand the bubbles so they'll rise and leave the mix. ...........
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What they're saying is that the line ratings they put on the rods are intended for use at longer ranges - if you intend to fish closer in, you'll need to upline by 1, or perhaps 2 line weights. This is the actual power, as far as the TFO designers are concerned for the distances they specify. It's nice that they not only provide the line weight number, but the distances they were intended to be
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Not necessarily. The rod isn't likely to ever flex as much per inch as what you did in that cup. But, I'd watch my mix ratio next time out. Not sure what brand of epoxy you used, but generally the popular brands aren't all that brittle. ..........
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I use the Simple Spiral because it does all that needs to be done with the least amount of muss and fuss. If you have time on your hands and want to learn some things for yourself, why not tape up a couple or three different set ups and go out and cast and retrieve with them a little bit. You'll soon know which you prefer. .............
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There are no transition guides with the Simple Spiral. Don't mistake it for the single 90 degree transition guide spiral wrap - that's a different method (which also works). On the O'Quinn and Revolver, the guide off from 0 and 180 aren't there to keep the line from rubbing the blank as much as they are to guide or transition the line about the blank to the bottom. With the Simple Spiral, t
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It is possible that you could make such a thing in that diameter on top of a tapered wood shaft (coated and protected of course), which would be much less expensive to have made. Many woodturners would likely do it for very little money, provided they have the bed length required. .............
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I've already included him in our conversations. ..............
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If it's any consolation, a broken rod does not automatically mean there was a defect involved. Normally, defects that result in rod breakage rear their heads very soon after you start using the rod. It may well have been that you'd have sent the rod back only to find out that it broke due to an earlier impact or something. ...............
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Last week I learned that a former customer and acquaintance of mine has just taken over as the new President and CEO of Cabelas. As it happens, this gentlemen leans more towards the hunting and dog end of things - he was the previous CEO of Remington Arms Company. We will be speaking shortly about a number of matters. My main goal is to get Cabelas actively participating in the continued grow
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Bernie Cohen's article on grip inlays will appear in the Volume 12 #3 issue of RodMaker. Andy Dear has a great DVD on wood turning for the custom rod builder. It is now owned (I believe by Scott's Custom Rods/RainDancer) and many of the sponsors stock it. ..........
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