There are some famous, but i see no longer sponsors of this forum, who did it all the time. Still do today. Famous for their thread art and some serious off shore rod builds and blank development. Not in the bottle, in the mixing container. From different suppliers too, but of course the underlying resin could be the same and just relabeled. But search for it, it works and is preferred by s
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I have posted this in the past but it bears repeating. I just want you to be aware that if you use feathers make sure you have a certificate of origin if the person who will use the rod is going to take it out the country. I have not seen problems inside USA. May exist at Canadian border? But particularly to Costa Rica, Australia/ New Zealand. There are others. There is an international
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William, there are many you tube tutorials on how to build carbide lathe tool at home. If you can build a rod you can build a carbide tool. they ARE able to be sharpened. Do not just dispose of them when they get dull. A flat diamond stone, a drop of TREND honing fluid, and 10 seconds is all it takes to get it back to where it should be. Many videos on how to with that too. The only time
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Look up South American vegetable ivory or the African Molala nut. Both are eco friendly, hard,can take a dye or be sealed and very nice to work with. Inlays,trim rings,winding checks can all easily be made with them.
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ken, i think he wants the mandrels folks sometimes use to turn the cork on not the reamers.
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If you unhide your email, folks may respond better.
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Ken, no the RFLE is the seeker blank called the Rich Forhan Legend Elite. The seller is no longer a sponsor i see so will not mention the name. Those blanks are still my #1 choice for anything with a treble hook on it due to their shock absorbing properties. Bass or tarpon or snook cannot easily shake hooks loose and they have enough backbone to set the hook in even bony mouths. Bu
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Ken, topwater lures up to 5/8's with redfish and stripers as target and lines weights of 4-10 lbs should not be in the same sentence. Unless you are fishing very closed waters where you know the maximum anticipated fish size can never get too big, you and the fish are in for a world of hurt. Like a power station cooling pond etc. In summer it would be impossible to successfully catch and re
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I used a sheet of plywood. 8x 4.ft Cheap casters in each corner to make it mobile and a 2 x 4 on the outer edge of the two longest sides. A 2 x 4 down the middle supported 4 ft up by a half 2 x 4 at each end. Braced at teh base by another 1/2 a 2x4 on the plywood. Used a forstner bit to cut 2 inch holes every 3 inches on center or so on the outer two 2 x 4 for the rod butts to stand. D
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Sounds fun. I have been trying various 'light cure' finishes from lure building and the dentistry industry as means of protecting thread wraps or even seating the guide as is without thread. Looks good but very brittle which is not good on a flexible thing like a rod blank. Squirrels will chew on them too but that is true about most things ..
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I did this using old broken rods goodwill buys, garage sale finds etc . Some have been laying outside for over 5 maybe 6 years now. You will want to put various thread makes and colors under the coatings with and without CP to try out. Also just leave some in the shade to see what happens. What you are doing is going to teach you a bunch about what works and whats marketing hype. BTW- wrap
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If you are having trouble with the mold, and you have access to a real lathe(not a rod building one) carbide tools cut aluminum readily and you can shape exactly what you want. You could cast from that or use as is or make it slightly larger and powder coat it.
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I just ordered a 7ft to get under the flooded trees i am fishing around. Even then its mainly going to be roll casts. My 9 and 8.5 ones just do not do it there. You have to go with what works where you fish and i always try to go with as long a rod as i can
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A white silk like thread that goes completely transparent with some perma gloss on it. Plus stays that way after use, some get a funky brown and i know its not from the PG and color preserver make the transparent thing not work as well.
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Epifanes clear marine spar varnish. Not cheap at about $50 a pint. Does not dry fast. If you want fast and cheap there are better products. But when dry you can leave it in a marine environment like wood on a working yacht for many years without any problems. My cedar grips with this product on it feel like carbon grips in texture, just warmer from wood rather than the cold feel of car
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Look into a Seeker S glass or the Rick Forhan versions of it. If it has treble hooks it is the blank i prefer and it works for bass to GT's/redfish etc. I make them mainly as spinning setups but they works as well as a casting blank, spiral or regular wrapped.
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have the ceiling be as high as it can be. Rod length plus at least 6 ft.
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If you want cork to play with now is the time to get it: champaigne/wine corks nuked in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds each puff right up to like new and are great to play with. There is a lot available on the internet to help you design. Why not start in the photos section right here? But in general: Symetry looks good, that is equal spacing of whatever trim you have equidistant f
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Marius the reeds you are looking at are more suitable for flooring, mats, wall hangings etc. Their main attribute is cheapness and looks.
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I have to agree on Bingham/Karen's SHX blanks. At their price point very hard to beat. Money no object? then look at CTS TFO Eternity2(batson) and North Fork. All are excellent. But if i was building a first fly rod and knew enough to make a fair go of it, i would go for the SHX : it will be a quality rod you end up with.
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Carnuba wax works very well too. Available at any autoparts dealer.
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rail rods are not normally built purely for lowest weight. I have seen sacrificial fiberglass added below the blank kind of like a gun stock somplete with a step to keep the rod shipboard side of the rail. It weighed lots though but was OK in party boat scenario. I use red or aromatic eastern cedar. depends what i have in stock. Looks good, cheap,sort of ok durability wise, easy to work,
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You could use threaded rod with wing nuts and washers. Use this to glue up the cork assembly. Get one a fraction smaller than the rod, they come in many sizes. Bigger is better here, 1/4 inch can get out of true very easily. A live jacobs type chuck on tailstock side end and an appropriate head stock. use electric hand drill to get the rods out by turning it, some strokes with a reamer
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Norman, yes you can cut back a crappie rod. Then you run into a common problem if you're fishing on a pier or have a railing on your boat: a bunch of small 1# or 1.5 jack/hard tails/runners etc come on thru and chew up your 6 lures and bye bye blank. It pulls it over so fast it smack on the railing and they fail. The white conduit is very slow action but pretty tough. I have had success w
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If you look on you tube you will find plans for the ones using 3/4 inch water pipe. Around 7 ft is what i use. Some fiddling around with an old pistol grip rod from a garage sale/goodwill, join the grip and tube and you have the making of something passable. The join can be whipped with cord to provide a grip. take 2 x 20 mm cheap single footed low profile guides and bend the foot so it giv
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I use them on some of my pier rods where i am as likely to get a shark as a King Mackarel. Some have been in use for 5 or 6 years. No problem.
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Thanks Ken. Sounds good but i can see problems with storgage and possibly special shipping needed here in the South. 75 degrees is a cool night time tempreature for many months of the year. Plus that is unopened storage temp, may have to use like permagloss with a screw in the container. Interesting. I will let you know if i get some what my results were, usbale shelf life etc..
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There was one i played with that i was going to try use on a rod, it was marketed for repairing waders and was flexible,
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Thanks Ken. I too play with the fly head and lure products which is why i asked. Also the yellowing is bad on most i have used. But i normally lose the lure or fly before its a problem.
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ken, just curious: if they cure via UV how do they stop curing in sunlight( a good UV emitter). Is there a cure limit with the product they use ? Or do they coat with a Uv blocker or? I know the lures and fly heads i make using various wave length emitters could use that if available.
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