I have been building for a few years and always used the same technique for finding the rod's spine. However, I have been wondering if my method is correct. I have read a lot of ways to spine and watched many YouTube videos, but something doesn't seem right to me. Most of the discussions about spinning the rod say to roll the rod until it jumps/pops etc. Then mark the rod. So here's my que
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There is always a lot of discussion and debate about building on or off the spine and how it affects the finished rod. I checked a graphite 7.5 foot blank today and this is what I found. First of all finding the spine was a piece of cake, obvious without any special tool. THIS IS ONE BLANK. I DON'T ARGUE THAT THESE RESULTS WILL BE THE SAME FOR EVERY BLANK. But I do believe that they are a
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I received 2 blanks today, the C602 864-06. Neither is even close to straight for the last foot or 15". Honestly disappointed. I waited for these blanks, as they were the latest greatest. Not worth my time or effort to return, just disappointing. St Croix. God bless.
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I stripped an old Fenwick 6'-6" rod. I checked the spline. I was surprised to find the spline was off by almost 90° . Back in 1998 this was an expensive rod. I thought Fenwick was a good rod. I can't believe Fenwick skipped setting the spline.
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Hey guys, I’m having a small dilemma on something I can’t find an existing thread on. I build all my rods on the straightest axis and haven’t had any problems until now. The current rod I’m building, a 9ft 7wt fly rod, i oriented in a way that the bend in the top section was belly down tip up. After wrapping all the sections and lining up all the guides, my rod is slightly curving towards the
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Ok, For years I have spined my rods. But recently I have read that it isn't necessary. So what is the consensus here. Should we spine our rods or not, if yes how do you actually spine your rods.
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I’ve seen several people talk of placing guides on straightest axis of blank vs finding the spine. What are the pros and cons of each and why one way or another? Thanks
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In the now infamous thread "Has NFC gone downhill?", there was some discussion by some pretty experienced people regarding the preferred placement of guides on a blank. As is often the case, there was also some disagreement among the participants in the discussion related to this. Because it has been bugging me, I decided to address it. First off, I agree with Ed Rose who in the di
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Ok, so I'm sure the first question might be why? It's a rod I've used for several years and it's beginning to show its age. One eye is damaged and needs replaced. When I first learned about rod building and the importance of the spine. I decided to check my store bought ones. Shocker, this one isn't on spine. There are other issues and I'm sure it would be more cost effective to pitch it and star
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I'm trying to find the best, most accurate way to find the spine across multi-piece blanks? Thanks very much! Craig Snapp
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As the title suggests, how do you align the guides on your rod builds? There must be pros and cons to either / both methods to be considered while developing a personal preference. Personally, I position the guides of my builds in the straightest, line-of-sight alignment because when sighting down the rod (as virtually everyone does, including customers), the guides are in perfect alignment with
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Hi all, I am planning to build steelhead rod. I have few questions I need help with, any input will be appreciated. 1. I am leaning toward northfork ST 904 blank. There are 2 options- HM and IM. what will be the main difference between those besides blank weight and price? Is this one of those -"u get what you pay" or else? 2. How do I find spine on 2 piece blank? 3. I am think
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I recently finished a NFC 703-1, and I love it! I used a 20-10-5.5 reduction, and ultimately 5 more 5.5 running guides plus the tip top. The blank is 7' long, and so it took 8 guides plus the tip. Not long after I purchased the 703, I decided to try to put one together that was a little heavier, and ended up with a MB 765-1 Neo. This one is 7 1/2 feet long. I saw no reason not to set
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Hi all, I have finally decided to build my first rod. I plan to build spinning rod on NFC SB 683 blank, I would like to keep it as light as possible and pair it with new vanford 2500 (6.3 oz). Thinking of fuji vss hidden thread reel seat(size 16) and fuji titanium frame sic-s guides. I think to trim foregrip cork a bit to reduce weight. Will I achieve a minimum rod weight with this set up?
