Rod Building

[roberth]

Do any members of the forum build their own fly rods?

[Wildfisher]

I built a few rods when ?I were lad?. All glass, no carbon back then. First one I even glued on the corks (composite) and shaped the handle with a file. Putting the rings on is the most time consuming bit and it can make or break the appearance of the rod.

I guess there are plenty  of kits / blanks available  now but honestly I would not know how to start or where to look these days.

[roberth]

I've just finished my first attempt at rod building, a 7'6 #3 rod (from the Hook and Hackle website) and was very pleased with the results.
I've already ordered another blank and component kit to build a 10' # 5 for dry fly fishing.
I've noticed that most American blanks are available to 9' in length and 9'6 and 10 ' are a bit more scarce. Is 9' the best length for an all round fly rod?

[rabbitangler]

If you do the 10' let me know what its like, I was thinking of this one myself

peter

[Wildfisher]

One problem in rod building ? I never managed to get a ?professional finish?  on the rod. OK, that was 35 years ago and I guess I am more patient now and materials etc have got better. What kind of varnishes do they use on modern rods and how do they get these ring whippings to look so solid ? its like they are encapsulated in epoxy.

[roberth]

I used rod-builders polymer from David Norwich which is a 2 part epoxy system.
I was really surprised with the results as it looks excellent for a first attempt and this was achieved with me manually turning the rod as it dried.

The new project is a 10' # 5 Hook and Hackle IM6 medium/fast action blank that cost $55, the website compares these rods to a Loomis GL3.
I will post on how this rod performs when it is complete, I intend to test the rod and my new float tube within the next 2 weeks. Possibly at Loch Lundavra, Fort William.