Started on building my first rod the last few days, I'd bought the stuff a while back but justmamsged to get round to it over the weekend. Know there's a couple of others on the forum doing a rod so thought it might be handy to have a thread to share our experiences and videos/ tutorials / info we've found handy.
I want to make a wet fly rod so I went for a Harrison 10' 5wt blank. It's from their traditional range and came in at about hundred quid. I went for a full Wells handle and fighting butt and bought an agate stripper and snakes for guides. Also some epoxy for fitting the handle and reel seat and flex coat for finishing the wraps and give that shiny finish :D
So far I've fitted the reel seat, handle and fighting butt and put on the top eye. Had to figure in the top eye and fighting butt before I trimmed the sections to make them all equal and then "find the spine"
https://youtu.be/MSX1XoL9KDo
I'd never heard of finding the spine before I stumbled over the above YouTube video but it makes sense and is easy enough to do.
Then I drilled out the handle and fighting butt to fit the 10mm blank, worked out the exact position of the real seat and built up the blank with masking tape so the reel seat sat snuggly. Gave the blank a wee rub over with 120 grit sandpaper for adhesion and then it was a case of mixing epoxy and fitting it all together. Pretty straight forward. Got some of the epoxy smudged on the blank but I think it's pretty hard not to!! Luckily the wife had some acetone for her nails and it cleaned up no problem :8)
Fitted over the winding check with a touch more epoxy and bobs your uncle the handle was done.
I've been watching videos on wrapping rings etc, this one seems good
https://youtu.be/bEYKa1G7Wz8
He has a whole series but I've only watched the first
My efforts so far
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Looks like it is going well though it is something I've never tried myself. I've posted this link before but you might find it interesting just to browse for ideas as Dave built great rods and was a master at the craft. Dave is dead quite some time now so there's actually nothing for sale here but his wife keeps the page alive just as a sort of tribute:
http://www.davelewisflyrods.com/
Quote from: caorach on November 20, 2018, 06:19:02 PM
Looks like it is going well
I've only done the easy bit :shock: :lol:
Excellent, thanks I'll have a look at that
Coming along nicely, keep us posted on progress, the spine video was new to me as well, I wonder if the spine thing is more distinct on poorer blanks or just the same on all blanks
Looking good Andy. Will it be ready for Xmas ... ? :D
Floor has come up well too :D
Not sure on that one, it was noticeable in the tip section but I couldn't really notice in the middle and didn't bother with the butt section :worms
I'll put up bits as I get them done, would be good to get other folk pitching in, I know there's a few who've done their own and Robbie's got one to do. There's loads on YouTube but finding ones that are good quality is a job in itself.
Quote from: Bobfly on November 20, 2018, 10:47:51 PM
Looking good Andy. Will it be ready for Xmas ... ? :D
Floor has come up well too :D
Probably done by then Vaughan, I've got the bug and I get a bit obsessive, Paul's lending me a rod wrapper so picking that up from him this week.
Cheers, it look long enough! I've got about a square metre to do in the dining room, knock that off tomorrow and then I'm free :lol:
Never built a fly rod, made a few pike and carp rods in the past, you get a certain satisfaction catching on gear you've made yourself, even as a kid making floats from feathers.
Looking forward to that stage burnie. Really enjoying sourcing everything and putting it together. Did my first wraps today in between the aforementioned floor :roll: did these by hand with a bobbin holder just turning the blank in my hand, worked pretty well but don't know how it would go trying to whip on a guide/keeper. Picking up the wrapper tomorrow :lol: can't wait and looking forward to getting the flex coat on.
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Looking good, a pal does sea fishing rods, mostly re ringing refurbs, have to admit my whipping wasn't always the tidiest of jobs, but nothing ever fell off. I have a pair of Shimano pike/carp rods that are going to need new rings as I have been using them on the beaches and the salts getting at them.