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Is there any evidence that rods built with certain blanks and certain components will cast farther and/or with more accuracy than rods built with other blanks and components? Most serious anglers value performance over appearance, but advertisements for rod blanks and components do not reveal how their products perform. Why not? Maybe they all perform alike!
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Want help with Spine finding/ guide spacing on NFC 805-4 Iconoglass Fly Rod Haven't built one of these before. Is finding the spine important? And what about guide spacing/ size for this 8' 5 wt. fly rod? Any suggestions for guide sizing, spacing? And wrap thread sizes. And difference from usual graphite rods, or go silk and lighter? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
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Hi Mates, what is the best solution, when my rod blank has a misallignement mistake? After finishing the whole building process, I have recognised, that there's a misallignment between the top two sections (fly rod, 4 pcs). The female part of the ferrule is not coaxial with the blank axis, so the top section stands sideways. It looks as if it was cracked. The deviation is roughly 3 mm (cca.
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Hello, I bought a NFC blank (SWB807IM) and checking it for the spine, I noticed that it is not perfectly straight. For about 1 feet, from the TIP, it bends to the left with respect to its spine (I don't know how much, compared to the tip line maybe 1/2 inch). What can I do? Is it possible to straighten it? I've read that some builders straighten crooked blanks using heat. What could be the co
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I acquired an older Calstar 6465 XH-B that I thought would make a great rail rod. It's so stiff that finding the spine the usual way by having the butt on the floor and applying pressure against the blank while supporting the tip just wasn't getting it, so I used the straightest axis to find it. That worked well. Everything was going smoothly until I glued up the aluminum reel seat. It required v
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I'm working on a Calstar BT6460XH. The blank is short and stiff and my attempts to "find the spline" are getting inconsistent results. I've never been very confident on my ability to find the spine via the "bend it, roll it, and mark where it stops" method. As I was sighting along the blank, I noticed that there's a distinct white line running the length of the inside.
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Hello All, I stumbled across the video linked below where Gary seems to contradict popular opinion on guide placement: He seems to state that guides should be placed on top of the bend for casting setups and below for spinning. Am I interpreting this wrong? If no, what are everyone's thoughts on this? I suppose i get the casting distance argument, but wouldn't this put the rod under inc
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Hello, I’m building a my first rod for inshore use. Currently I have several rods, a Loomis, Kissler , and Waterloo. They all have small guides, I’m not sure if they qualify as microguides, but they are very small. At first I did not care for the small size, but over time I have actually gotten used to them and prefer them. I have a medium heavy, fast action, 7’6” blank from NFC for the build
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Lol
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how to find spine on fly rod blank mhx on 4 pieces rod
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hi i am new member i just get my 4 parts MHX blank and How do i find the spine on these blank thanks
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I have been looking at Microwave guides, and reading reviews. Lots of people think highly of them. Can anyone point me to data that looks at the casting distance one might get from them vs, for example, a Fuji KR Concept setup? I have been using Fujis for years and have been pleased. Always happy to try something new if there is good reason to do it. One reason I hesitate is that the running guid
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I'm making 12 foot overhead on a 4 wrap medium taper fibreglass blank. Overheads on such soft rods are prone to turning under load if the spine is not accurately chosen. A quick palm roll suggests that my blank has two 180 degree opposed spines. Do I want to use the weaker of these two spines? My plan was to affix the rod and attach a small weight to the end and test which spine bends the most
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Hi:I looked in the library but no mention of this. When locating the spine on a 4 piece fly rod do you spine each piece individually? Seems like this would be necessary except for the butt piece maybe...
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How do you find the strongest axis on the lower half of a 4 piece fly rod blank? Tight lines and frisky fish RJF
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Workin on my fist rod build -- puttin together a spinning rod and am wonderin what the preferred guide placement is; on top of curve (tip down) or bottom (tip "up") of curve? Or, does it really matter? Thanx fer yer input/opinion Take care and stay safe Roger
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