Andrew, I built some prototypes for a gent well known in the industry a while back that came in at 2.8oz. From building those I started making rods with split grip Tennessee handles that worked very well and came in even lighter. Just another thought for you to ponder. Looking at your email address are you in the AF. Former 13 year Marine so thought I would ask. Tight lines, John Her
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Vince, What kind of rod? JH
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Andrew, First of all I don't think leaving the end open will do any harm to the rod/blank. The only initial draw back is getting dirt or other debris inside the rod. As for damage to the blank, unless you are going to leave it out in the open and have constant exposure to the elements I cannot think of anything that can happen. All the materials are cured and any incidental water that may g
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Billy Vivona hit the nail on the head. Wrap the guides without a finish on them. If the rod feels good and you are happy with the placement and the wraps are still in good condition, rinse the rod let it dry and apply finish. If the wraps are frayed or damaged in any way, you know your placement is good re-wrap and finish. Tight lines, John Hernandez
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John, There is another solution to your problem. It is something I have only done a few times over the years. A bit more time consuming but will last for years. Dependant on the material the ferrule is made of I have soldered the male ends. I build up the material and then sand it down until I get the fit I am looking for. If possible remove the ferrule from the rod this will keep you fro
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Most of the cork arbors used were a very low grade typically not used as handles. As mentoned above there are many options today that will work well, urethane, graphite , cork and or tape. All work well. Tight lines, John Hernandez
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Lorenzo, As you have gathered using nylon without CP is going to show thru everytime. He has many doable suggestions listed. Either live with it or it's a do over. Tight lines, John Hernandez
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Lou, I agree with Tom and Bill. Go a bit bigger than you need and it should be fine. With a heavy fighting load the blank will ovalize I always try to do a matching under wrap for both cushion and slop. Tight lines, John Hernandez
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Bill, It's a light weight glass blank made for fresh water use not a stand up tuna rod. Built the rod won't weigh much more than a composite or graphite rod. Tight lines, JH
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Charles, I have built a few spincast rods over the years for customers kids. I would reccomend E-glass blanks like a Batson SPG721, 722 or 723. If they have been using spincast reels they are likely use to using fiberglass rods and will feel similar to wht they have used for years. The blanks are 6' in length and range from 4-8 lb for the 721, 6-12 lb for the 722 and 8-15 lb for the 723. T
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Vern, Sounds like a re-wrap to me. Wish I had better advice. JH
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John, I think by now you are getting a good idea of what we think about trying to convert your rod. I hole heartedly agree with all the comments you have received thus far. Start fresh and make what you need. Tight lines, John
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Don, I also coat the underwrap when building or repairing. I feel it makes it easier to wrap and it also allows you to use different size threads if needed. You can wrap Cor D over A, but you can't wrap A over C or D without it looking crappy. So if you ever have to wrap A over lager thread give it a good finish first. It also makes repairs a breeze. Tight lines, John Hernandez San
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David, What I have used over the years is automotive glitter. It is so fine it almost seems like a liquid. It's not cheap, I have silver and all I do is put a tooth pick in the glitter and it is plenty. Find a custom paint shop and ask them where they get theres and go from there. I bought a 6 oz container for 35.00 about 20 years ago and still have about 80% of it left. You may want to e
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Dick, I have a good collection of old guides, let me take a look and see what I can find. Single foot size 20 black shock ring with a white ceramic guide ring right? zzzzztight lines, JH
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Steve. Just my opinion, and has worked for me for several years. I've seen rods break at the connection points due to both poor fit and not enough material overlap. But more so my opinion. Tight lines, John
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Billy, I give my customers a 90 day window on a signed agreement. The agreement reads that if after 90 days the property has not been claimed (after 3rd notification of coarse) I sell them for monies owed or donate them to a local kids fishing club. Tight lines, JH
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Marc, I use a wet saw which eliminates all dust completely. Tight lines, JH
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Jason, As Bob mentioned, won't be a problem at all as long as you have a good fit and the carry over onto the blank is at least 40% of the extension piece being used. I have used the tubing for just that purpose several times with no issues what so ever. Tight lines, JH
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Peter, I have interchanged the various parts from different manufactures, as stated by Phil they can and do vary in diameter. For the mst part though they do mix well. Tight lines, JH
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Armondo, The other thing you can do is use waterslide decal paper. I use it often and have no issues with it as long as you use it correctly. Find a design on line print it on the waterslide paper (laser or inkjet) give it a few coats of clear finish before putting it in water slide it onto rod. All the directions you need can be found on DecalPaper.com Tight lines, JH
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I use it over lower grade cork all the time on some of the builds I do. Leave yourself some room for shrinkage and you should be fine. I usually put it on before I glue on the grips, but eing that you are going to cover exsisting grips be carefull on the length. Tight lines, JH
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Joe, The most important thing about the split grip is feel. The rear grip just behind the actual reel seat should be comfortable in your hand. Once that is accomplished the distance between the first section of the butt grip and the actual end cap section of the rear grip is your call. Rod balance and aesthetics need to also betaken into carefull consideration. How the rod looks is importa
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I live in Southern California just out side of Palm Springs and keep a couple of rods in my car all the time and have never had anything go wrong with the rods themselves, but your line may deteriorate from the heat overtime so as I do change it regularly. Tight lines, JH
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Hi Martyn, Welcme to our world of leagal crack. The only thing that will limit you is your imagination. Make sure to practice on old rods that you ca experiment on and learn what works best for you. As mentioned above books and CD are great forms of information and inspiration. We all started from scratch and have many years of sweat and tears, so ask all the questions you can. Have a bla
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Matt, all the input above is good so just to add to I have a 20" lathe I pick up at Harbor Freight for under $200.00 and it works great. Depending on how much turning you will be doing that machine may fit the bill. Tight lines, JH
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Great topic Richard, That is also why this art will be passed down for many generations to come. "Masters of a craft will never be true masters if they are not willing to share the proven successes that made them masters, grasshopper". Tight lines, JH
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Glenn, All the methods mention will work well, the one thing I will repeat is when trimming the ends listen to the advice regarding trimming them in a tapper so as to spread out the thread bulk. If you blunt cut the ends you will have one big pile of thread, hence the cause of gaps. Tight lines, JH
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Ditto Bryan, All the suppliers on the left have great deals at different times of the year. As with anything volume speaks volumes. Tight lines, JH
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Pat, I agree with Matt. We are all human and mistakes will be made. It's how the mistakes are handled that will make all the difference in the world. What you have to do is take a good look at how the supplier approached the mix up. Did they handle it with kid gloves and get it straightened out right away or did they go about it with a poor attitude. Weigh the customer service after the e
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