This is one of Jim’s inexpensive neon lime green blanks that he found on Ebay. It was put together with stuff I had laying around except for the hardware. I had the gold stripper and when I laid it next to the blank after painting, it had found a home. I ordered the PacBay guides and seat skeleton. The grip is my very first attempt at turning my own. I had turned it for another rod, but it came out way too small for the guy who had ordered the rod so I turned another one for his rod leaving this one homeless. The cherry insert was left over from a set that had a cherry grip as well as reel seat. I used the grip on another rod and had the insert left over.
If anyone else is building on one of these, they take a size 6 tip top.
The blank was de-glossed and wiped down, then painted with Rustoleum Universal ‘Oil Rubbed Bronze’ I had a kind of rough finish when dry, so I hit it with a Scotchbrite pad to smooth it out. From there, things were pretty straight forward.
Here are the final specs. Custom Painted 8’, 3pc, 5w, Fiberglass w/ slow action. Gold colored PacBay A5 reel seat with cherry insert, gold framed stripper and gold PacBay single foot guides. The wraps are Olive nylon with no CP, accented with 3 turns of Copper Metallic. It is finished off with a jungle cock inlay.
Very nice. If that is the same blank that was posted here a while back, I have thought about building one of those blanks now that I see one finished I think I will do it.
Kevin,
Beautiful! And thank you for posting your work and information. Those of us who also purchased this blank now have some excellent information. What a beautiful rod built on a $6.99 blank! You should be able to sell that for quite a profit huh?
Anywhooo…I like the looks of that grip. I have ONE rod with a grip I like. It is a…well I am at a loss for words. It is a cylinder…TN grip? it is the same size from end to end. I like it so much I measured it with my cheap Harbor Freight digital caliper. It came out to 1.05 inches.
Now…I have not fished with it as the rod is an absolute noodle. But your grip on the green weenie looks a little more ergonomic. Could you turn one for me…without the extrea beauty built in…just cheap cork or eva or something and let me buy one from you? I have the equipment to turn one but have never used a lathe or turned anything. I got the Grizzly Hobby Lathe with the drill that fits it. Still untouched.
I am wondering if that is a grip my hand would really like. Or perhaps provide dimensions and I take a whack at it. I would rather buy one from you to get it right.
BTW on my comnputer the rod looks matte black which I would really like. And the guide wraps look black also. But that does not fit with the colors you said you used. Is my computer mis-leading me…or is the picture exackery what it looks like in real life?
Thanks again for posting your finished rod and the information. I am quite the rookie at rod building. Haven’t completely built one on my own yet. Just a wannabe. Very good of you to take pics and post your information. It sure shows off your outstanding skills and craftsmanship.
I have seen fly rod grips similar to what you describe. There is a name for them, but I can’t remember it right off hand and a quick search online didn’t turn it up. Pretty much a cylinder, kind of a bullet nose to it, and 7-7.5" long. They are a comfortable grip. You can turn one of those pretty easily starting with 1.25" rings. By the time you sand it smooth, you would be pretty close to your 1.05". Nothing saying you couldn’t order a Tennessee Grip and make that work, either.
I would be happy to turn one for you, but the grip on this rod is simply a Full Wells grip. You can get one for less from Mudhole, J Stockard, Jann’s, or H & H. This would likely be too small for your hand unless you have small hands to begin with. It’s about an inch at the widest dimensions. You have the lathe, try it! It isn’t that difficult to do and as long as you take it slow, checking your measurements as you go, you won’t wind up with an ‘extra’ grip like I did.
The paint is actually a little more on the brown side than shows in the photos. If you have seen oil rubbed bronze plumbing fixtures in Home Depot or Lowes, this color is an almost exact match for that.
Kevin…nope…I do NOT want the bullet shaped cigar shaped grip. I want the same shape on boaf ends. Actually both ends to be like yours. I can create that with ease…but both ends would be like the end on yours…at the reel seat end. I like what I see. Basically…not basically…exackery what I want! I like the big end rounded off on the rod end. Looks darn good to me. With your last post it gives me encouragement…especially when I have your picture to go by. I can see that it is pretty symmetrical. Big on both ends and a hump in the middle of the grip. THAT is what I want to try. Thanks to your posts and pictures…I think I can do it.
Man what beautiful work. I bet that rod you created out of a dime store $6.99 stick is even more beautiful in real life.
Thank you for the advice. I got it man. You good man Charlie Brown!
