Probably not for everyone.

[Wild One]

Wow, I think these acrylic seats are unbelievalble! I absolutely love them!

[Joe Valencic]

ol' blue, Joe- Don't take this wrong. Those are very nice looking inserts. But it kind of reminds me of the old plastic bowling balls I use to have in the '70's. I wonder if a guy could find one and cut it up. That's a lot of inserts.
Me, I'm more a traditionalist. Wood, cork or horn.
I hope you post some pictures of the finished rod. I'm anxious to have my mind changed.
BTW what's the weight on one of those?

RS1,

The acrylic inserts don't have much weight at all, as they have a 3/8" to 7/16" hole in them, and are barely 5/8" O.D.. It's negligible.

Not sure what a bowling ball would be like as an insert. They usually have a different core material than the outside skin, but if you want to cut yours up, by all means have fun, and let us know how it turns out. For $5 or $6 I'll just keep buying the blanks from my local WoodCraft store.

I don't use acrylic inserts for all rods. The spinning rods were for my grandkids, and they picked the color theme for their rods. The acrylic inserts just brought it all together. You can also see that I turned different grips for each of the rods so they were each unique, just like the kids are each unique.

I will be making a 5wt fly rod for an auction for a Women in the Outdoors Fly Fishing School that our FFF Club is putting on in May 2008, and that will have a "girly" theme to the rod. I already have a watermelon multi-colored blank for that insert, and the thread work will be vibrant colors that compliment it.

I like to mainly use various woods, burls and cork for inserts, but it's fun to do something different. The oddball stuff breaks up the monotony that can sometimes set in when building a lot of rods. Traditions are great, but new traditions can also be made. We don't want people to think that fly fishing is only for "traditionalists" and "purists."

Joe

[harleybob87]

I liked it so much that I am bidding on the current blue ones. I am building a 4 wt for a friend of mine for x-mas. The blank is dark blue so I think it will look very good with it. Price is no object for this rod within reason of course. My friend, when I got my first fly rod after over 20 years of not fly fishing, taught me to cast and got me going on fly tying. He has encouraged me all along my ventures in fly fishing. due to his help and my knowledge gained here I am now giving him tips and teaching him different styles of tying. He has build me a computer that is in essence a server in a computer case. He shares his timeshares with the wife and I and asks for nothing in return. He has always wanted a 4 wt so I am building the 4 wt with a fast action for him. If I get the reel seat then I will use the super grade portiguese cork in a full wells. I must admitt that I am very nervous about building the rod because I want it to be perfect. I am also looking into turning my own reel seats and will keep you posted on that.

[Joe Valencic]

I am also looking into turning my own reel seats and will keep you posted on that.

If you do not already have a lathe, consider the Jet line of lathes. They are durable, expandable (length) and affordable. I have the JML-1014I: 10"x 14" Mini Lathe with Indexing Head, and got it for $199.00




Joe

[cheffy]

I'm glad to see someone else using plastic. I started turning a green plastic seat this motning for a 5 wt travel rod. I even found a light green mother of pearl insert for the butt cap. should look cool.

[ol' blue]

The blue are gorgeous and if I'd known he had those, I would have built on it. The cappuccino are nice, too, and would look good on a tiger eye or brown blank. I might have to build another rod that I don't really need.

[LadyFisher]

What delightful stuff! Hurrah for you all thinking outside the square box. No square pants Bob in this bunch *S*

[ol' blue]

I just finished wrapping the keeper, so here is a preliminary picture. I don't have any finish on it, but since I'm using metallic, the color will be exactly the same. It will probably make the thread match up even better with the gloss coat on it.

[white43]

I really like that blue one. Think I'll check these babies out, although I still prefer the wood inserts. A friend is turning some sumac for me, which is absolutely gorgeous with a hint of green and great grain. I'll be using them on a green matt rod. JGW

[iflysw]

I turned two acrylic seats for my grandkids and will be doing one for a special women's fly fishing event. I think that one will be "watermelon."





Joe

Very nice work Joe, look real nice. Thanks for taking the time to post them.