This time next year you'll be taking orders Andy :8)
There's still time for it to be a dogs dinner :lol: not planning on it dave but it won't be my last, really enjoying it so far
I would not have the whippings so close to the female blank end. I used to leave a wee bitty space to allow for the time that the joints wore & became a bit loose. That way you could take a wee smooth file or indeed a trim with a junior hacksaw to bring the gap down. They will wear after prolonged if it is a spigot blank.
Tight Lines (Looking good so far)
PS Guide Spacing from tip (Sage) (10ft rod) 4pce
150 298 460 609 768 960 1176 1413 1656 1908 2190
Guide size
1 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 5 12 16
Looking good Andy. I really need to pull my finger out, but not sure when I will be able to make a start yet.
Just go for it robbie, the mrs will understand :worried
Cheers Alan, looked at a few but I'm using that one you posted up, mines is a 3 section but that spacing works. Some of them have the eyes on the top section really tight, that ones more evenly spaced.
Got the rod turner yesterday (cheers paul) went home and had a footer about with it, will be ideal for getting the flex coat on and dry, persevered with hand wrapping with a bobbin using my lamp/magnifier on my flytying desk and got the first four snakes done on the top section ( either side of a back shift and a baby :shock: ) coming out well and I actually find t quite relaxing :D
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Just came across this video on whipping guides:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-SPw9LRA1U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-SPw9LRA1U)
Other advice I had read suggested pulling a longer tag through and cutting excess with a razor. then passing a lighter over to remove any stray fillaments. The video looks like it might be a neater method.
Looks good, fine choice of thread but one thing I might suggest is to file/emery paper down the snake ring ends in order that the whipping thread does not have a what shall we call it.... a bump or step down all be it small. Takes a bit longer but in the end it is easier & looks better. The ringing was always the longer/harder part I found. Take your time if you are not happy with it do it again. A Dremel type grind with extra fine conical stone would be good I reckon but I would try it out on a bit of waste first.
Tight Lines
PS never had U Tube video when I last made a rod, a great help today just trial & error for me then have made about six rods but only one has been carbon fibre rest glass oh & one split cane an old Sharpes Scottie that I re- ringed.
An electric thread winder would be a good investment if you were going to make some more. I was thinking how I might use my spool winder on my sewing machine. maybe some of the DIY guys on here would have an idea
Looking good there Andy. What you using for a handle and reel seat?
Hey robbie that's the way I've been doing them, think itd be pretty hard to get it neat the razor blade route. Cheers Alan I'll give that a bash, YouTube is amazing for stuff like this, you can watch all sorts of different info and cherry pick the bits you like/stuff that looks like it's do-able.
I bought the handle and real seat from taniwha rodworks, kiwi guy based in England. The cork is from a factory in Portugal that supplies epic, seems very good quality. He's not the cheapest but his stuff is nice. He also sells blanks at a reasonable price that are made in China in a factory set up by another ex epic employee but I didn't risk trying one :gay4
That's it closer up, I went for a really plain one but there's loads of options for styles and inserts
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Great stuff Andy.....looking forward to seeing your posts on its journey to completion. It's something I've always fancied getting round to. That and building a boat! Time yet.....
Quote from: Lochan_load on November 23, 2018, 02:54:11 PM
That's it closer up, I went for a really plain one but there's loads of options for styles and inserts
[attachimg=1]
Very similar to a Sage ONE reel seat and handle.
Quote from: sagecirca link=topic=30643.msg315109#msg315109 date=It's something I've always fancied getting round to. Time yet.....
/quote]
https://swiftflyfishing.com/collections/fly_rod_building/products/590-c-carbon-fibre-ready-to-wrap-kit
Alex says these are good 😙
Been wedging in wee bits of wrapping when I can, getting through it pretty well. Top section just needs flex coat (re-did the ferrule to leave a slight gap alan!) mid section I've done half the whippings so just need to take off the masking tape and do the other half after a wipe down with acetone. Before work today I fitted the agate stripping ring, lovely thing 😍 suppose it should be at 27 quid! Wanted something that would stand out because the rest of the rod is fairly muted and there's a reason for the yellow......all will be revealed!!!
