I agree with Randy Search. Do not touch labels unnecessarily. To be safe I give labels a coat of cp to prevent lifting by the finish as described. Lou
Forum: rodboard

The Clemens lathe I have is also from the mid-80s. the only items I have had to replace on it are the rubber tires on the the wheels and a belt. I don't think I'll ever wear it out. What kind of lathe do you have Robert Greene? Don't be such a lurker and post something.... Lou
Forum: rodboard

I got one of your rod in trade back in the mid 90s, a short wireline outfit. I guy I built a rod for could not pay after all, so he gave me two complete rod/reel sets one of whose rods you built. It has the encapsulated fish pin foregrip. Like you describe the finish has yellowed somewhat. I don't fish the rod since I cannot stand wirelining, but did use the reel on a striper rod thats on the boa
Forum: rodboard

You'll save yourself lots of frustration, greatly decrease your build time, by getting into a Clemens or Renzetti lathe. True, they are not cheap, but they are also not lacking in quality and performance. No RobG, I am not saying these are the only lathes that will work..... Lou
Forum: rodboard

This is not a "modern technique" as someone who emailed me privately recently may think it is - use a piece of masking tape to hold the end of the thread in place, place 2-3 wraps away from the point where the wrap is to begin, then move the thread over and start the wrap. The tape holding the thread in place, and the 2-3 wraps prior to the point where the wrap begins will hold the thre
Forum: rodboard

I buy acid brushes by the gross, use once and toss them. have had problems with hairs falling out of those too so have to watch out. The suggestion that Steve Gardner mentions works. I rinse and clean the brush of finish and place in a cup bristles up. The small amount of remaining finish residue flows down to the crimp where it bonds the bristles together. Lou
Forum: rodboard

IMHO I would use the rod bond. Save the 5-min epoxy for tip tops. Lou
Forum: rodboard

An alternative: is contacting Jesse Buky has been making them for many years (since early 1990s) . He released an article years ago that describes how to make the molds, what rod building finish to use as a resin (he uses regular rod building finish) , techniques, etc. Drop him and email here. I am almost certain he will share any info he has with you. Lou
Forum: rodboard

This is another way of doing the double trim bands.... You can make the double trim bands in a similar manner, but with invisible crossings where one thread of one color does not cross and lay on top of another. Start the wrap like Raymond describes In this example but pull the trim band thread over to the left AND OVER the underwrap thread and begin your trim band making however many turns yo
Forum: rodboard

Thankfully it was an easy ferrule wrap. I would strip the thread off and rewrap. Wet the thread throughout as quickly as possible. Lou
Forum: rodboard

I use a 3.5" fine-grit metal cutting wheel mounted on an arbor which in turn is driven by a drill press. Makes quick work of guide feet. Lou
Forum: rodboard

I have met someone who has become sensitized to epoxy components, it is not a fun condition to become ill with. I do not know who made a short video not that many years ago that showed a rod builder demonstrating the application of cork tape over a film of fresh epoxy adhesive. The film shows the builder wiping and smoothing out the epoxy with his bare hands. When I saw this I said to myself n
Forum: rodboard

I suggest to NEVER use sand paper on cured finishes. Yes, they will abrade the cured finish away - but there is risk to damaging the thread, and risk of introducing contaminants to the next coat. As Chris suggest add successive coats of finish until the work is level. I normally use two coats - a thin air displacing wetting coat, and a thick 2nd coat to build up a smooth layer of finish. Rare
Forum: rodboard

IMHO one piece are lighter in weight, and their action generally more moderate. My most favorite heaver (surf rod) is an old Lami GSB-1361MH one piece, translucent finish, moderate action - it's a very light rod. One of the new heavers, an Allstar 1509-2, is noticeably heavier in weight, and it's very fast action, and somewhat more difficult to load and cast, though I can still load it up pre
Forum: rodboard

By all means not of scientific quality a couple or three years ago I performed a little expirement to either confirm or dispel what was being said about acetone. Basically I cut up pieces of blank and soaked them in acetone for various lengths of time. I posted the results here, do a search and you'll find the post. Though I have acetone (and MEK) at hand near my rod building bench I do not u
Forum: rodboard

