The trouble with reading through the forums on this topic is that no proper solid explanation is given as to what ''spine'' we are talking about Please let's sort out what it is we are actually discussing! Let's talk about a standard tip section from a freshly cut blank, as on these sections the spine is very apparent as opposed to the thicker butt section where not only is the spine harder
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Thought I would resurrect this old chestnut just to check up. Blanks are obviously made to tight specifications more than ever now with better technology and under enormous machine pressure (hence very uniform). Even though has and always will be a spine where the roll is folded over and the blank slightly harder in one place, is the spine ever straight down the blank, and is it of any cons
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I have bought some extra spinning rod blanks and was thinking about turning them into casting rods. I got me wondering how much if any difference there in the design and construction between the two. For example: is a medium power, fast casting rod blank the same as a medium power, fast spinning rod blank? Sam
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Read with interest what people are saying about the spine I have trained as a rod builder and spent a lot of time thinking about this topic as I like to get things right and have an appreciation of fine details A well made blank will have very tight tolerances in terms of the uniformity and thickness of the material.. this is obviously because blanks are rolled (manufactured) under extreme
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Is the Spine Finder (ex. MudHole) really a helpful tool or a hype? The reason I ask is bc I have used the traditional method on my fly rods and some pieces has been hard to locate the spine on. If this tool is accurate and a time saver I won't hesitate adding one to my setup.
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Hi to all you wrappers. I cannot believe I am the first one to discover this but thought I would share my new finding, just in case, after feeling a bit dense I did not realize it sooner. Immediately after spending the time to build a semi-adjustable spine finder from stuff found around the shop, I realized my wrapper would already do the same, but even better. The spacing is infinitely adjustab
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I recently ran across this rod whereby it is stated that the rod is a hybrid and can be used as a spinning or casting rod. I'm a little perplexed since it is my understanding that the guides should be placed on the "belly" of the spine of a spinning rod and on the "back" of the spine for a bait casting rod. How can a rod serve two masters? The only thing I can think of is if
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This is my first fly rod build, after several other rod builds which I am very pleased with. This is on a Sage One blank, 9' 4 pc, 5wt, that I picked up for a really good price ($250 shipped) The blank is straight, seems very good. The spine is marked with alignment dots, and it feels accurate. When the rod is flexed, the dots are on top. Am I correct, that this is the top of
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I hope nothing. I hope it was good. I know I messed up a bit on the epoxy, but yeah. Let me know if there is anything else I missed? I haven't ever built a fly rod before, and this turned out pretty good. I thought I would give it a try. Let me know what you guys think. I know already of a few mistakes I made, but the rod came out looking great anyway! In the video I show the unboxing
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I have heard so much stuff about seeing the spine but I have have always done it the old school way of finding the spine. I have a good idea of how one see's the spine on a Rod but what if the blank has two spins and both are strait,just how does one decide which one ro use if both are strait and the same.
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I'm just undertaking my first rod building project. I'm building a 9' #4 fly rod using MHX blanks. I have read a variety of articles about how to find the spine in the blank, however I am really struggling as the blank sections appears to deflect similarly in each direction. How critical is it to spine a rod? I understand at least one prestigious American tackle manufacturer doesn't spine their r
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How crooked of a blank is acceptable. I recently bought some blanks, and didn't bother to check for straightness. Now halfway through the build, I'm finding that they are all crooked. I have bought less expensive rods and they were much straighter. I just want to get some input as to what is acceptable and should I complain to the manufacturer?
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I have a basic question that I can't seem to get a good answer to. I presume it is a matter of opinion, so I'll ask for opinions. Supposedly the proper way to cast a casting rod is at a 90 degree angle to the typical guide placement so that the spool spindle will be straight up and down for less friction and a longer cast. But if you do that, shouldn't the spine be oriented 90 degrees from the g
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I have purchased a Rainshadow XST1383F blank to build a steelhead rod for my brother, he generally river fishes for late run steelhead in Michigan, which often includes icy conditions. I have built a few rods and experimented with different methods for guide spacing, including the Morton Micro Guide Graph. I am definitely a novice and this being my first steelhead rod I would appreciate guide and
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How do you determine the spine of a 4 piece rod. Do you determine the spine of each segment, which is what I would expect, or is there another way. What about the lower sections. I have not had too much luck finding the spine on these sections, but I feel it probably isn't too significant for these sections since most flex is in the upper half. Thanks.