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Got a wee thing going where i cradle the bobbin in my left hand and turn the rod with my right, the thread comes of the bobbin straight onto the rod and I can add a bit of 'drag' with my pinky on the drum of thread. Works pretty well.
Harry Jamieson of Clan Rods has the thread spool mounted on the edge of a bench and twists the rod between his fingers. Perfect wraps every time, each one takes him about 30 seconds or so.... never seen anything like it! :shock: Mind you, he is by Royal Appointment and he's been doing it for around 50 years
Looking neat, Andy :8)
Cheers dave, I'm getting a bit quicker but reckon I'm probably 20 minutes start to finish for a wrap :shock: it's the footering about to get its started straight that takes the time after that it's reasonably quick.......30 seconds is mental but he's had a bit of practice :lol:
That agate guide is really nice. Those wraps are looking very good.
Cheers robbie, sure you'll enjoy it when you get going, quite addictive when you eat started! Just been taking my time to get them straight and they are coming out pretty well. Just hoping I can get the flex coat right to finish it off well.
The agate guide came from eBay, I was a bit sceptical but was the only place o could get a decent looking yellow one, the guy said they were as good as he's seen and to be fair it's really nice.....dying to get it all done now.
Just checked eBay for that agate stripper, turns out the seller was mike bell from bloke rods! Worth looking at his stuff on there if anyone is thinking of giving it a bash, selling a lot of blanks and components at decent prices.
Use the back of your thumb nail to gentle stroke the thread wraps working towards the ring. That will close up any "small gaps"
Tight Lines
Not a lot of progress of late on this, had a bit of a disaster! All my eyes and the keeper were whipped on and to get the wraps ready for the flex coat I thought I'd get the tiny bits of fluff etc off with a lighter. Got up early one morning and because I don't smoke I didn't have a lighter so rather than go to the shop and get one I though "bugger it I'll use the cooker" never ever do this!! The whipping on the top eye seemed fine, did 2 further ones and they also seemed fine but onto the the third guide and the thread burnt clean off :shock: checked the other three and the silver thread was burnt brown, I could've cried! Moral of that story is to get one of those wind proof lighters and use it very sparingly, this should do the trick and minimise any discolouration with soot because they burn cleaner than a normal lighter.
All fixed now but it set me back a bit. Now at the point where I just need to mark the line up guides, personalise the rod a bit and get it all flex coated. Kind of putting it off a bit because I know it's a critical stage and I want to get it right. In the meantime I made a wee rod turner with the motor that Paul gave me by using up some scraps of oak I had from a table I've just finished in the house. Dead simple, cut up, lined up, screwed together and a bit of sweatshirt superglued into the hole where the rod turns........I'll report back when I pluck up the courage to start the next stage of the process!! :gay4
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Maybe a thin first coat and then a light rub and a lighter singe would work if several thin coats are used ? Not ever tried doing a proper job, only ever done an odd replacement. Rod turner looks the biz.
Like the new boat photo !! :D
It was taken by a very talented photographer :lol: great day that!
Apparently the way to do it is with a thin first coat, absolute minimum coating on all the whippings on the section and then back over with a thicker coat when presumably the flex coat has thickened a Little from sitting and the first coat isn't fully dry. No sanding as that creates dust/air. There's quite a good video on it. I'll post it up.
https://youtu.be/rcKJ09PnLGo
I love this guys accent :lol: don't think he could get more American!
Coming along nicely, your detail (and research) is something else, well done. That man 😊
Looking forward to the finished article. You are at the "hard" part to get right. Are you putting decals on? Way back I used a fountain pen & Indian Ink but I believe you can get factory made decals now probably from the States
Tight Lines
Oh a nice rod tube to compliment it
I've got one wee transfer I'm going to put on, it's actually for ladies nails but it'll do the job with some flex coat over it. I'll put the weight/length of the rod and the line up dots with a white paint pen I got from rods and blanks. It's almost like a tippex pen. Think I'll get my wife to do that, as roobarb will attest my hand writing ain't the best!!
