We just listed a bunch of Walnut Crotch Burl on our website in both reel seat blanks and rod handle blank sizes. This is the 1st time we have ever had this wood in the rod handle dimensions. This is the best looking Walnut Burl we have ever seen! The wood has been kiln dried to 6% moisture content and then put through an additional process to remove the oil from the wood before stabilizing in cle
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I am a bit confused. I understand that action refers to where the rod flexes when casting. i.e. fast action rods flex the first 1/3 or less of the rod. I also understand that power has to do with what the rod will physically handle. What I am having difficulty understanding rod sensitivity. Is a fast action rod more sensitive than a medium action because it flexes more readily at the tip? When di
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From what i have read i see split grips are popular with the bass fisherman. What bass fishing technique, if any that you might prefer no split grip and why? Thanks, Roger
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I am new to this forum, but been building rods since about 1975. I build them as gifts mostly, but our TU chapter here in Omaha has just started a chapter of Project Healing Waters, and I am designing a rod for that group. I would like to build the handle from cottonwood bark and highlight it with burnt cork and colored trim rings of the Healing Waters colors. I have tried using the same mater
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planning to build 8 wt. fly rod with a short fighting butt {2"} my question is how many of your customers prefer a irremovable one virus a fixed,
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I haven't posted in a while and I just received an AmTak Bushido spin/jig 8-15lb rod blank. I recently took up largemouth fishing out of my yak at a local lake. My question is about Tennessee handles. As much as I dislike the looks, nothing is as comfortable. I have carbon fiber tubes as well as carbon fiber sleeve material. Should I build my handle using thin wood or plastic arbors, if so b
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Thank you for your sensible answers/comments/suggestions; straightforward; direct; no nonsense. L. A. Garcia, author, "Handcrafting a Graphite Fly Rod".
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I have been approached to build a 12-13 ft fly rod in a 5-7 wt., the customer is very specific in some of his wants. He wants the lightest rod possible with a conventional fly handle, he wants an 8 in grip and a 1 in. detachable fighting butt. Suggestions on the reel seat, blank and eyes would be helpful. Right now I am thinking about minima eyes in #12,#10 and finish with #5s. He wants to use it
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I looked in the library and did a search but did not see an answer to my question. I have turned my first wood handle. I used clear wood turners finish after sanding. Should i leave it as is or put another finish on e.g. polyurethane? Any recommendations would be most appreciated
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Does anyone here build rods specifically designed for spincast reels? Most older spincast reels feel like they're sitting too high on the handle when used on a standard blank-through trigger grip. I can't find a source for an offset handle anymore where the blank attached to the front of the handle. The newer spincast reels sit closer to the foot but the older ones were taller and the thumb
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I have turned the handle parts and am ready for glue up. I have only recently started using this product. On my last handle I applied the permagloss and when glueing the handle it dulled up the finish where ever the epoxy touched the permagloss. I had let the handle set over night after application of the permagloss. I am wondering if I did not let it cure long enough or if this is just a don
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Hey guys I earned a few extra dollars at work this month and am looking to spend the money on a lathe or power wrapper to start doing custom grips.I like the idea of the lathe because I can turn the grips off of the blank and turn wood accents if I like .I'm looking at lathe from harbor freight with a 17" bed for pretty cheap. Or just a very basic power wrapper for a little more. I'm wonderi
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I have a bunch of old deep sea rods and Penn reels that I want to fix up. I understand it is not financially worth it, but money and time are not an issue. I'm just looking to practice, see how things work, and have some fun in my shop. I have a rod with a long wood butt and a wood handle above the reel seat. The wedges (or place where the reel locks in) are broken and have been removed. I
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So i was wondering how a company made there grips and i found out how they use polyurethane resin clear over there grip Do you think that they put cork under there custom stuff or wood?????? Also any certain polyurethane i should use Young rod builder any help would be appreciated!!
