# Rod Building



## MSUICEMAN (Jan 9, 2002)

also, if you want a hidden hood assembly (hide the front hood of the reelseat under the cork grip, I would not buy a pre reamed grip..... get a normal grip and carefully measure how much you need to ream out and do it yourself, takes a bit of time, but the pre-made hidden hood grips are way more expensive.

steve


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## Foxy Carp (Aug 23, 2002)

I guess I should not have recomended the cabelas finish. I suppose I've forgotten all of the trouble I've had with it. It's great for butt wraps, but other than that it is more trouble than it is worth. If your temperature is below 70 degrees, I've found that it turns out soft and a little tacky. Like hooknem said, go with LS Supreme. I used it for the first time a few days ago and I am ordering moer tonight. It dries fairly quick, and you can be a little off on the measurements and still not screw up a rod. Classic Coat low build is also good.


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## flyrod4steelhead (Mar 14, 2002)

I just received the Fly Fishing spring/summer 2004 issue from Cabelas. YPSI, I was looking in the book at the rod building set's. They look pretty good, from a beginner's eyes anyway's. Think I might take out the plastic tonight  They have a Power Wrapper that I was looking at as well. But being that I am just starting in this, should I shy away from a powerd wrapper with foot control?


Thanks everyone for all the info, and hope that their is more to come

(was trying to post a link, but I just can't get it  )


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## rangerman (Apr 17, 2002)

If you are going to use sandpaper wrapped around an old section of blank as a reamer, make sure you have all of the grit out of the grip before you slide it down the blank. If not, you will end up scratching the blank.

A lot of the books recommend using masking tape for bushings but a better alternative is fiberglass drywall tape.

I love Cabelas, but if you deal with smaller suppliers that specialize in rod building materials (see the left side of the rodbuilding.org homepage) you can get more personalized service which could be important if you are just starting out. I was confused with some of the measurement for reel seats and tip tops and Karen at Bingham Enterprises made sure I got components which fit correctly. Saved me from buying 3 of each to get one that fit.


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## troy1 (Jan 4, 2001)

has anyone out there heard anything about www.rod-blanks.com. all there blanks are $15 all the time, no warrenties but hey for $15 what can you expect. they also have kits for around $30, guides, tip top and handle and i cant remember what else off the top of my head. under $50 to get started.


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## MSUICEMAN (Jan 9, 2002)

troy1, go to rodbuilding.org and search for rod-blanks.com this topic has been discussed there thoroughly. Just trying to be helpful.

steve


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## troy1 (Jan 4, 2001)

thanks for the quick reply msuiceman. i just saw this post and thought that web site would be a good place to start. i really dont know to much about it.. im doing things a bit backwards as i just started my first bamboo rod. ive never built any kind of rod before so i figured that i would stsrt with the hardest.


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## MSUICEMAN (Jan 9, 2002)

troy1, i'm eager to learn bamboo myself...... if all goes well with your rod, anyway you can teach a beginner such as myself the ropes? i learned casting on a bamboo rod, and there is none finer an instrument to paint the sky with.

steve


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## troy1 (Jan 4, 2001)

they funny thing is ive been fly fishing for almost ten years now and ive never even casted a cane rod. my good friend and fishing buddy who is a fly fishing guru, started building them with in the last year and is know teaching me. it really isnt that hard so far. i was a little scared splitting the cane at first, but he showed me a fool proof way and it was easy. im getting ready to begin rough planning this weekend. buying the materials to start is no worse really than buying the stuff to build a top of the line sage or scott or t&t blank. its the tools that kill you if you have to buy them all to start. lucky for me that my buddy has them all and im starting to pick them up as i go.


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## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

Picked up all the tools and gadgets to get started. I also picked out a kit that will build a 6' Light spinning rod, and a book to help walk me through some of the technical stuff.

I'm going to do some more reading and then hopefully have this sucker started by the weekend.


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## Foxy Carp (Aug 23, 2002)

Cool! Let us know how it goes.


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## troy1 (Jan 4, 2001)

ypsi,
pick up art schecks book "fly rod building made easy". i know that you are starting out with a spinning rod but i cant reccomend this book enough. it teaches you how to build alot of the tools for rod building and it targets the rod builder on a budget. im sure that the info would cross over to spinning rods.


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## reelcatchy (Jun 5, 2003)

This is a good one.....
http://www.mudhole.com/
Website has a great section called "Rodbuilding 101"....all kinds of good info there.
Order a catalog too. It has a lot of good info like explaining blank action/speed/taper, finding the spine, guide spacing, fitting the handle, etc.......


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## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

Thanks for the book tip, Troy1.

I picked up Tom Kirkman's _Rod Building Guide_ , and it does an OK job of covering the basics, but its only 51 pages and does leave some things to be desired. Winding checks are one thing not really dealt with. It also shows only one technique for butt wraps, but the section on placing and wrapping guides is pretty good. 

After more reading in both the book and online, I put together my hand wrapper setup, and mounted my drying motor. I also went down to the basement and dug out some old rods and used an exacto knife to remove the wraps from the guides. I'm going to practice wrapping on these before I start on the blank I bought.


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## MSUICEMAN (Jan 9, 2002)

butt wraps are a tricky subject... as they can get very complicated with chevrons, weaves, etc. I personally do not care for the look of butt wraps, but thats my personal opinion. I have also made mostly fly rods.

Winding checks are either a decoration or an oopsy fixing tool. Basically if you ream the cork grip so that it is tight at the front you do not need one. Sometimes on like say a 2 wt. rod and a preformed grip, the grip will be a little bigger than the diameter of the blank, and you will need a check to cover that space, or if you ream too much by accident. 

Others use it as an ornamental peice, with either multi color winding checks to match the wrap job, winding checks to match the guide frames, or a host of other things.

steve


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

I learned how to wind guides from my father and building rods from a couple of books. You would be well served to find someplace that offers rod building course. Many school systems, especially downstate, offer such classes as a part of their community education services.


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