You can design and make your own decals on a PC, if you have an Inkjet printer.
https://hobby.uk.com/clear-decal-paper-sheet.html
Quote from: johnny boy on December 08, 2018, 03:37:16 PM
Coming along nicely, your detail (and research) is something else, well done. That man 😊
Sorry didn't see this yesterday Johnny, thanks. Posting all these bits and bobs up because I've come to it cold but just picked up all these wee bits as I go, there really is loads out there. Hoping it'll give others that fancy it a push, I've only ended up doing this because fred put up a video a while back and I fancied it (your fault fred :x :lol:) I quite like learning stuff and having a wee project on the go. Look forward to getting it finished and having a cast.......I'm really worried I don't like the action after all this work :lol:
That looks handy for a few things ken, worth knowing
That must have stung a bit Andy.
I think I have everything I need now other than time and a clear space to work in. Had intended to made a start by now but I am now aiming for the Christmas break.
It was a nightmare robbie! Actually had to walk away from it before i put it over my knee 🤬😁
Been looking at the epic glass kits, I'm a bit jealous! Looking forward to seeing yours :D
I finally got round to making a start on my rod yesterday. I had thought about building a rod before but had thought the task a but daunting. I was revisiting the idea and by coincidence some pointed out a special offer on Epic "blem" blanks and kits, the temptation was too much and I purchased a 686 kit.
The kits are great, containing everything you need. The handle is turned and reemed to suit the black, the rings are also pre ground.
The blank:
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First job was to spine the blank. At first I thought this was going to be tricky, but after a few minutes I had a good feel for it and found it fairly easy. I went with the advice in the video Andy posted at the start of this thread rather than the instructions supplied with the black which orientated the reel seat based on cosmetics
Spined blank:
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Today I set about fitting the reel seat and handle. I opted for a full wells grip:
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I was a little cautious of taking sandpaper to the blank to key it, but it seemed to go ok:
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Building up a foundation for the reel seat was relatively quick and easy:
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Almost had a bit of a disaster whilst epoxying the butt cap on, screw at bottom of reel seat was too far down. Luckily I caught it before the epoxy set so no harm done.
[attachimg=8]
Hope to start practicing wrapping rings and ferrules this evening.
Great stuff robbie, glad you got time to get it started, really enjoyed that part of the build. Envious of your epic, will do one of those at some point, their stuff is lovely. I've stalled a bit lately because I've been so busy and need a day I think to get all the varnishing done in a oney.
Brace yourself for a lot of swearing while you get the wraps done, it can be pretty fiddly and really f&@@£n annoying!
Work so far has been relatively easy and enjoyable. Still to decide on what I want to do with the wrapping, not sure weather to keep it simple and go for either plain black and the clear wrapping. Was considering clear with small black trims, however this may be overly complicated and result in additional frustration.
Think I need a bit of a play and see how it goes.
The ringing has always been the frustrating part but persevere & get it right.
Tight Lines
The air was turned a light shade of blue but I managed to get the stopping guide whipped to the rod:
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Decided to keep this build simple so no trimming wraps. Partly to minimise frustration and reduce chances of F'ing it up. As it was the first whipping had to be cut off as there were some gaps and I misjudged the length of tag when finishing off. Used a lighter to singe off the excess tag, however the silk was slightly discoloured. I was not sure if this would be visible / noticeable after epoxying so figured it was better to redo it at this point.
Brilliant robbie, really neat. Can be very frustrating especially when you realise you need to take one off and start again :x the thread seems to discolour really easily with a lighter, I've still to get my hands on one of the windproof type ones to see if they work better.
Good to see you're making progress
You should not rely need a lighter. Having said that if there are any whisps of thread showing then a quick waft with a disposable gas lighter will do the trick, should not discoloured the thread. If you leave about 6" of thread showing out under the whipping what you do is pull tight opposite direction of travel. With a sharp razor blade cut as near as you dare leaving the blade at a slight angle to the wrap cut away the tensioned thread. With your finger nail stroke the wrap till gap disappears & any loose thread will disappear under the wrap. Looking forward to see yours & Andy's finished article.
