The kit for my brothers rod is here! It came with the little instruction manual, and in reading about installing the cork grip, it says to ream out the cork with a rat tail file, wrap masking tape around the blank and then install the cork over the masking tape.
Question: Do I HAVE to do it that way? I slid the grip down the blank just to see how it fits, and it seem to fit nice and snug. There really isn’t any play between the cork and the blank. Can I just lube up the blank with the epoxy and slide the grip down the blank until it’s where I need it to be? It seems like it would be a much better fit to just do that than ream, tape, and fit.
P.S. Please check this post on a regular basis for more questions, lol.
Yes! You can just do it that way if the fit is snug … and on a 2# rod, I’d imagine that’d be all you need. Save your tape for the fitting of the reel seat.
When finding the spine, do I make the mark at the crest of the hard spot on the blank when I roll it, or after it’s bounced into the softer spot. The hard spot definately feels like it’s stiffer, so I’m assuming that’s the spine, and I’ll lay the guides down opposite the spine.
Yes. There are as many ways to find the spine as there are rod builders. I do it this way…
Place one end of the section on a hard surface. While holding the other end up so the section forms a 45* angle or so, put a bit of a bend in the blank and ‘roll’ it with the other hand. It will kind of jump to a particular spot. Mark what is the top side of the blank at this point. The stiff side is actually on the bottom or outside of the curve. Mark the inside of the curve. That is the side you put your guides on for rods up to about 6w. Some folks like to put the guides on the stiff side above 6w. I don’t know that it makes much difference.
Depending on the weight and length, I’m more inclined to “mark” the spine like JC taught. Put the rod together … make it as straight as possible … call it good!
Another way, combine Kevins way with putting the larger end on the top of your shoe, and push, flat handed, straight down on the tip top of the blank. Use the same curve designation as Kevin suggests.
Hugo;
Is this a 2 pc, 3 pc or 4 pc rod? My first build was a 9’ 2 pc. 3 wt. and my work area was too small!! If I wasn’t knocking things off of shelves I had it stuck in the lamp!! And, speaking of “Lamps” you can never have enough light when building a rod!!
It’s a 2 piece 2wt, 6’6’'. It’s the dark blue batson blank. I’m at my office as I write this laying out a few different wrap patterns to see what I think looks the best and will represent the Marine Corps dress blues the best. It is going to be one sharp looking rod the way these colors are coming together. I can’t wait to see what the finished product looks like.
How many layers of wrap do you use for the guides, or is it just personal preference? I’d like to be able to get away with just one for the feet. And then, do you start on the guide and wrap away from it, or do you start on the blank and wrap to the guide, or does it even matter?
I got the pattern layed out, looks great. It’s a few wraps of gold thread on each outside end, dark royal blue for the main wrap around the feet, with a stripe of candy apple red that splits the blue wrap. With the gold guides, it really looks good.
I’m going to practice wrapping the guides a few times before I get the acrylic insert back from Steve at Midwest Custom Rods. As soon as I’ve got the handle assembled, the wrapping will begin, until then, practice, practice, practice, lol.
TT.
I’m going to use the layout of my 2wt guides as a template for this rod, so I should be set there.
With fly rods, you stick the guide to the blank and wrap it down, no base wrap is used. That is part of why foot prep is so important. There is no thread under the guide to protect the blank.
Candy Apple wraps with gold accents and CP on the blue blank. Just shouts Marine Corps. OR on the stripper guide, wrap the guide down with the pattern for any significant ribbons earned like a Purple Heart, or the like.
Different effects can be achieved by laying down one wrap under the entire guide length, then wrapping the feet part. Don’t do it. File your feet (ok … the guide feet!!) very smooth. Catch them in place with an orthodontic elastic, or a tiny piece of tape, or some foot stick. Wrap them. Easy peasy! IF you’ve PRACTICED, PRACTICED, PRACTICED!!!
I’ve tried it both ways, seems to work just as good for either. The guide feet (betty) are pretty rough, got my needle file set at lunch, and I’m going to start filing them down.
I wasn’t talking about a base wrap, just 2 layers on the foot wrap. I’m going to stick with a single layer.
For those of you who use multiple colors on the wraps, for the sake of uniformity, do you keep each wrap the same length, or do you shorten them as the guides get smaller?
And what do you do with the accent wraps? For instance, the gold that’s going to go accent the end of each wrap, do you make each accent smaller as you progress up the rod, or do they stay the same?
Start on the blank and wrap up the guide foot, like Kevin said. You only need one layer of thread. I try to start right next to the guide so I don’t have a long wrap before getting to the guide, especially if you are going to have metallic trim there as well. You don’t want to load that 2 weight up with wraps and epoxy. Since this is your first rod, you will find that it’s pretty hard to wrap the smaller diameter and the 2 wt is pretty skinny at the end. Ease up on your thread tensioner as the blank tapers to the tip. Take your time, and re-do a wrap if it gets goofed up. I have done that plenty.
I usually wrap 5 turns and start up the foot. If I start with 2 turn accents, that is what i use all the way through. Now, if I am doing accent color1, then accent color2, then accent color1 or 3, then the main wrap, all of the accent stuff goes before I start wrapping up the foot. Accents in the middle of the main color stay in the middle which will vary as the guides get smaller. I just realized that I always wrap from butt to tip, too.
How do you get a 2 turn accent to hold? I had about 6 wraps on one of my practice wraps and it came undone. I would much rather have a 2 or 3 turn accent than one as thick as I had. It still looked good, but I think in this case, less would be more.