I'm running a little behind on a couple of fly rod builds due shipping delays. Is there any chance I could mark the location of the reel and just tape it to the blank? I'm making my own reel seat inserts and cork grips and the only glue I have is the slow Rod Bond. Just wondering if I could do the ccs and static tests, then glue everything up and work on my wraps while its all drying. I also h
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thanx for the fast response barry.
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hi all, had a question about cork tape for a surf rod fore grip and butt grip. i'm going to make the butt grip 26 in. and the fore grip 6 in. and plan on putting shrink wrap over it. how much cork tape will i need? is there an equation for this? also it seems to me the handle might be a bit thin, is this true? i'm waiting on parts for some of my other projects and wondered if i measured from t
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I just finished making my lathe,and turned my first reel seat insert. I am experimenting with different ways to final sand and polish. I bought my insert blanks from reelseatblanks.com while at the expo. The first time I just stepped down sandpaper until I hit 3000 grit 3M Trizact(think car painter here) then used 3M compound to bring up the shine. The next attempt I sanded even finer with Mi
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Do you think the new finishes have advantages over this "old Flex Coat" as far as yellowing? I would like Mr. Kirkman and other senior members with lots of experience with the high build version of Flex Coat, to chime in with opinions on yellowing. It's my understanding all epoxy finishes yellow over time. Are we talking about looking yellow right away? The reason I'm asking is beca
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I recently broke a good friend of mine's surf/pier rod. He said not to worry it was just a cheapo from a big box store. However, I decided to surprise him with a custom built rod because he's helped me out with studio time(he owns a small music studio) and he has lots of fishing buddies(see potential customers). While at the ICRBE I picked up a Batson SW1087 for steal of a deal. Now I need he
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If your talking about cutting a handle as appose to an individual ring, I just use a compound miter saw with a really fine blade used for finish work.
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Roger you da man. I appreciate all the comments. I think I'll give that last method a try. thanx
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I've had trouble in the past securing small single foot guides on the tip section of fly rods. On my next couple of fly rods I'll be using either minima or rec single foot guides. I once tried super glue, small o-rings, rubber bands ect. I have also seen guide foot adhesive in glue stick form. How does this stuff compare to tip top hot melt cement? I want to try dental bands or those spinner
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The amount of information on this site astounds me! You guys are the best.
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I'm in need of some scrap blank material. I have a few spin rods tip sections to piece together(cheap rods), and another surf casting blank. Is there anywhere I can buy broken blank pieces(haven't been in this long enough any leftover scap)? Will anybody have any at the show? Should I mic the diameter, taper, and length to try to match it as close as possible, then bring those numbers with me
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I was recently asked to restore an old bamboo rod. The guy said his friend's grandpa had two of them and he gave this guy one that needed fixing. He would like to keep the original cork grip, but nothing else. I have a few questions about this restoration. Is there any possible way to remove the reel seat (boiling water) without damaging the grip? I'm going to be refinishing the entire rod, s
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You nailed it Bill. Thanx for your insight Kevin. That was exactly what I was wondering about wrapping to tight. Everything I have is homemade, i.e. epoxy mixer made from coat hanger wire and microwave motor, the dryer is made from bbq motor, and the wrapper built from shelving board. My thread tensioners are made from bolts with washers,springs, and wing nuts. Should I buy some commercial t
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No, I'm not worried about building for less than the factory rod. I just want to make sure I'm making enough to cover my end of the warranty. If he breaks the rod and I only charged $125.00 labor for the original build, I wouldn't be making much money if I had $50 in a new reelseat and $20 in cork(no to mention labor for making the handle). I'm not sure he would be thrilled about an $800.00($40
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Thanx Drew. I guess I need to contact Sage and get the rundown on their warranty. Great products and outstanding customer service that's what I'm going for.
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As always sound advice, thanx Tom. I'll try to attend both days. Which day is best? I'm guessing Sat. for instruction and volume of people. Sunday for prices especially near closing time? Been to other trade shows and the best deals are usually last minute on the last day. Does that apply here?
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Tom, thanx for the fast response. He told me that he needed a stout rod, then mentioned Sage as being the only rod he had used up in Michigan. He didn't say if he used any other brand locally(he lives near me, I live near Boone, NC). I agree that its probably best to stay with Sage, although I'm sure any decent brand blank is ''strong enough'' in the appropriate weight. My major concern is I don
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Hey guys, I had a gentleman contact me about building him a 9ft 9wt. fly rod for salmon fishing in Michigan. I have a lot of questions. If I build on the Sage blank is the guarantee unconditional? In other words can they refuse to warranty the blank because of something I did wrong during the build? What if it's his fault(let's pretend he says its not), can they refuse to replace the blank? Wha
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man you got love the IRS. they have probably already read my post and are ready to audit me right now. lol. thanx for you opinions.
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thanx guys that's just the info i was looking for!
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does anyone know if its illegal to use a US or foreign coin for a winding check? i googled defacing US money and there seems to be a lot of gray area. some argued its only illegal if you try to gain monetary value by altering currency or coinage. they say its okay to do so for jewelery, crafts, art, ect. because your not trying to use the money as legal tender. one commercial example are those
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just wondering how you guys secure your single foot guides on fly rods, especially on the tip section? i thought about ordering some surgical tubing. if my tip top is a 4 then what diameter of tubing should i order? will i need more than one size? any information would be most appreciated.
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sorry guys i forgot to say that this build is an 8'' 5wt. rod. i noticed some of the higher end (Sage,ect) had only one ''stripper'' guide on their factory 8'' rods. also a couple of the guide charts i seen online called for just 1 ''stripper''. what do you think?
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hey guys im on my second fly rod and excited to get started. im ready to start my static test and had a quick question. on my 8' 6'' 7 wt. i had used single foot guides just as i will on this build. however on my first build i had a sz 16 double foot stripper followed by another sz 12 double foot, the rec single foot 2's out to the top. should i only use one "stripper" then single foot
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sorry for another post about these guides. i now believe they are 472 black guides from Allan Mfg. Co. from size 2/0 to 2. and 210 stainless guides from Perfection Tip. any more info would be helpful. i have pics under my profile Bobby Bledsoe. I would be interested in selling or trading just check my listing in buy/sell. thanks for all the help guys.
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hi guys sorry i was away at a birthday jam. btw thank you guys for your fast and informative responses. the stainless? guides were in the Perfection Tip Fly Rod Top Assortment box. the sizes printed on the inside say 1/0,1,2,3. and best i can tell there are 4 different sizes. as for the black guides they were in a box that said Allan Fly Rod Assortment. the sizes were 2/0, 1/0, 1,and 2. i do ha
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hey guys im brand new to rod building(starting on my second fly rod) and i had a couple of questions. my local hardware store had 2 boxes of fly guides just sitting on the shelf, so i asked if i could buy them all. i ended up with 472 black and 210 stainless? guides. one box i believe was mislabeled as perfection tip tops and the other box(with the black guides in it) was labeled Allan. i might
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