I researched and bought the T2-RVSG6S guide for intended BFS casting rod build for the first stripper guide. Do I need to revers the guide placement as for the flat ring side facing the reel? Or is it ok to place it as regular guide orientation? Might be a dumb question but this is listed as reverse guide so I don't know if it's really needed to place as reverse. This guide is small in footprint
Forum: rodboard

As an admitted weight weenie, I am looking for some arbors that are (as the title states): rigid, light, and thin. The outer diameter needs to be at least .55 inch or 14mm. The inner diameter, the smaller the better. Even a solid disc would be better as I can drill it myself. Some of the blanks I have is 4mm or so and no arbor I have found has a hold that small. I suppose that I can ge
Forum: rodboard

To date, everything I have read concerning choker guide placement seems to be based upon spinning reels. Is the principal basically the same for a casting reel? Can the measurement of a fully loaded casting spool be used and multiplied by 27 to get a good location for the choker? Also on blanks over 10' is it proper to use the larger guide, immediately before the smaller running guides. Once
Forum: rodboard

Just wondering what brand / model reamer you guys could recommend? I am new to rod building and will do it as a hobby only. I have the parts to build 6 rods this winter and then maybe 1 per year or so after that. I have seen the all-steel ones with the machined cutting teeth but don't want to spend $350 each since I'm not building rods for profit or that often. I also looked at the Batson econ
Forum: rodboard

I’m new at all of this… A mention of rod weights on a recent thread got me thinking. I use a factory rod (an older FTU Green Rod) that weighs right at 4 oz. I fish for redfish and trout with topwaters and soft plastics. A friend came fishing with me who had a couple of rods that felt a lot lighter. That was rigged, so the reel could have made a difference. How light can you reason
Forum: rodboard

One of my pet peeves - why don't reel seat manufacturers offer bushings that fit their seats??? Or - alternatively - at least make the I.D. of the seat compatible with existing bushings now on the market.. Herb
Forum: rodboard

Hello all , i was wondering if you could pass on some guidance, im asked to build a short trolling rod and have chosen a united composites CX40XO blank , anybody here have a "recipie" so to speak? Looking for guide and seat suggestions customer wants a roller tip , but are roller guides all the way really the only option ? Any help appreciated TIA
Forum: rodboard

Has anyone experienced any durability issues with this blank in the HM line? Not counting abuse of course. I have a friend who fishes here in AL with ultralights exclusively. His favorite setup is a Zebco 33 on a pistol grip. I have reworked a handful of his old rods and they are all IM5 style solid core blanks. Some of his blanks have definitely taken a beating but they were his loaner pond r
Forum: rodboard

Working my first 2 rods. I have the handles installed on both of them anow working on the reel seats. I was wanting to use the supplies arbors that came with the reel seats but they do not fit snugly. I can flick them with my finger and they will come right out the other end of the reel seat. Do I just make sure to Epoxy good? See if I can find slightly larger arbors, I have measured the ID of re
Forum: rodboard

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
Forum: rodboard

I have been reading the archives for info on using cork tape on rod handles. I see two types of tape available, 1/16" thick and 1/8" thick. Other than the difference in weight and the added diameter between the two thicknesses, are there any other things to consider in deciding which thickness to use? Also, some prior threads have discussed using rubbing alcohol as a lubricant on t
Forum: rodboard

Hello All, I'm attempting my first baitcast rod build. I'm building on NFC 7'3 X-Ray MH. I am using the Fuji Titianium torzite guides. I have the following sizes guides as I went off the Fuji KR Concept PDF sheet: (1) 10 double foot KW, (1) 5.5 double foot KW, (3) 5.5 KB, (5) 5.5 KT (1) Arowana Tip Top. My question is what should by distances be between the guides? Fuji does have a chart f
Forum: rodboard

Hello everyone, this is my first thread so forgive me if Im asking repeated questions. I’d like to start off by saying even though I’m new to this site, I have been reeding these forums for a couple years now and there is some serious talent on here. So thank you for all the great discussions and info. Im a bass fisher and got into this custom rod stuff by accident last year after playing with a
Forum: rodboard

I decided it would be fun to put together a vintage bait-casting rig from that period (vintage rod, reel, line and lure) and try some old-school fishing. I was able to refurbish a bait-casting reel (circa 1940-1950) into working order, and picked up a fair period appropriate rod on @#$%&. My though was that I could just replace the old corroded guides and I'd be all set. I did a line test
Forum: rodboard

I have a friend that wants two 7' mangrove rods. He will be using 65# braid and a heavy duty casting reel. Casting distance needs to be about 40 feet. When fishing for mangroves around the oil rigs in south Louisiana, we hover up-current about 50 feet and chum back into the rig. These snapper live in the upper water column and stay really tight to the rig. What he needs is a rod that is powe
Forum: rodboard