Tight Lines
Neat job there Robbie. I look forward to the posts Andy and yourself put up.
I am not sure about the green blank on that epic rod you're building though. Sage do a rod called the MOD (moderate action) which also has a green blank and I can't make my mind up whether the colour will be an issue - maybe this thread will make my mind up once I see it finished!
Cheers guys.
I had wondered about the colours when first thinking of these rods. Most of the blanks are fairly garish compared to my usually conservative tastes, this is in part why I went for then olive green blank rather than the salsa one. To be fair the green is actually a fairly subdued colour, it's not neon of light sabre bright.
In reality I doubt that the colour will have any effect on the fish, I suspect that the movement of the rod whilst casting will be far more eye catching than the colour. Fish probably won't be able to determine the colour in any case given directions of light and refraction etc.
Your first picture of the four piece blank at the project start shows it as a standard sort of an olive and not too bright a green. I always wonder why they sell glossy blanks rather more than the colour. Matt black is probably the best choice but that could be a tad boring ... and confusing whilst rummaging in the rod collection. :worried
The colour is fine Robbie looking forward to seeing the finished article.
Tight Lines
Quote from: Robbie on January 03, 2019, 10:17:47 AM
Cheers guys.
I had wondered about the colours when first thinking of these rods. Most of the blanks are fairly garish compared to my usually conservative tastes, this is in part why I went for then olive green blank rather than the salsa one. To be fair the green is actually a fairly subdued colour, it's not neon of light sabre bright.
In reality I doubt that the colour will have any effect on the fish, I suspect that the movement of the rod whilst casting will be far more eye catching than the colour. Fish probably won't be able to determine the colour in any case given directions of light and refraction etc.
It was purely from an aesthetic point of view. I don't buy into the rod flash theory some mention - it's prob only an issue if you're standing on top of fish! Anyway, keep up the good work lads. A rod build is something I will visit in the future.
I had a little laugh to myself when you said the fish wont see the green rod. A gamekeeper friend of mine was once asked to accompany another friend to buy fishing tackle, I tagged along. In Grahams in Inverness he had the guy convinced that green was a bad colour for anythgin fishing related as it's the only colour the fish can see.
The guy trying to sell the stuff told him that was bollocks but he insisted it must be right as his friend was a gamekeeper and knew what he was talking about.
What a laugh, to this day we rib him about it, too much brains not enough sense.
I quite fancy the salsa red blank :gay4 :worms
I'm not sure it would matter too much unless, like dave says you're right on top on the fish. My clumsy wading and casting scares them off long before rod flash becomes an issue :lol:
I id not intend to say that the fish would not see a green / olive blank, just that I do not think any one colour will stands out more than any other (within reason off course).
Having seen one in the flesh I almost regret going for the Olive over the Salsa, but they are both very nice. One of the nicest rods I have seen was one of the Gould Lemon grass rods. The pale yellow blank is lovely and the quality of the build was exceptional.
The CTS glass blanks come in a wide range of colours, actually quite like the look of their Blue blanks.
I have two of the Epic Glass today, a 7'6" 4wt packlight in tangerine dream :worried and a 8' 5wt in nude which I have yet to find a line I like on it! They're awesome rods and I particularly love my packlight, it's coming to Madeira with me in August to chase the little wild rainbows there.
I have other glass rods but they're more specific and nichey.
Sean
Aaaarrrggghhhh!!!
Third attempt at whipping on a snake eye, finally got it looking good. As I was tying it off pulling a loop of thread through the tags of the loop snapped where they were caught in. Unfortunately I had already cut the working silk. :banghead
Going to have to redo the whipping all over again. Have now resorted to drink.
Stick with it (the rod, not the drink) :D
Using 3lb mono for the pull through loop would be the answer ??? (Done sober of course !)