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since I won a carbon fiber casting and grip kit at the Michigan gathering, Thank you Riley Rods. I've been planning all sorts of ideas for it. I'm thinking of having the coolest looking lather tools in town. I've got some homemade handles and here is what i'm thinking. apply a sealer coat of epoxy to the wooden handle then sand it smooth. place the carbon fiber over t
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I need to bore out some wood grips that contain aluminum trim rings and was wondering which method would put less stress on the glue joints, mounting on the lathe or using the drill press? One of my concerns is not to mar the shoulder by mounting in the lathe. There is a lot of material that will need to be removed going from .250" to about .650". I plan on using a number of bits workin
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Roger that RPM was only 70 on my dryer Just counted it twice Not as fast as I thought Should wright it on the dryer so I remember -- Dooo
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Can anyone tell me or suggest how I should go about buffing or polishing a tru oil coated cork handle. I got like 5 coats on it, and the fifth was my last coat, I have some water proof siliciumcarbide water proof sandpaper, from 1500 to 5000 grit, I am thinking of starting with the 3000 and go to 5000, since I don;t have any other size inbetween the 3000 and the 5000, and is wondering should I
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I have been reading for the last few weeks to get set up to build my first rod. I have replaced a few guides in the past, and have experience with a lathe as well as general wood working, including using epoxy as a finish on lures. I have decided on a Tackle Industries blank, I know there are not many people using them, but I have several of their rods and like them. I also like that I can get a
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I'm looking to purchase a new lathe for cork work and also considering turning my own reel seats. I know a lot of you use lathes from Harbor Freight. My question,,, is the 5 speed bench top wood lathe they sell for $199 (item #65345) precision enough to handle reel seat work??? Comments please. Thanks Jerry
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I had a client who wanted some rods built with a piece of wood that he had brought back from Alaska during his years living there. As a result, I updated my smaller lathe to an Excelsior 10X18 - MT2 lathe. After getting the necessary updates with respect to chuck, head stock and tail stock adapters, I was ready to go. Here are a few pictures of the turned fore grip and butt grip for the rod
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One of my customers I built some rods for was in Greece and found a piece of drift wood in the Aegean Sea while fishing in the shape of a pistol grip fishing rod handle and wants me to build him an ultra lite rod with that piece of wood for the handle....what would you coat the wood with to seal in the natural drift wood color and protect it?
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Fly rods are making me feel like a real dummy. My parts arrived and I know I'm likely to make a mess on the front (recessed) hood on the UL3 reel seat. I/m concerned with not getting epoxy into the area where the reel's foot is supposed to go. Maybe I'm supposed to glue the hood into the cork handle first? Do I need to sand the finish off the wood insert? The hood isn't a snug fit and it loo
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it seems a bit soft when turning, which stinks, cause it is fun to turn! Thanks Scott
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Any tips out there for applying a CA type adhesive finish to a wood grip? Do you just pour the CA onto the wood while its spinning? I'm not sure really how to go about applying it. I assume it dries really really fast.
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There is no substitute for experience. Just wanted to share with the other newbies on the site help on the learning curve of many questions we all seek answers too. I've been through the rod building seminar, and felt it was a great experience, But with so much information to learn, Two days was hardly enough. Too many questions, and so many different answers, Just read this web site and see for
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I am trying to make a handle with some checkerboard rings that I have made, to get some color inthe ckeckerboard I have to use the real dark rings, when I sand the rings into shape my regular cork rings get discolored, I can clean them up a lot by washing in MEK but still very dark from the sanding , how do you get it back the light color ? or do I just have to live with it, or don't use t
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Does anyone know of a good way to fill voids in cork handles??
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I'm looking for a classy, well made reel seat for a 7' 9", 3 piece, 6/7 weight custom fiberglass blank that I will be building on. I do not have the tools to machine and turn my own reel seat components. Therefore, I would like the reel seat to be: Lighter weight, under 4" in length which can accept a small fixed fighting butt 1" or 1 1/2" finish can be nickel si
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Any of you folks out there make their own cork filler with cork dust and glue? Just getting into turning my own cork grips and I've tried some of the commercial products out there with mixed results. Just wondering if this would work for cork as long as the right glue was used. Thanks.
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