This is odd. I've had cracks develop at the end of guide feet if I didn't prep them properly, but never splits in the entire finish. I would review the following steps. Thread tension: It should take some effort to adjust guides after wrapping, but not so loose that they move around on their own. CP: Check how long you let the 811 cure. It needs at least overnight, or preferably 24 hour
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Thanks all, I'll do some more pictures and try a couple of different angles. It sounds like there is some interest. I'll send them to Mike and we can distribute to whomever, or Tom can update the LIbrary article, as appropriate. I won't be able to get to this until the weekend though. Damn day job. :-) Terry
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The pictures in the Library article are pretty good, really. The first blocking wrap goes under and behind the guide. Then on the next turn, go under the guide again as you would make another blocking wrap, then, instead of proceeding around the blank, reverse directions and wrap around the guide foot then proceed around the blank. Repeat this 2 more times. If you do it correctly, it look
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Hi all, Haven't seen an idiot post for awhile so I thought it was my turn. I've used the Forhan locking wrap for a long time, and have never really been satisfied on how it finished. Little gaps in the side of the wrap that I couldn't quite pack out. Not horrible, but not as satisfying as I would have liked. I just read the article again and found I had been doing it incorrectly for a
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The bed length between centers is a key spec when selecting a lathe. The pen lathes just don't provide enough flexibility for doing cork. I settled on the Turncrafter Pro which has 17" between centers, as I do a number of 14" grips for steelhead/salmon rods and foregrips on spey rods. It's worked out great so far and have not regretted spending the money, which wasn't much to begin w
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I have a dedicated pair of locking hemostats also to hold my guide feet. The same type I use when flyfishing. The jaws are narrow enough to hold the guide by the foot and not the frame or the ring, and still provide a solid grip for grinding and finishing. Terry
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Hi Wes, If it doesn't work out with Fran, send me a note. I do some custom grips for various builders to specification. Terry
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If you are headed to harbor freight to check out that belt sander, you might compare this to the 3 1/2" bench grinder at $39.99. It has a grinding wheel and finishing/unified fiber wheel so you can grind and polish in 2 easy steps without changing tools. It also has flexible hand held grinder for small work and has a variable speed control. I moved to this after working with a dremel to
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If you have a lathe with a tail stock the following process also works: Mount the grip on the mandrel, but only insert it part way. Ideally just short of where your inlet will end. Mount the mandrel in the lathe, and make it as short as possible. The end will be unsecured and you don't want it to wander when you bore the end. The larger and shorter the mandrel, the better off you are. Ins
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If I recall (and I'm getting too old to do this reliably) Andy suggests somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500 rpm for cork. This is about 2 notches down from the fastest speed on my turncrafter pro lathe. This works fine for me and didn't have any trouble taking too much material, even on my first grip. When I am truing up the cork for the first time, I do stop often and check. The sandin
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If you have the space, I would recommend one of the midi lathes from jet or penn state industries (Turncrafter Pro) plus a set of mandrels and the DVD from Andy. I turned some using the drill method. It does work, but once you get started, it's as addictive as the rest of the rodbuilding craft. I enjoy turning cork much more now that I have the lathe in the garage. Good luck! Terry
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These blanks have very fast and light tips. When the rod sees the bigger load, the tip section just drops out of the picture and you get to the larger taper which handles the heavier load. These blanks are great for backtrolling plugs here in the Pacific NW for steelhead and salmon. This blank is rated for 10-20 lbs. Terry
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It sounds like you have a wall up already, but personally, I like the long dimension (12' wall) for the rod wrapper. I would combine your fly tying space with the wrapping and finishing space and leave the lathe out in the other half of the garage. Any dedicated space is an improvement over the kitchen table or the living room coffee table. I built an addition over my garage for the rod shop
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Yes, this is why I like rod bond so much. The thicker viscosity allows it to stay where you put it, and the mix doesn't have to be exact. I measure a glob of resin on the end of my spatula and put it in my mix cup, then repeat with a different spatula with the hardener. I attempt to get the globs as close in size as possible. I mix for about 2 minutes and have had excellent results. It doe