Yip. Very frustrating. Done a few rods and concluded I'd never be as good as the factory. Still buy blanks and send them to Foxon though. Stick at it Robbie
I've done exactly that robbie, had to walk away and do it another day!! I've been using uni 6/0 since and seems to do the trick. The whisky will definitely help, stick with it :lol:
When it goes well it is quite thereputic and the sense of achiement is addictive. But if you are not in the right frame of mind I have also found it better to walk away and come back to it latter.
What happening guys seem's to have stalled a bit. Bit of a flurry now next to nothing. The rings giving you problems?
Tight Lines
Mine is sitting in the corner of the living room untouched since before Xmas Alan, been tying flies any spare time I have (which isn't a lot) babies are bloody time consuming! All I'm left to do is flex coat the whippings and personalise it with a wee motif and write the length/weight on the blank.......il post up any progress as it happens.
"babies are bloody time consuming"
Mine are now 19 and 17, got a bit of time back to myself now but still running 'dad's taxis'.
When they are young they certainly need a lot of attention, you just need to remember 'me time' is not just for you. They also see the benefits of a refreshed parent.
When they grow up they leave and you think, got my life back, wrong, along come Grandad duties, which will include teaching them how to fish.
I am slowly working through getting the ring whipped onto my rod. Unfortunately domestic duties and work are still getting in the way, so not getting to spend as much time on the rod as I would like.
As found that I really need to be in the right frame of mind otherwise it is difficult to be patient and not rush into making mistakes.
I have found that the recommended guide spacing has put a couple of the guides very close to the end of the sections, this makes it difficult to keep evrything steady when doing the whippings.
Finally seem to be getting the hang of whipping eyes on. Managed the last few without having to cut off or redo any. One more section to go the I can startb coating them, slightly concerned about making an arse of it at the last step :worried
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Looks good robbie, getting there now. not long in from work and decided to bite the bullet and flex coat the top section but mixed the two parts and it came out cloudy and full of bubbles instead of clear......binned it and sitting down with a bourbon!
Wentt back to it this morning. There was little ridges in the little plastic mixing cup that my mixing stick was bumping into and I think that's what introduced the air to the mix and caused all the bubbles last night. Used a little glass dish and no problems. Poured the mix onto a little tin foil and fashioned it into a little bowl shape. The foil radiates away the heat from the mix caused by the reaction and doubles the "shelf life"
With the rod in the Turner I applied a first thin coat that soaks into the thread and removed any excess, was a bit daunted at this stage because it didn't look that tidy! After that I gave it a quick blast with a heat gun and then started to apply the second thicker coat. Quickly learned that you're not brushing it on just really taking a dollop on the brush and sort of floating it onto the wrappings. Again it didn't look that neat but made sure the edges were straightish and after a few minutes the Turner had magically evened it all out to look pretty tidy and dare I say professional even :shock:
The top eye got pulled into the bit of cloth that lined the rod holder so it got all fluffy and gubbed up so will need redone but I've kinda learned there is generally one f-up at every stage :roll: :lol:
Glad once it was done and itching to get finished now and cast the bugger!
Ps it took several hours to dry, I thought it would be pretty quick like epoxy but remains tacky for hours
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That looks a fine tidy job. You will be glad all this concentrated effort is not the day job with a production target. Good to have got it all sorted for mid March.
Wouldn't want to do too many Vaughan but it's a nice wee project through the winter, looking forward to fishing it now.
Should add that the wrappings were silver thread until I flex coated and now appear pretty much black, looks fine but not what I'd planned.
Have you kept a tally of costs for all the items and materials used? I remember your Harrison blank was just on £100 at the start. How many hours do you reckon?