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Hi. This is my first post on this forum; I've been lurking in the corner for a while and figure its about time I sign up. I'm building a couple bunker spoon rods on Seeker BA 1153M 9' blanks. I will be using All American Spiral Roller guides, ATC aluminum seat and gimbal, slick butt grip and a EVA foam foregrip. OK. I have the components that I feel will do the job the best. I have spined
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I generally go with the straightest axis on rods. Someone recently mentioned building on the spine of a high modulus blank with a very distinct spine as important. What do you guys do on blanks like this? Mostly looking at bass-walleye type spinning rods.
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I'm still new to rod building, I really like the High Modulus Rods, However I seem to have a much harder time finding the spine of those type of rods. Is there a better way to find it on the Modulus rods, Or am I just getting substandard rods. Thanks
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Custom request for rod build. (I’m looking for a 5’ spinning rod to jig Tog. The action will need to be pretty stiff. Not deep sea stiff but prob. medium heavy action or heavy. I’m into St Croix rods. If you have any suggestions I’m open. Looking forward to hearing from you. I contacted St Croix this is their suggestion.) (Ed, guessing he wants to drop some heavy metal in deeper water, unfortu
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After reading my question some might just wonder why I didn't just build a new rod, and perhaps I should have. However, these rods have become very sentimental to their owner and quite frankly to me as we fish together quite often. So aside from some beat up guides and worn out handles these old fiberglass blanks still have an action that makes fishing 25 to 30lb Chinooks a hoot here on Lak
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I had done a 300mm closed wrap with 8 thread colors on the butt of a 10' fiberglass (3-10oz rated) surf rod. After finishing and admiring the seemingly wonderful work, I noticed that SOMEHOW i had spent 3 days wrapping on an axis 30 degrees off center from the reel seat. What a screw up. How I did this, I do not know. I figured it was easier to remove the aluminum alps reel seat than rewrap. I tr
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Apologies for this basic question. There's been lots of discussion on spine vs straightest axis. This is not quite the same question but it is a question of spine and guide orientation in relation to the spine. I normally build 1 piece rods so this has not been an issue. I have an out of production 3 piece UL blank equivalent to about 3 wt fly rod in power. It's a special blank and I
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Hey guys so I am interested in making a spiral wrap rod. I have tried googling, but my issue is that there are a lot of different types of wraps, and some have different names for the same one. So if I am mainly making rods at the moment for freshwater bass fishing, what would you say are the main wraps I need to research and learn more about? Also how should one go about deciding if I should
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Hey Guys, So I just got my first blank in today and I've read about how to find the spine on the blank, but I don't really understand. I took it out of the package and stood it up on the floor and put a hand on the tip and pushed on the side of it with my other hand and the rod bends obviously, but I don't get how that finds the spine. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
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I have noticed that some of the rod blanks I receive new and after they are built are slightly warped to one side of the spine.. I hand wrap my blanks and this occurred on most of the spinning rods of all different length, brands, and stiffness..even a row piece rod. I store my rods and blanks in a totally vertical position in a rack with no pressure from tip to just below or above the butt
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I've been told there are no stupid questions, so I hope you guys don't beat me up on these. I've checked the Rodboard library and and spent a couple of hours surfing the Rodboard pages last night for answers and I'm still unsure what to do. So I'll give you the easy question first. 1. I read a post about cutting down a blank, and that to maintain the blank's characteristics you needed to remov
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I’m building an 11’6” Sage switch rod. To be honest, me being a Bass guy this is the first Sage build for me. With all other fly rods I wrap the ferules. However, I noticed that Sage has the white alignment dots. How do you guys manage them? As info the guy does not want translucent thread work. So wrapping allowing the dots to be seen through the thread is not an option. Do you wrap over
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I am new to rod building although I did build a few rods with some help back in the late seventies. First question: I understand the principle and how to find the spine on a one piece blank, how do you find the spine on a 2 piece blank? And the second question: What is the best thread size selection for a 12’ spinning surf road? Thanks
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One more question. The rod I'm building is a 4 piece and I found the spine/spline on the 3 tip sections easy enough, but the but section is stiff enough that I'm having trouble finding the spine. Is it really that critical to find the spine on the butt section of the rod? If it matters the blank I'm using is a 10ft 5wt 4 piece MHX fly blank. I believe it is labeled a fast action but I haven't don
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You may remember a question i posted a week or so ago about the guides for my newest 8wt. (btw, I went with 9x size 3 snakes from Snake brand as all the runners. May use one 4 right after the stripper, or 2 strippers) Well the blank came in today. Feels like a great blank, Rainshadow RX7. It's a two piece and I've gotten the spine on the top section which is the obviously the more flexible, but f
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