Marc, see my post on fly rods from spinning blanks, just completed one for a customer that wanted a short rod to throw a 6 wt line and to load fast. I settled on a blank that was rated for 1/8 to 3/8 oz lure wts. You might have to try several blanks to get one that is suitable as these ratings vary as much as fly line ratings, that is one company's 1/8 is another company's 1/2 oz. I ended up usin
Forum: rodboard

Bil;l is right on, as he says it puts you in the ball park
Forum: rodboard

I just built a 7 ft. 6 wt. 2 piece rod for a customer and he is very happy with it. I used a IM7 blank rated for 1/8 to 3/8 oz lure wt. I used the formula of 1 wt for every 16 th oz of lure wt. so 3/8 figures out to 6 wt. Actually this rod worked out to throw 5 to 7 wt lines quite well depending on your casting distances. As Tom said, a blank is a blank .
Forum: rodboard

Mick, welcome back!! I think the Rx6 blank would do for a beginner though if it were my choice I might go for something a bit lighter, however it really depends on where he fishes and what he wants to do with this rod. Does he want to fish small stream trout only or does he also want to go after bass? For a rod like this take a look at the Pac Bay minima guides They are the best I have used latel
Forum: rodboard

Roger, I've had a few requests over the years for short fast loading fly rods in the 5-7 wt class for bass and pike fishing. I am currently working on a 6/7 wt and building it on a 7 ft spinning blank rated to trhrow 3/8 oz of wt.A broad rule of thumb is 1/16 oz of lure w. figures out to 1 fly line wt. however I judge each blank on an individual basis, I tried 3 different blanks till I was satisf
Forum: rodboard

My warrenty is very similar to Jim's. I offer what I call a 5/5 warrenty, it covers 5 min or 5 ft. whichever comes first. I warrenty all my labor and broken rodsare covered on an individual basis depending on the dynamics of the break and the co. that manufactured it.
Forum: rodboard

On cork I use a dremel with a sander bit and procede very carefully. On wood I use a paddle bit and also procede very carefully.
Forum: rodboard

I've used it for all kinds of rods for 16 yrs now. Never had a problem, some of them are still in service. Yes, there is a learning curve but once you get used to it nothing else looks right to you.
Forum: rodboard

I wear a baseball cap,safety glasses and an old pair of cowboy wrist guards. The guards are used for protecting your wrists when roping or doing other chores involving horses.They are made of leather and I have found them to be great for keeping loose sleeves out of moving equipment.
Forum: rodboard

I have rebuilt several glass fly rods from old rods bought at yard sales or other used places. The prices are resonable and it is no job to strip the blank down and completely rebuild. If you want to you can even replace the old reel seat and handle. You can pick up some of the old classics very cheap and they still have years of service left in them. I find some people still prefer the glass act
Forum: rodboard

Hard to find black frames but you can come close by using a Birchwood Casey product called brass black. It works quite well on nickel silver, it won't be black satin but more of a gun barrel dark color.
Forum: rodboard

I use each and get good results, prefer Permagloss turning at about 4 RPM. I use 3 coats
Forum: rodboard

As sugested there are probably a number of products to helpbreak this loose, however Roger has given you the best advice in my opinion. This is not a classic rod and the ferrules are not paticularly expensive. Cut them loose and replace them is the quick and easy way, then move on to renovating the rod.
Forum: rodboard

Be very careful using perma gloss over paint, it is a very hot product as it cures and can ruin some paint jobs. It is an excellent product over bare blanks but very touchy in compatability with paint,especially fresh paint that has not complely cured. I have not tried lumiseal over paint but I think it might be a better product for this application.
Forum: rodboard

Being a woodworker you can use about any material you wish. If weight is a big factor bore it out and use an arbor for an insert then ream it to size.
Forum: rodboard

Wrap a couple of thicknesses of tape on your threads before cutting.
Forum: rodboard

I'm using 3-4 coats of tru-oil on the blanks and 3 coats of permagloss on the wraps.
Forum: rodboard

All the products are good and each has their own little differences in working with them. I suggest you settle on one product and work with it until you get all the little problems worked out and then stick with that product. This is the way you will get reproduceability in your wor work.
Forum: rodboard

Did you let it comlpletely dry? some CP goes on looking like milk but will dry clear.
Forum: rodboard

Try Duco brand glue that you can pick up most anywhere.
Forum: rodboard

A pair of fingernail clippers works fine.
Forum: rodboard

I have replaced dozens of them and the method of replacing the cork only is best. If you try and repace the reel seat be aware that a lot of the old bamboo rods have a wood insert under the reel seat and the bamboo is inserted in it, the rod actually ends at the base of the cork handle. You can replace the cork easier by removing the guide and the winding check above the cork and sliding your new
Forum: rodboard

I don't know if this will solve your problem but I have just come up with a nice multipiece ultra light spinning rod. I have been fooling around trying to make a matching pair of spinning and fly rods. I had 2 blanks that I puchased on e bay a few years ago, they were a 7 piece 9 foot 4-5 wt fly blank. On the first blank I built the fly rod and on the 2nd blank I dropped the first and third secti
Forum: rodboard

Bill, this was a follow up on using skin on a handle. When I do a skin on a rod I use epoxy but on a handle I wanted something to take the wear better and I use permaglos over wood on a handle often so I was curious on what it would do to a skin. I believe using permagloss without CP on a skin would result in the skin soaking it up and decolorizing. The original work with snake skins warned again
Forum: rodboard

I went ahead with the trial of permagloss over snakeskin. Put snakeskin on a wood dowel and coated it with 2 coats of CP, let dry overnight and followed up with 3 coats of permagloss applied with a brush at 4 rpm and allowed to dry between coats. Looks good and I'm sure it will hold up on handl;es. I'm going to try it now on a completed rod.
Forum: rodboard

I have done the State fly show and several small shows. If you want to sell rods OK but you will find very little interest, most of them say oh I only buy Sage or St Croix rods and if you try to build them on on their blanks they will still prefer the factory rods. However if exposure is what you want then it's a good deal. I have talked to a lot of people at these shows and find that most of my
Forum: rodboard

I build several rods a year for charities like Trout unlimited and Pheasants Forever. These rods are @#$%& off and the profits go the the charity. Rod components left in my shop for a year are used and if asked, well they made a donation.
Forum: rodboard

Ken, I'm sorry for any confusion I may have caused you. Just put another eye 4 inches past the first guide up from the butt and put your next guide the usual distance from your first guide. The purpose is to prevent line slap between your first and 2nd stripper. I didn't mean to sound dictatorial, but only stated what I use and what works for me. As a custom builder you know that there are differ
Forum: rodboard

The rod companies did use them for a while and most have gone back to snake eyes. However the reasons were because most people are so tradition bound they didn't buy them. Then they also put them on without using a locking wrap and had to replace a lot of them, this gave them a bum rap. I pesonally use them on every thing except bamboo and that is only for traditions sake.
Forum: rodboard

I am not the Fox guy referred to but I have gone to using line tamer guides on all my fly rods over 5 wt (not bamboo) and find it does help and the only wt. added is one eye. The line tamer guide should be of the same size as your second shooting eye and placed exactly 4 inches in front of your first eye. Do not adjust the distance of your second eye, keep the same as only having 2 shooting eyes.
Forum: rodboard