No tally kept Vaughan but I reckon about the 200 mark for all the gubbins. Probably just under.Time wise probably looking about 5 hours but hard to say. Today I was about half an hour but it's then a waiting game for the coat to set. Same with putting together the reel seat/handle. The wraps are the time consuming bit, doing them by hand is quite slow. Long and short is it's not a cheap rod when you factor it all in but it's nice to do. Would also be cheaper second time rpudnas I'd have a foundation of gear. There's cheaper blanks available on eBay but if you're going to do all the work it's worth doing it on a decent one.
Quite agree Andy. The whole idea is to have something of special personal value and quality. Essential now to avoid car doors and all "trip hazards" !!! Enjoy :D
Good work lads. Very professional looking there Andy :8)
Cheers for the update.
Just avoid your big clumsy feet Andy. :roll:
Rod wraps are good, very good.
Funnily enough Alan when vaughan wrote that I instantly thought of stepping on your rod 😬 not that you've ever cast it up or anything :roll: :lol:
The motion of the rod turner is what is evens it all out, when I put it on it looked pretty rough. Pleased with the end result though.
Looks top notch Andy.
The wraps are a killer, I recon you'd have to get a fair few rods under your belt to be able to sit down and hammer through a rod in less than 3 or 4 sittings.
I can see myself doing another rod next winter, current build is very basic and have had a few ideas to bling up the next one. Also thought about building a rod for my wee boy. :worms
Lovely job ! Cracking finishing.
I'd like to do another one too robbie but I don't need any more rods! One for your wee boy would be nice, would like to do one for mine when she's older. Did you buy a turner in the end? Made a big difference with the flex coat
Have bought one, didn't fancy the risk of hand turning and knew the constrant motion would help even out the flex coat.
Good stuff, was going to offer you a lend if you hadn't. What one did you go for?
I went for the C&F one as iut comes with a series of end fittings so should hopefull fit any rod section. bit scared to look at others now as I suspect I spent more money than i needed to :worried
Had a look at that c & f one robbie and I think 40ish quid is pretty good, don't think you'll get any better for that money. Saw a few sort of home made ones around that on eBay but other than that I think you're then onto the Fuji one about 100 quid.
Finally got the rod finished at the weekend. Far from perfect but really chuffed to have got it done and looking forward to fishing it. As I had thought/worried applying the flex coat was in some ways the toughest bit. A simple process and easy to do but hard to get it spot on and consistent. With just about every other part of putting the rod together you can always go back and start again but once the flex coat is on you're stuck with it! It also takes so long to fully set that once it's on and turning that it's really in the lap of the gods where it settles. They are all pretty good but they aren't identical but as a first attempt I've got to be pretty happy.
Personalised it by calling it "the missy" after my little girl with the length and weight, had planned to put a little transfer of a bee (the Greek goddess who turned to a bee was called missy) but it didn't show up against the blank so Ill look for something else.
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Just seen she managed to sneak into that photo :lol:
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Be good to hear how it fishes for you Lochan, be nice if all that hard work is rewarded with a rod that suits your style of fishing.
Looks like a cracking job Andy. Was going to say its good to see the supervisor keeping a close eye on you :lol:
Cheers I'm pretty pleased with it, its got a few wee imperfections but it was always going to I suppose. Managed to get out today and try it at a local fishery for a few hours, enjoyed casting it and it's stayed in one piece, so far so good! Also managed to land a fish at the third attempt after losing two that never really felt like they were on. The rod handled the fish well so ended up a good day. That means the thread is all yours robbie, look forward to seeing your progress on the rod and hearing how you get on with it.
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Don't you go cracking heavy bead heads off that new rod :shock: :shock:
No pressure then!...
Great to hear you got out christened the rod and it went well. Were you nervous during the fight?
The loop reel is a nice match for the rod.
Never thought about it, it was the last cast so by that point I'd been casting it for a few hours. I did think that someting would come loose or crack over the course of the day but all good.
Pleased with the reel robbie, what did you get in the end?
Needs must vaughan :D I'd tried surface stuff when there were a few rising but went for the hot head damsel on a long leader to get it down, did the trick!
Good work Andy! Looks lovely!
