Miss Jazzy Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Just ordered up my first rod building kit from Mudhole. Always looked like a fun hobbie esp. during this time of year. I mainly want to be able to fix broken rod tips and guides since no one close here does it. Been watching a bunch of videos of how many different ways to thread a rod, never new they were so many or how indepth it can be. Who here does or has dabbled in rod building? Would like to see some your work and/or ideas. I can't wait to get started myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 I have been building my own for awhile, just got my order so my 9yo nephew can build his own. I have only done inshore rods so I mainly keep the wraps simple. My theory on that is with weaving wraps you use more thread, more thread is more epoxy, is more weight. I am not sure how true it is but it works in my head. It is pretty nice to have a rod done the exact way you want it and set up better than most store bought rods. Have fun with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonV Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 "I am not sure how true it is but it works in my head" That's funny Rick! Never really thought of it in that exact way,however that's all that counts!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyking1 Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 Been building for a few years, still learning on every build. Fun hobby, and rods make nice Christmas gifts. I have several kids in the neighborhood that stop by and have built some neat stuff. Some good youtube videos oh different types of wraps.....a lot of good ideas. Have Fun with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbum321 Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 I have built well in excess of 100 rods probably closer to 300. I did some fly rod demo work for mudhole. I can provide any advice you may want. I have done artsy work for people. I build a lot of rods for tourney bass guys. feel free to pm me or ask here I can give guide/ blank/ spacing advice. Also can help with trick to make it a lot easier therefore faster. the one thing I will say is if you are a Cork user go to the highest possible grade and use cork sealer I think it is u-40 brand. cork resources are diminishing so the quality available is dropping. did you get a power wrapper or a hand wrapper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbum321 Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 agree with mulligan that is why the new bass rods have like 11-13 number 4 guides and nearly no wrap. I build all my bass rods no for grip split rear grip and the largest guide is an 8 and no excess thread raps thus no excess epoxy or weight. I have seen light fly rods not act right do to too much artsy wrapping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Jazzy Posted January 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Thanks guys. Just finished building the handle and started some simple decorative wrapping. I'm using a hand wrapper. Trying to keep it simple but neat. I'm really enjoying this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbum321 Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 you wraps look nice bet you spent a lot of time on that. I cant tell if you have winding checks on all your EVA. I had never used winding checks with cork but with eva the epoxy is much more prone to wick up. wraps look nice hand wrapper makes it easier initially I believe. i'm guessing someone explained the difference between nylon and colorfast thread to you. nylon will turn translucent without color preserver whereas colorfast will hold color. color preserver can be added after wrap before epoxy if you want to hold color on nylon but I believe it gives a lesser result because it make the epoxy lay on the thread instead of integrated with the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Looking good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbum321 Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 this is a sage method I built this is like a light blue/gray nylon thread with the dark red background this is how it looked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbum321 Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 also guide tubing is a life saver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 also guide tubing is a life saver. Yes it is. The last few rods I have done have been with micro and tubing was nice to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Jazzy Posted January 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 The highlight inserts really aren't that hard to do after watching several YouTube videos. Yea I know the difference in the type threads, I'm using what the kit came with and will not be using a color preserver. I did use a winding check in front of the fir grip but no where else. I thought about it but I thought after I putting finish on the threads it would help conceal the small gap. I'm working on the eyes now. Having a little trouble keeping them in place. Would you suggest a small amount of tip top glue to hold them down? Or is that what you mean by guide tubes, never heard of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Guide tubing is just surgical tubing to hold the guide in place. I also use thin, 1/8", tape. I know they have guide glue that looks just like tip glue. I have some but never used it so I could not tell you if it is the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Jazzy Posted January 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2017 Finished up the guides last night and applied the finish. The wrapping of the small guides were a pain to start with but got easier as I went through them. I'm pretty happy how it turned out with just a few small blemishes. I think I got too much build up under the guides, between the guide and blank. Should have got it out before it dried but I didn't notice it last night. Overall I think it turned out great for my first attempt and I really enjoyed it. How long does the ProKote take to fully cure? Still I little tacky this morning. Been on for about 9 hrs. now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAdamsProject Posted January 16, 2017 Report Share Posted January 16, 2017 Looks good! Just a tip on the small single foot running guides, if you hold your thread back a little farther from the ring of the guide it will not want to creep up the "neck" of the guide and gather there as much. In regards to curing out, 9 hours should have been enough under ideal conditions. If it was a little cooler in the house than 72, it can take longer. Also, you need to be very exact with mixing the epoxy amounts and also stirring it for at least 4 minutes. Either not mixed equally or mixed throughly can cause a little tackiness. If you think it was due to being a little too cool, you can put it in your car if it is parked in the sun and it will help it cure out. Well done for the first build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbum321 Posted January 16, 2017 Report Share Posted January 16, 2017 I have had it feel tacky the morning after I coat but it will turn. I use a power mixer for 4 minutes. but you will see it go through color changes while you mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Jazzy Posted January 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Thanks for the tips guys, will definitely do that on the next one which I've already started! I'm redoing an old All Star rod now. The finish did set a couple hours later. The house was a little cool and I guess it prolonged the set time. I went ahead and added another coat after I touched up some of the imperfections. Finished product! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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