Regarding COGS: Rod building supplies that you do not inventory such as thread, epoxy, finish, etc are supplies that are part of COGS. This would be part of the calculation of how much you spent on purchases for the year, along with anything you do inventory. This is different than office supplies, which would be a deductible expense against your business but not part of COGS. Warranty: I'
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Good adds by John and Bill. One of the most important services a rod builder can provide is to match the right blank and rod to the customers fishing method and species. This means you have to have some experience in the suspect fishery, or have access to reliable sources that do have the experience. This is a step above just building a rod. Knowing your market is important. I'm lucky
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I can relate my personal experience on this journey. Like many others, I started this as a hobby, and worked at it for several years before making the plunge to starting the business. I was getting more requests for rods from family and friends than I could accommodate so it was either shut it off or try to make a profit. I chose to start the business 10 years ago. I was still fully employed
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Hey Roger. I think your point #5 is the most common occurrence where rods may get off the level line. If I've adjusted supports for a large rod with a different length and taper, one has to be sure to readjust for the next rod length and taper. If I go from a Halibut rod that is short and larger diameter, to a 4 Wt fly rod, this would be pretty obvious, but moving from a 4Wt fly rod to a 11
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For a company in Texas, All Star made some very nice salmon and steelhead blanks. This was one of them, meant for light line steelhead fishing. You could build this into a fly rod and some CCS measurements would be interesting. I did something similar to a 12' center pin float blank for a customer and it turned out quite nicely. Terry
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Your customer has some conflicting requirements so it's going to take some discussions with him. If he wants a rod that will withstand some customer abuse, but use only 12 lb line on fish up to 35 lbs, a fast graphite rod would cause a lot of break-offs. With a drag set at 3.5lbs, your best solution is going to be glass or at least composite. I would look at some of the Lamiglas inshore TriF
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You can, although some caution is needed to determine the cure time and the evaporation rate of your thinning solvent. If you use too much solvent, and it doesn't evaporate before the epoxy cures, you can end up with a tacky finish. I'll thin finish epoxy when I do transparent wraps and have had good luck with both acetone and denatured alcohol. The most I have used with success is 1/3 so
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Even the hardened 1/4" mandrels will flex. If you can pre-drill your rings and step up a size or 2 for mounting on the blank, you'll be happier. One other option is to go to a machine shop and by drill rod stock in the length you want. A little more money than the steel at the HW store but definitely straighter. Keep the mandrel short as you can and work as close to your head stock (dr
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If you are casting bobber stops through your guides, the size 5's that come with the microwave are too small. I actually move up to size 6 minima's or size 7 standard if a customer is casting bobber stops through the guides. For weight, this is an application I would consider minimas in a size 6 to perform well in your case. For those that don't bobber fish for steelhead, many anglers use a
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If it were me, I would consider just trimming the label with a razor blade to eliminate the overlap so you only adhere to the blank. If you don't want to do that at this point, you can try a couple of suggestions: CA glue (superglue) might be an option for the label edges at this point. It's worth a shot. Another suggestion is to hit it with a couple coats of workable fixative, let cure, t
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You'll get a lot of feedback here but I'll start with some basic concepts. In spinning and casting rods, the terminal tackle provides the weight to load the rod. Any rod needs some weight to load (bend) then unload to propel your lure or fly to those eager fish waiting your offering. :-) The cast with spinning and casting tackle is primarily acceleration in the forward cast to load the rod
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If you are using colorfast thread, CP is not needed. As you discovered, mixing threads (or if you aren't sure) CP will help retain close to the color of the spool, but the color will still be a little darker, even with CP. Some builders like to use CP more often to reduce bubbles when applying finish. If you want the translucent look that regular nylon provides, then you can't use CP for t
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In my experience, the burnt cork is pretty close to regular cork but a little more dense. Next dense is the mixed burnt (light burl mixed with burnt cork) Next dense is rubberized cork. The more rubber (darker color) the more dense and harder it is to sand. Watch your transition points when matching up to regular cork and sand with a backing on those areas. I'll often cut the rubberized cork
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Yup. It's a big deal in Oregon and has been for a number of years. I know folks on the Olympic Peninsula are using this as well. Started off as a summer steelhead technique but it works equally well in winter. Pink and white marbou jigs under a float can be really deadly during winter. These are tied on a 1/8 oz jig head with a heavy wire hook. There are a number of styles, some with beads,
