Question on Rod Turner/Drier

Equipment Rod Building: Cane and Graphite
1

Hi All,

I am thinking about buying a rod drier.

The question is what RPM do you all like?

Thanks for any advise.

Thanks and regards,

Gandolf

2

I like a pretty slow one. I think mine is about 3 or 4 rpm.

Ted

3

I built one with a washer timer motor which is 6 RPM and seems about right!

4

I built mine using a microwave oven rotisserie motor, maybe 4 rpm… just right …Modoc Dan

5

Ditto… i did the same

6

It all depends on what finish you use and how you like to apply finish.

I use a 36 rpm motor in mine. This allows me to get finish on all of the guides with one batch to mix. The thicker finishes like Flexcoat High Build do not like this speed and will not level well at that speed. The motors above will work much better for Flexcoat. ProKote doesn’t mind and levels quite nicely at 36 RPM.

7

Hi Kevin,

I am planning to use varnish type finish, probably polyurethane type spar. It dries clear and does not yellow. If that is what I use, will the lower RPM motor work for that?

Thanks and regards,

Gandolf

8

I bought mine from Anglers Workshop – it is a Pacific Bay. I think I paid around $120.00 for it but really don’t remember. Also not sure of the RPE but I would guess it is about 12 or 15 per minute. I had another one that I bought that was a wrapping stand also included a motor — stand made of oak and motor had a PVC like hub. This worked ok also but was harder to get it to rotate even concentric rotations due to the way the rod was held in position. I like the newer Pacific Bay version better.

I have been happy with it – no problems; well built, even concentric rotation. The motor does look like a mircorwave type motor.

The more crafty and industrious guys could probably build one fairly fast – I find that by the time I made a few trips to the hardware store and screwed aroind finding parts, etc, that for me it is quicker to just buy the thing. To each his own.

9

Yes, the lower RPM motor will work just fine for that. Speed is not an issue with varnish. It dries so fast that you only need to turn the rod to apply. If you are putting enough varnish on to drip it’s too much.