Thanks everyone…I’ll be shaving or smoothing them down today. I didn’t realize how much epoxy you have to use to get a nice even finish like you see on a production rod. I thought I’d put a lot on, but after it dried, it’s not even close to enough. I can’t believe how nice it makes the wraps look though, the scarlet and blue just sort of melts together.
I’ll be posting some pics as soon as I’ve got it all done.
Thanks for all the help,
TT.
Ok, I just got the acrylic reel seat insert back from Steve. It looks fantastic!
How snug do I want to get the reel seat on the masking tape? I’m also guessing that I’m going to be glueing it with epoxy to the masking tape…correct?
How many strips should I use? One at each end, or should I put one in the middle for extra support too?
Thanks,
TT.
I personally do not approve of tape. All it should do if this is the way you want to go is to keep the rod centered in your grip/real seat. Epoxy is what holds it together. I turn on my lathe a sleeve (from wood) that perfectly fits both the rod and real seat. I know it is difficult to fill large voids with tape and epoxy.
I have had 4 rods that were assembled by others into the shop to repair. You might be surprised how quickly it can come apart.
The same goes for fitting the cork grip. A smooth sliding fit is best. Most corks start with a 1/4" hole. It does take time to perfectly ream it to a fit I feel is proper. Take your time. A rat tail file can be used at the start. Then 1 inch coarse sand paper can be spiral wrapped around a broken graphite rod tip. Yes, it takes time to make the fit perfect but you will know it will stay glued to your rod blank. Of course if you are putting together lots of rods it would pay you to make reamers. Not really needed if you take your time.
2 small width wraps of tape, 1/2" from each end would be best if you insist on using tape. Carefully fill the void with epoxy. 5 min is not a good choice. Go with the longer curing time epoxy (2 Part) and keep everything clean.
If you use masking tape arbors, cut it into strips about 1/4"-3/8" wide and use 3 or 4 arbors. They need to be thoroughly encased in epoxy. There is an easier and I think better way, though.
While lots of folks use the masking tape arbors, I prefer the mesh drywall tape. Wind it on so the seat slides on snugly. I use a couple of 3/4"- 1" wide strips, sometimes 3 if I cut the strips a bit narrow. If you use something like Rod Bond, make sure you work it into the mesh well. Devcon 5 minute epoxy is what I use as it flows into the mesh nicely. You might want to use the Devcon 2 ton as you have a half hour or so to work things around. Mount a reel in the seat and that will help align things It also acts to hold the seat off the table as it sets.
If you have to glue the seat hardware to the insert, put your epoxy on the inside of the hardware, then put things together. No glue gets pushed up and out that you will need to clean up. If the seat needs to be assembled, do that before attempting to mount it on the rod and let the epoxy set.
You will probably get epoxy where you don’t want it. Clean it up with rubbing or denatured alcohol on a soft absorbent cloth as soon as you can. Once it is set, it is a true PITA to get off without marring anything.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ve got the reel seat and grip on, looks really sharp!
After it all dries I’ll be finishing the wraps and coating them and I’ll be done! Can’t wait. It already looks amazing.
TT.
Don’t put too much finish on at a time! It will take 3 to 4 light coats to look right.
I’ve got the tip section done with the exception of the final finish coat. I’ll be using a lighter this time to burn off any burrs on the butt section, lol. I think for the sake of not messing it up I’m going to put a few finish coats on the butt section too. Can’t wait to get my 2wt reel on it and see how it casts!
TT
IT’S DONE!!!
I can’t even begin to thank everyone for your thoughts, suggestions, and help. I have to say that I am very pleased with how this rod looks. I can’t wait for it to dry to see the completely finished product.
All I have to do now is get a marker that I can write the info on the blank with. Do you suggest a layer of flexcoat over the writing?
Thanks again everyone for your help. I couldn’t have done it without you.
TT.
Hey Everyone,
My brother’s rod is done. I’m trying to get some pictures posted, but I can’t seem to figure out this photobucket thing. Would someone who knows how it works be able to post some pictures of the rod if I email them the pics?
Thanks,
TT.
Hello Thunderthumbs, in photobucket, i think if you hover the cursor under the pic you want to post you’ll see some options…for here right click on the ‘img’ option then copy and paste in a post here and that should do it.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
ah, thanks, I’ll give that a try.
TT.