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So, Randy, I know you are up in Washington somewhere, but a lot of steelhead anglers are using marabou jigs under bobbers for steelhead. It's a very effective method for steelhead fishing and pretty easy to learn. A longer spinning rod gives you a big advantage over a hot shot rod which would be only 8' at the longest. The preferred set up is this rod, a 2000 or 2500 class spinning reel and br
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You might also check out the Rainshadow IST1142F or IST 1143F. Both 9'6". You'll like the extra length for line management while bobber fishing, and these also make pretty decent drift rods as well. Most anglers prefer at least a 9' rod and some up to 10' when bobber and jig fishing for steelhead. Match with a braided line of appropriate poundage as it will float and is easier to men
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From your description, it sounds like you know the best solution already. Make a clean wrap to start with and no worries with any fuzzies sticking through the finish. John gave you the perfect recovery solution. Lessons are hard but we've all learned them. Your next rod will be perfect on the first round! Terry
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I use a power wrapper now, but even when I used a hand wrapper, I taught myself to wrap either to the left or right. I also wrap in both directions using the power wrapper as well. I've never had the issue of wrapping downhill due to the taper, but I know that golf clubs may have more of a taper than some rods. However, if you angle the thread, this should be less of an issue. A good practi
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Yes, Michael beat me to it. I wouldn't recommend using tape on top of the guide foot in lieu of proper prepping of the guide foot. It's highly desirable to have a smooth top of the guide foot for best thread packing and positioning the guide for alignment. Just my opinion here but If you are using it to help the thread climb the guide foot, then there are other solutions to that problem. Te
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You can dry sand but it might still be a bit soft, depending on the brand you are using. Just test lightly to make sure you aren't removing too much material or gumming up the sandpaper. Terry
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I'm a guidefoot glue guy and have found that method works the best for me. The stretch thread option is nice because you can align before wrapping if you want. Nice touch. Terry
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Thanks guys, I'm not too excited about pursuing an alternate Tenkara-like model. I saw a couple of copies at the Boise show. Interesting. I fish a lot of bigger water, as do many of my customers so the concept doesn't hold a lot of appeal. However, i can see where it would be attractive for small stream fishing. Very connected. I wouldn't mind working with the local Tenkara folks to offe
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Nice Mike. Good looking grip. I'll see where this goes. I offered the same service, but with inlayed cork. Thanks for the feedback. Terry
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Hello, I was at a fly fishing show recently and the folks in the Tenkara booth liked my grips and asked if I could mount them on a Tenkara blank. The obvious answer is yes, if I can get the blank, or at least the bottom replacement piece without the grip. Has anyone pursued this? A search yielded no results. Safe Travels to all you folks headed to the show next month. Terry
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Typically a fine or an extra fine nib seems to work the best for me. Also make sure to rough up the area prior to writing. Seems to make the ink flow better. I can't stress enough about keeping the nib clean. Get a bottle of pen cleaner and keep it there after you wipe it off. Speedball inks are pretty good and can be thinned with water or alcohol. I have the best luck with silver ink,
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Sounds like you may not have applied enough or let it cure long enough. If you put enough on to fill the tunnels around the guide foot then you'll need the overnight curing time to let it cure properly. CP gets a bad name but if used correctly, it's a great tool. Terry
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Sounds like you may not have applied enough or let it cure long enough. If you put enough on to fill the tunnels around the guide foot then you'll need the overnight curing time to let it cure properly. CP gets a bad name but if used correctly, it's a great tool. Terry
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And I want to tell you this stuff is hard as nails when you are doing any guide replacements. TFO uses this process and the repairs I've done on these rods are tough. I charge people extra now for guide replacements on TFO rods just because of this process. Terry
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This type of mistake usually happens to me when I've been working a long time in the shop and it's late. Trying to get a project finished, I'll miss a step or attempt the dreaded short cut. If I have to leave a rod before all the guides are aligned, I put a huge note on it so I don't forget to do it on the return. Just so you know, I use an alcohol flame for a little heat on removing old
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Same here. I've finished out builds for folks that got started and ran out of time. Also made it clear about the warranty and we just agreed on a price. No offense taken on this at all. Terry
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