I managed to pick up a new boxed, older model Abel Super 6 in black for £280 off EBay. Really liked the look of some of the more exotic paint jobs on the Abel reels but they are a bit pricey.
Just seen this robbie, bloody hell thats a nice reel! Above my pay grade :lol:
Made a start on the flex coat on first section of the rod. Got the first thinned coat on last night and second coat not curing on the turner. Not going to be perfect but thankfully no disasters yet, I hope :worried
Had thought I might get it all done this weekend but final coat will take a fair while to cure so may leave the second section until tomorrow morn.
Haven't put the tip ring on yet as one of the guides is close to the bottom of the top section. Planning to flex coat guides on top section before fitting the tip ring that way I can put the tip in the turner.
Just applied first coat of flex coat to the second section. Now drying on the turner.
As expected the final coat of flex coat on the first section turned out OK but definitely not perfect. Might be worth considering a third coat, but I'll wait and see how the other sections go first.
Here's a couple of warts and all photos of the first two guides:
[attachimg=1]
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Looks good robbie, the flex coat videos said to coat the thread quickly and then put on one thick layer of resin. It made it hard to get the wraps consistent because once the flex coat was on it was left to chance. The vibration from the rod turner meant it settled differently at different eyes. Layering it up makes sense because it limits that and gives you a bit more control, yours look nice and flat, some of mine have tended to be a bit rounder and you've still got the option to add another layer if you're not totally happy.
It's amazing how much the thread disappears once the coat is on, mines was silver thread but it now appears black and though it was pretty thick thread it's almost transparent over the guides.
The flex coat on some of my rings came out a bit more rotund as well. For some reason one set did not set properly and needed a third coat.
I found another advantage of the thin first coat was that once it set any peaks or lumps caused by loose fibers could be shaved off. This gave a reasonalble level base for the second coat.
I think there is a couloir fixer that can be applied to stop thread going transparent. Wouldn't have thought that would be needed for silver thread though.
I finally finish my rod last night, hopefully get to give it a cast next weekend.
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Superb robbie, looks a great job! Lovely rods those, I'll treat myself to one some day, I'll need to step on one of the ones I've got first :shock: :lol:
Get out on your back grass and have a chuck, first thing I did :lol:
I found a wee honey comb vinyl sticker to finish off the rod, applied it to the blank and then flex coated it and left in the rod turner. Went back a couple of hours later and the edges of the sticker had lifted and set with the coat. Bit of a disaster really but the flex coat had filled in the gaps and made it like a 3D honey comb. It actually looks intentional but think it'll get battered with use but can't really do much with it now. Hey ho, I'll stick up a pic at some point but at work just now.
I see your comment about vibration Andy. If woodturning a long and thin section a "steady" is used at midway. For a rod section a block of wood or a few books sitting between rings and near the middle then a little cloth pad or felt on the top so the section sits and gently rubs on it and it stops the rhythm of flexing.
Thanks Andy. If you do step on a rod towards the end of the season the following link might be worth a look. Good chance to play with thread colours and looks like you get your money back if you buy a blank latter.
https://ctsfishing.com/product/cts-colour-sample-pack/ (https://ctsfishing.com/product/cts-colour-sample-pack/)
That looks great Robbie!
Cheers Allan.
I actually managed to get a brief cast with the new rod on Saturday morning. Picked up my ticket for the Haddow House Angling Club on my way home from taking our wee boy to swimming lessons. As we got home said wee boy started asking pointed questions about when I last took him fishing and how long ago it was and mentioning places I had taken him fishing and how good they were.
An hour later we were both in the car heading down to the river Ythan. it was blowing a bit of a hoolie and not too warm to boot so expectations were not high. However, we did manage one wee trout, with quite a silver colouration, on a wee stoats tail before the conditions and hunger got the better of my fishing partner.
The rod cast nicely, despite the wind. Our solitary fish was never in any danger of testing my build quality, however, one of the beauties of these fast glass rods is that they make the most of even small fish.
All in all chuffed to get out and catch something but need to get out for a better test of the rod.