rod building

[maggot_drowner]

Hiya, new to the board but a long-time lurker

I'm looking for a bit of advice on rod building. I've got plans for a whiting rod, which uses a Pacific Composites blank. I've heard these are made in Brissy but not sure where to get them or how much they cost... also, as a total beginner, can I expect to have a usable rod first time or am I more likely to end up with a load of splintered fibreglass ::)

is there a book/website that has details on the whipping knots and all that stuff?

i'd appreciate any advice from guys who have been therem done that before me

cheers

ben

[dazza]

hi ben,
i am no expert rod builder, just roll a few up for myself and repair my own rods (which is very rewarding). there are others on the site who have a huge knowledge base on this subject.
any decent taclke shop should be able to get the blank you are chasing.

there is tons of info available. any search engine should provide you with tons of info.
years ago i bought a magazine called the australian rod builder, i think ian miller put it out. was pretty good, had all the info i needed to get started. well set out and easy to understand.
have also seen a few nice hardback books as well, local library should have them.
i don't do any fancy binding. i find it easier to use threads of contrasting colour,
ie on a black rod blank i would use a royal blue underbind and a black overbind. looks good and it is easy to see when binding. i also have a small rotisserie ( ???spelling) which makes life easy for binding and drying epoxy
good luck
cheers
dazza

[DR]

G'day Maggot,
have a look at www.rodbuilder.org & www.mudhole.com
& www.visualwrap.com all have something to offer.

for epoxy you used to be able to get a battery powered rotisserie whih would do one rod.

also the Dale Clemmens books are very helpful.
cheers

[maggot_drowner]

Cheers boys I'll have a look at those links and get down the tackle shop and let you know how I go on

ben

[Volvo]

:)Ben , dont be afraid to have a go mate..Even if ya muff it first time round, as long as your spacings are correct its always fun to re-strip the guides and start all over again..
No magic in building a Rod, just common sense n heaps of fun..
Come across any probs, email me..Only too happy to help out..
Cheers

[Jethro]

There is nothing better than catching a fish with a rod you built yourself.

Have a look at this link http://members.datafast.net.au/darrylt/ It will give you a run down on the basics.

heres a couple of photos of a fly rod I have just finished and am very proud of.

This is a photo of 1 of the stripper guides. Its a Tich framed Forcast guide with a blue Zircomiun ring.

[Jethro]

I continued the metallic bule and silver tright through the guides.

[Volvo]

:)Nice work there jethro..Should be proud of your work..
Cheers

[Jethro]

Thanks Volvo. I am very happy with this one.

The next project is a spin stick for the missus with metallic pink bindings with siler trim ;D

[Volvo]

Jethro, what type of resin you been using over youtr binding??..

[Jethro]

I had been using Flexcoat Hi Build but on this one I tried Flexcoat Lite to try and not dull the action of the blank.

I used 1 coat on the top half of the rod but I had to put 2 coats on the stripper guides to get good coverage. Its a bit more mucking around but I am very happy with the results.

I will be using the Lite on all my light rods from now on.

[maggot_drowner]

thanks for the advice so far fellas

with all this talk about rotisseries :o i'm starting to think this is going to be a bit pricer than I first thought

am I going to have a shell out a load of cash to get started?

ben

[Volvo]

Mate a battery operasted rotisseri purchased from k-Mart and a bit of imagination and amazing what one can do:)..
Try dig up some pics and upload if i can..
Cheers

[nisrol]

Hi BEN
have done some of this before myself and if you are trying to do something fancy at first FORGET IT try doing basic binding i sugest you put a run of binding on the blank were you want to put your runners place a bit of arildyte on the thread put the runner on and then start your binding in this order as the arildyte will hold the the runner in place while you are putting the binding thread on .
if you can find a small step down electric motor or geared down motor this will work maybe better than the rotiserie you can ad weight to it to decrease the slip wlth the belt i sujest if you want to buy an electric motor give me an e-mail and i will get you a step down used to work for a company and can get you about a 50% discount ok.

cheers andy

[Thunderbird]

Hi ben
The first rod i ever built was the top half off the old mans surf rod(won't go into how that got broken) is now a whiting/ bream rod.
Ended up using two carboard boxes with a v cut in each to do the binding.

[agnes_jack]

Md
A battery operated rotisserie will cost about $35 and rollers to suit about $18-20 bucks each. Any tackle shop who deals with Fuji should be able to get one for you.
They are definately worth having, can make the difference between a beautiful resin finish and a rough one.
When I first started, I used 2 sets of old pram wheels mounted on timber blocks as my rod supports,and ran the thread thru a telephone book as a tensioner. When drying the resin, I used to sit and watch the tv while spinning the rod slowly by hand.
Some resins set fairly quickly, but you still end up turning the rod for about an hour-hour and a half. I have found the Jack Erskine filler and resins work well. Instead of using araldite to stick the guides in place, I just tape them with thin strips of masking tape, this allows you to adjust and line them all up at the end before applying the sealer/filler coat to your bindings. One point worth mentioning is to make sure you know how to locate the spine of the rod, if you are unsure ask at your local tackle shop or ask them to find it for you and mark it on the blank.
I would suggest you get hold of a book on rod binding, this should give you some tips on things like fitting reel seats and grips as well as how to locate the blanks spine.
As others have said don't try to get too fancy for a start, keep it simple.

Hope that helps a little, Regards, Tony ;)

[Jethro]

As Tony said a couple of small wheels nailed on to a piece of timber is all you need. Here is a piccy of what I have been using for the last 2 years.

[Jethro]

As for thread tensioning I just use a bobbin that you use for tying flies.

I only build about 1 rod a month and these tools work fine for me.

[Morlers]

Here's some more links I found when I did up a couple of rods recently:

http://www.the-fishing-network.com/magazine/v03/n06/rodbuilding.html

http://www.the-fishing-network.com/magazine/v03/n08/rodbuilding.html

http://www.the-fishing-network.com/magazine/v03/n10/rodbuilding.html

http://www.the-fishing-network.com/magazine/v03/n12/rodbuilding.html

http://www.the-fishing-network.com/magazine/v03/n14/rodbuilding.html

http://www.the-fishing-network.com/magazine/v03/n16/rodbuilding.html

http://www.the-fishing-network.com/library/archives.htm

http://www.rod-building.com/

Trust they will help

:) :)

Morlers

[Willo]

Hi All
Here's a pic of the set up I made for rod building.
Wheels are off an Old set of roller blades , used some scrap woodpaneling and a rotisery motor for drying

[bugman]

Gents,

Be careful about Maggot Drowner :-X

He's a pommie just like Render and we don't want to give them too much of a leg up ;D ;D ;D ;D

Bugman

[maggot_drowner]

Bloody Poms :)

[agnes_jack]

Brett
with a name like that, what else could he be!! ;D ;D ;D ;D

Regards, Tony ;)