Looking for something; XF-fast, 7.5-8.5’ 20-30 pound line glass would be ok I would like it to have some power to handle bigger fish The rod will be loaded up on the downrigger Durability over sensitivity Thanks for the help
Forum: rodboard

I would like to try my first ever spiral guide wrap and had a few questions. Background: I have read up on the different methods and the principal of how the line should flow through the guides. I have three rods ready for guides, an SJ736, MB765 NEO cut down to 6'9", and an MB 7108 for flipping Coosa grass and river brush. Fishing Alabama bass, Largemouth, and the occasional hybrid.
Forum: rodboard

Hey guys. So I’m still brand new to rod building and only have a couple builds under my belt, all of which have been just your typical lighter inshore saltwater spinning setups. I live in Florida and go offshore a lot with my buddy and I eventually want to start building heavier duty conventional bottom rods for grouper and other bottom fish. I’d like to say I’ve gotten a pretty decent understand
Forum: rodboard

I was intrigued with Pete Holloway’s “Easy Spiral System” article in the last issue of RodMaker magazine. While I have developed my own method of producing spiral-wrapped rods which work extremely well, somewhere between the simple spiral and the 0-60-120-180 systems (but NEVER a 90* bumper), utilizing the actual blank under load to determine the rotational positions of the transition guides seem
Forum: rodboard

I am deciding between SeaGuide titanium framed spinning guides with their silicon nitride (RSol) ring and Fuji's titanium-framed Torzites (also a silicon nitride ceramic, from what I understand). There is a big difference in price between these guides, even though others who have used both tell me they are very similar in terms of quality. I wonder if they weigh the same? The SeaGuide set is on i
Forum: rodboard

Last year I built a really nice #50 stand up tuna and halibut rod on a glass Calstar blank with a spiral wrap topped off with a nep_tune roller spiral top. I paired it with an Avet SX reel spooled with #50 Jerry Brown braid. So, here is the issue. Last year on a trip my line once got stuck between the roller and the frame of the guide. It popped right out when I pulled on it, so I didn't t
Forum: rodboard

What do you think about REC Cerecoil guides on a light offshore casting rod (conventional reel) for fish up to 100 #s? I really don't care about the price and know there are cheaper alternatives but I don't build cheap and want something that is different and will function very good. Has anyone got experience with these guides other than strippers for fly rods. Have you used them on "heavy b
Forum: rodboard

Hello Everyone, Brand new to this site and first post. I have been trying to find optimal guide spacing for casting rods. I have built 4 casting rods now and used the spacing charts i have printed off. After reading some posts on here i would like to make sure i do things the correct way and make rods the best they can be. I found the 27X method for the spinning rods that i plan on using on my
Forum: rodboard

So, I started building rods a few years ago. Some of my fishing buddies started urging me to build some for them. I look at this site, and I see how technical everyone is, very technical with the guides, how many, where to place and weight. the weight of the guides! Rods and there flexes, composites, graphite, fiberglass, actions and power. So the other day a co-worker wanted a 7ft inshore rod, M
Forum: rodboard

Has anyone built on a Thrasher blank. I am building a 6' jigging rod and had a strong recommendation for this blank. I am planning on using a high rise 2 footed stripper guide a bumper, and #8 runners in a spiral wrap. I was thinking 20-12-8-8-8-8. Any thoughts or recommendations on this setup?
Forum: rodboard

I have an old Penn saltwater rod I use for grouper digging. I've had it for 20+ years and want to put new guides on it, only this time I want to make it a spiral wrap. Currently it has the heavy recold guides on it and I'm not sure what to replace them with. Any suggestions or guideance is apprecaited.
Forum: rodboard

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...
Forum: rodboard

I have really grown to love the spiral wrap on my casting rod builds, so much that I have basically incorporated into every personal rod I make. To date these have been more the pitching type rods, chatterbaits and lipless rod styles... My question is this, would there be any limitations to the use of a spiral wrap on techniques such as a jerkbait or topwater application. Something worked with
Forum: rodboard

I am getting ready to order a real seat for my United Composites GUSA-79Mega build. It will be used for mostly Lingcod and a little for Albacore. I might even try tossing some bigger largemouth bass swimbaits with it. I’ve got level and non-level wind reel options. I’m considering an Alps Aluminum Trigger reel seat. I’ll be casting with the rod some and find the security of a trigger to be reassu
Forum: rodboard

Hej, I am currently building a 7.2 MH spiral baitcasting freshwater (mostly) pike rod. For stock reasons I have a double foot Fuji RW 5.5 follows by KT size 5 runners. I intend to do the locking wrap on the KT that should have been KBs but is it useful to wrap all the guide with the locking wrap? I am asking because I have a tip heavy rod so If I can save weight for balance I am all in.
Forum: rodboard