Two coats, two coats, two coats...... Use a thin wetting coat 1st. followed 24 hrs later by a thicker coat. The idea behind the 1st coat is to displace as much air as possible. If too much finish accumulates wick the excess with lint free paper. Yes, using a finger to "wipe" the excess off works too. I've done this in the past. Loy
Forum: rodboard

For strength and "the right way" use the unibutt. On heavy trolling rods weight should not be an issue since the rods, after all, are fished from a rod holder. I agree with Ernie - use the slick butt on lighter stuff if the customer (or you) wishes. Lou
Forum: rodboard

I am thinking he's referring to either a plate seat, or the reel foot from a penn international that is used as a reference for sighting the length of the rod for guide alignment. Lou
Forum: rodboard

Merrick tackle carries the sabiki rod blank and guides. Look in their online catalog. It's not where you would think it is. Look in the index and go to the pages where the bronco rods are. Lou
Forum: rodboard

I agree with Keith. I always though they were doing this to hold the guide foot in place. Reason: The guide wraps looked *&^% - terrible, gapped, etc. So this is not being done to improve the appearance of the thread wrap IMHO. Lou
Forum: rodboard

Like Tom said, speed things up. Do not take more than a minute or minute and a half per guide. Work quickly. Do not use a hair dryer - if moves too much air (and lint) movement, instead learn to use a propane torch - very little, in any, air movement, and pin point application of heat. If your finish is beginning to gel up and get lumpy DO NOT stop the rotation of the blank to watch the fin
Forum: rodboard

The stuff is not supposed to turn clear. It is also very forgiving and the ratios don't have to be exact. Personally I scoop approximate gobs of each, i.e eyeball it, and mix. Never have had a problem. Lou
Forum: rodboard

I used fast setting epoxy for years, then decided to try the hot melt type of tip-top adhesive. I was sorry I did when rods began being returned to me for rotated tip tops. Many anglers around here carry their gear in their trucks, whose interiors can reach blistering temps in the summer. Hot enough to soften and melt the tip top adhesive. Bummer. Besides being embarrassing it was also a big wast
Forum: rodboard

Gudebrod size A metallic with no problems. I tape on end, trap the pull through loop under the thread, then do my trim wrap, cut the thread, pass through loop, and pull under. I adjust the trim band as needed, THEN cut the ends flush with the trim band with a fresh straght-edge razor. I've done some really narrow trim bands this way with no problems. Lou
Forum: rodboard

I cut the butts off three solid glass rods and stuck the resulting tips in a ferrules for aftco unibutts. I cut the reel seat in half, removed the remaining piece of reelseat, then carefully trimmed the remaining blank stub until it fit in the ferrule. I recall this mod clearly since the first rod I did I made the classic mistake of installing the ferrule without the knurled nut in place. For
Forum: rodboard

Goo Gone. It works great. Lou
Forum: rodboard

How did the cricket get upstairs? Better question is how in the world did YOU get upstairs?? Doing better in your recover are ya? Good to see you up and about. Now back to the cricket..... the bug spray method works good, but many have an oil base so make sure you spray downward to keep the spray droplets away from rod building surfaces. Another idea is to place one or two cardboard boxes n
Forum: rodboard

If it's a casting rod with a non-trigger reel seat it would seem to be a simple matter to flip the guide placement 180* and reguide with spinning guides, but you's wind up with too many guides if you use the same layout. I am not saying that It does not work. It does wth some rods, but not with others. If the rod blank has a gloss finish, black or clear, you may be able to strip the rod down to t
Forum: rodboard

You dont need a needle. All you need to is apply your finish in two coats - a very thin wetting coat to displace air, and a thicker finish coat 24 hrs later. Heating your finish will shorten its pot life, you'll have less time to work with it. I make it a point NEVER to heat finish unless it is already on the rod. To heat finish and burst bubbles I use a propane torch, alcohol is just too coo
Forum: rodboard

I whole key to this is letting the finish thicken to a state where it will hold the swirls of marbelized paint in place. Too thin and it will run together, to thick and you'll be working with blobs of finish. Like Mike said play with it - there is no magic timeline or formula to it. Lou
Forum: rodboard