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This question comes up a lot. The blank won't care if you put spinning guides or casting guides on it. Dive in without any hesitation. Terry
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The best thing I've seen is to use 4" pvc mounted vertically. Either bolt them to the wall, or attach them together to make a free-standing rack. You can cut them the length you want and also cut the ends diagonally to make it easier to get to them. Terry
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3rd or 4th vote for goo gone. It's awesome stuff. Petroleum based so be sure to clean lightly with alcohol after you use it or you will trade oil residue for tape residue. Terry
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Angler's workshop has them. I was just up there yesterday and didn't have this on my list. Oh well, another excuse to make a trip. :-) Terry
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Thanks Anthony and Ted, Makes sense. Are the Weibe skeletons available? If not, I was heading in exactly the direction you mentioned on using a larger front hood size and a 16 rear section on the skeleton. Take care and thanks again. Terry
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Hey Mike, It's exactly the same reel seat on some Loomis handles as well so it's not custom to Fenwick. Here's the picture from the Loomis site: The rear/adjustable hood section looks like the normal skeleton seat. The upper hood section is the difference. Thanks, Terry
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Steve, I would start a search of garage sales and antique stores to look for some sections that might match your HW store guy's rod. There is a ton of old bamboo semi-scrap running around that you may be able to match. Since the butt section has no writing or labeling on it, it is of limited value, especially since it isn't complete. I would take this along to some antique stores and se
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Hi all, I've noticed a new style of reel seats on some fenwick and loomis factory rods where the insert is cork, (typically rubberized) but the top/hood section of the uplocking seat has a larger OD than the rear section. It creates a tapered insert to the fore grip. The reel seat section is flat which gives it sort of a trapezoidal look if viewed from the bottom where the reel would mount.
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I did notice the fumes were much worse. The pot life was about 20 minutes against the stated time of 10-15. It was a cool day in the garage so I was thankful for a little extra time. I noticed right away the drops vs ounces measure of hardener to resin so I was very careful to follow the instructions. Better living through chemistry. Thanks Tom and Royce. Terry
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This is probably a question for Ralph O, or Cliff but I'm curious. I was building a cover for a sprinkler box over the weekend and decided to reinforce with fiberglass cloth/resin. The kit I bought at Home Depot had a 32 ounce can of resin and a small tube of liquid hardener, maybe 1/2 oz worth at best. The epoxies and finishes we use are mostly all 50/50 mix. What are some of the basic c
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You can get broken "repair bundles" from Lamiglas, but they are mostly graphite stock. I too got lucky once in an antique fair and found a bundle of glass blanks that I talked the guy out of for $20. They were all unsanded, and definitely second rate quality but perfect for repairs. I'm set for a long time with this stuff. Terry
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Thanks Dan,, I'll shoot you a note and work out the details. Terry
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The epoxy needed to fill this gap would weigh much more than the equivalent amount of thread to fill the same gap. If you build the ramp with thread, then coat with epoxy, this would be the lightest result. However, I'm curious as to why weight is critical for you at this point of the rod? It's close enough to the reel seat where an extra 1/4 ounce isn't going to make much difference in the
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Threadmaster is an excellent finish, however it is a bit more high build than I like sometimes. I also get good results from Flexcoat Lite as well. I think Threadmaster has better clarity for lighter wraps. Pot life is similar. I've never measured cure time, but others say that Threadmaster has a quicker cure time. I always use syringes now to measure which has removed the occasional inc
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Read the library article by Ralph O'Quinn on repairs. You'll find the answer to your question there, but you'll need to prepare a sleeve over the break as well as a plug in the blank. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully regarding length of the plug vs the sleeve and sand/bevel the edges as described. You should be able to make an effective repair using these instructions. Terry
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Brian, Spend $30 and buy a dremel. You can use it for hundreds of other things. It's the most important tool in your house after duct tape. If you must do the guides totally by hand (I remember this). Use a bastard file or a triangle file to get the shape, then sand with 220 grit sandpaper. If you can see your way to get a sanding disk for a power drill, Tom suggests using 150 grit sand
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