Rod Building Questions

[Fish_N_Russ]

Recently, I found a shop with rod blanks with the rod seat/cork all installed. One would just have to wrap the guides on......so my questions are 1) about how much in materials would it cost to wrap a 9-10' steelhead/salmon rod? (standard guides would be fine), and 2) can a normal person do this without any tools or ? and 3) about how long would it take?

thanks for your help
Russ

[Fshklr]

F_N_R
Is this shop that sells the reel seats and handle's installed matching them to the spine?(both peices marked for proper spine installation of guides), or just slapping em together for quick sale?. Please send me a pm with some contact info. I'm interested in a few rods with that option.
Thanks Dan

[crabbait]

Get ahold of Bait'o Eggs (Roy). He can be convinced to ream the cork for you. Finding the spine and glueing the cork is a piece of cake after the cork is reamed.

I bet you can't beat his prices on quaility components either. You could probably upgrade to SicTic guides for the difference in price to most anywhere else.

www.traskrivertackle.com

[love2fish]

Fish_N_Russ, check out Anglers Workshop's web site. They have a complete line of everything you need. You can send for there catalog just for price comparing. I think there are several rod builders on this site that can set you up too.

love2fish

[Fshklr]

Thanks CB,
great link and a no nonsense site with right to the point info, I also like the possibility of a rod building class!!

[Rakkasan]

Fish_N_Russ

Sent you an e-mail

[Firedog]

Gotta agree with Crabait, go see BOE and he will set you up with what you need to build your own rod.

[Fish_N_Russ]

Im sure Roy could set me up very well, as I only hear good things about him :smile: And I know there are many places to buy rod kits.

But I dont want to build a whole rod, just not yet anyway. I just want to know about wrapping the guides :grin:

[Smily]

Another Vote for Roy!!! The corks are the easy part for me and wrapping the guides is what takes the longest. Specially the ButtWrap. :shocked: Can I say that and get away with it this time? :grin: Look at his sites links and the rodbuilding.org site with the board they have. Great fun while fishing is slow and not to mention you get to build it like you want it.

:smile: Smily :smile:

[greenbuttskunk]

Sounds like Roy is the man. I've bought alot from Anglers workshops in woodland over the years. Components to complete that rod, about 20-25 bucks, but it depends on the quality of guides you want. Following the spine is also important, but I'll assume the already applied cork and reel seat was done properly. Like anything, it takes some practice to wrap and guides properly, and the finish is very important too. You can buy all the components and thread and then practice doing some wraps on a wooden dowel or something. The nice thing about the wraps is you can always cut it loose and start over. The tough part is the epoxy finish. Once you've comitted to it, you're rolling. I've built many rods over the years and can say I love being able to get "just" what I want this way. It does not save you any money really when you factor in you time, but you get a rod you can really enjoy. Then when you get more comfortable you can do nice diamond wraps and such. The important thing is to practice. Get a good simple book on rod building or take a class.
Drope me a PM if you'd like and I'd be happy to
answer questions or give little tips to make it easier.
good luck,
GBS

[Sturgeon Tom]

I took BOE rod building class and it was terrific. He will teach you everthing there you need to know about building a rod including how wrap the guides and some really cool ways too.
He is the man.
ST

[Bait O' Eggs]

Thanks for the kind words :blush:

Fish_N_Russ - You can spend on the low side probably around $0.50 a guide or up to several dollars a guide depending on what you get. You mentioned standard black guides which should be a dollar or less a guide. The ceramic inserts are not all created equal so be aware of what you are getting. A spool of thread should only cost you a couple dollars, and the rod finish kits usually do more than one rod. A kit will run about $8-10 and do 4 or 5 rods. You will need something to hold the rod while you spin it, a cardboard box flipped upside down with one side cut out and a couple V's cut in the side works fine. You will need some thread management, several people place the spool of line in a bowl and run the line thru a phone book for tension, add more books for more tension. I like to use a fly tying bobbin and regulate the thread tension with my hand. All in all you should probably have no more than $25 in materials to complete the rod.

Your other question was about time, This is a hard item to tie down. I have people come back to me and tell me they spent 10 hours wrapping a rod with 10 guides :shocked: I know I can tie a rod in about an hour with a single color. Figure it may take you a few hours if you have never done it, getting the thread started is always the hardest part for a newbie. After that is is just a matter of keeping the thread tight and smooth. A double footed guide will take about twice the time a single footed guide will take as there is twice as much thread to wrap

Have fun with it and if you need any help let me know, I would be happy to try and walk you thru any problems or get you any materials you may need.

[Silver Hilton]

On the subject of time, it takes me about 2 hours to wrap a rod, and about 1/2 hour per coat of finish to coat it. I like to use multiple coats of a thin coat finish, rather than the high build finishes, which is NOT what you should use, unless you can get a rod turner.

I don't rush, and I do a little bit of decorative work as I'm doing the guides, so it could happen faster. You ought to plan on it taking the better part of a saturday if it is your first rod. Try to find a rod turner to use to turn the rod while the finish is drying. You can rent them from some of the rod building stores.

[Rakkasan]

If you are interested in a drying motor e-mail me.