Tom and others, I use a speed of 5 RPM for my wrapper. Its one set speed that I use for both wrapping and drying (using a microwave oven motor) Should I also be able to coat a guide wrap in 30 seconds at that speed and just apply it with a loaded brush? I'm happy to admit that I do paint it on a little bit, but I am generally very happy with my results. I just interested to hear of the
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Hi Col, I have read your posts with some interest and I congratulate you on the efforts you have made to start this small friendly group of rodbuilders over on the "Big Island". By the way what does the ESFNEM stand for in your signature? Cheers Dale Hobart, TAS Australia
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I think you have to decide if you really want the survival equipment to be in the butt of the rod or stored in the rod tube. You can get the Clear Creek PVC/Nylon rod tubes to suit for example, a 4pc 6ft or 3pc 6ft6in or 7ft (Batson RX6), which will also have heaps of space left over for storing the other equipment Having the rod packed in a solid tube makes it just about indestructable. D
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Thanks Zachary.
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Thanks Bob. The next part of my question is - Do you ream out that rear grip section and slide it down the blank from the tip end, or do you fit it onto the blank from the butt end? If there is no butt cap in the traditional sense, how do you cover up the hole after you have reamed it out? (Of course I might be on the wrong track here) Thanks Dale Hobart, TAS Australia
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Hi all, I would like to order a couple of these Fuji split-grip handle kits from Mudhole. Looking at the butt section of the grip, is the composite butt cap separate from the grip, such that you glue the the grip on first and then the butt cap? Or is the composite cap actually part of the grip? Secondly, do you know if these kits comes with a graphite arbor (shim), or do these need to
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Hi all, I have started wrapping a rod and will soon be starting to apply the epoxy finish. I do my rod building in my garage and now that it is winter here, the temperature in the garage is a fairly steady 10 Degrees Celsius (50 F), both day and night. Can I expect to have good results using Flex Coat high build at this temperature? I have previously only built rods closer to summer when the
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I have made a couple of my own reamers using a replacement belt for a belt sander. I used 60 grit and it seems about right. Mark off a strip about 8mm wide and cut it off with scissors. Glue it onto an old piece of rod blank using contact cement. I have the Batson Dreamer Reamer set also and these are great for fast taper spin bass-type blanks, but for fly rods and slow taper spin rods, you re
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Good point Tom - I had not thought of that - Thanks
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Thanks a lot Phil. One other thing, do you try a have the end of the blank actually touch the inside of the butt cap. Do you think this is particularly important?
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Hi all, I have just started building my second fly rod - a 6wt Sage Z-axis. I am using a Batson half wells grip and BUL5 reel seat. I am just wondering if you have a preference as to whether you glue the cork grip and metal hood onto the rod first and then the reel seat and wood insert, or the other way round. Is there an advantage to doing it one way or the other? And secondly, do you
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I use a motor from an old microwave oven which turns at 5 RPM. I use this for both application and drying and it works fine. I'm completely happy with the results.
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I made a reamer a few months back as I needed something with a slower taper also, to suit a blank with a butt of 0.280. The Batson dream reamers are great but they are quite a fast taper and more suited to their bass blanks etc. I was able to use the bottom half of an old, broken 2pc light spinning rod. The handle was still in place and this is perfect to hold onto while reaming. The diamet
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Thanks Spencer for the reply.
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Spencer, Thanks for the lead on the Anglers Workshop IM6 travel blanks. I was not aware of those at all. Some of the length / weight configurations are quite different to anything offered by Batson, St Croix and American Tackle etc. There are a couple there that I may be quite interested in. Have you built any of these blanks yourself and if so, which ones? Cheers Dale Hobart, Tas
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Another vote for the Batson SB720-4 (6'0" 4pc 4-8lb) The next blank up in that series is the SB781-3 (6'6" 3pc 6-12lb). I have built two rods on this blank, for my dad and I and they are excellent also. They are both very well priced at around $45
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Thanks very much for the replies. Dale
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Thanks very much for the replies. Dale
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Thanks very much for the replies. Dale
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Hi all, I have a Sage Z-Axis blank that I am going to start building soon. I am going to add a simple thread wrap and trim wraps on either side of the Sage decal, similar to the Sage factory rods. Should I apply a coat of epoxy finish (Flex Coat high build) over the decal as well as the thread wraps, or is there another product that you would use for coating over the decal? Also, is there
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Terry Turner Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Pick one of the light trout blanks like the IS781F or the SP781. Both are 6'6" and 2-piece. I agree with Terry here. Although I'm on the other side of the world here in Tasmania, Australia, I also do a lot of spin fishing for small trout in the streams. I have never seen either of these blanks, but compar
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Cabela's now have a 6 piece Stowaway in their range and they sell the blanks for these also.
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I've built 4 spinning rods so far and I've only used Batson BVSLG single foot guides. These are the cheapest guides that Batson make, at around $0.70 - $2.20 for sizes 6 up to 25. Sure they're cheap, but they're not cheap and nasty. I think they are a good, solid, work horse type of guide and they're great value. I have built a few of the Batson RX6 travel blanks. Using these guides and the B
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I think the Mudole video clips are the best for learning these skills. Search "Mudhole rod building" on Youtube. There is a clip specifically for reaming a cork grip and gluing on to the blank.
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I did exactly as Tom says, but on a black rubber winding check. I had been a bit sloppy and needed to wipe off most of the epoxy. I ended up with a nice sharp edge and a band of epoxy about 1/16" around the winding check
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I've built a Batson RX6 SB781-3 (6'6", 6-12lb, 3pc). I've been extremely happy with it so far, from the small amount of time that I've used it. Its a very fast taper - a thick powerful butt, but still a fairly light tip which will throw quite small lures. Quite reasonably priced at around $45 (Even less with the 25% discount from Utmost). I'm hoping to use this for barramundi on a trip
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Hi all, I am currently building a 6'0", 2-6lb ultra-light spin rod (Batson SP720-4). I had intended to use guide sizes 6,6,6,8,12,20. However considering that I would like to keep the size and weight of the guides and wraps down as much as possible, I am thinking of making the first guide a size 16 instead of 20. I had roughly checked the guide layout using the New Concept system an
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I have made several orders of Batson RX6 and RX7 blanks through Utmost Enterprises. They offer 25% discount off all Batson blanks, which is excellent. I have found their service and advice to be excellent too. Dale Hobart, Tasmania, AUS
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Mick, Its says that these are all RX7 blanks. Are they exactly the same as the current Batson RX7 series or are they quite different in sone cases? I would be interested in a 9ft 9wt. Dale
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Thanks for posting that Eugene - I had been thinking just recently I would like to find some data like that as a means of comparison. Dale Hobart, Tasmania, AUS
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