Spencer DT just posted this thread with a link to a video showing the process for building a graphite rod. The material is different, but the steps are basically the same.

Mark Steffen has been rolling blanks in his shop for years with far less gear than shown in that video. However, it takes some serious practice to get good at it. Unlike cane rod building, there no books explaining in detail how to build glass/graphite rods. There especially aren't any books that explain how to relate the pattern cut from the fiberglass cloth to the final rod taper.

If you haven't built a rod on a pre-made blank yet, that is the best place to start. That will give you an idea how the feel changes on going from a bare blank to a completed rod.

Tom

I would guess that most, if not all, tubular rods built today use a variation of the Conolon/Havens process where resin-impregnated fiber (glass, carbon, etc.) cloth is wrapped around a tapered steel mandrel, degassed, and cured. Glass prepreg cloth is readily available in rolls. While seemingly simple, there is a lot to consider when designing a fly rod. Finding the right material, taper, length, wall thickness, and diameter, all the while maintaining durability, is the magic of rod design. A book you might be interested in is "The Technology of Fly Rods" by Don Phillips. It's not a how-to book, but gives an in-depth overview and history of the entire process.

The newest issue of Fly Rod and Reel has an article on this exact topic.

I think the biggest hurdle would be finding glass pre-preg. Most places want a min order of $10,000 plus. You can sometimes find small quantities, but generally it is heavier cloth or dry (no resin).

Mark Steffen sure does since he rolls his own blanks and now Mike McFarland does too.

One thing the article in Fly Rod and Reel did for me is that it made me want to fish my bamboo more often.

Mark Steffen succeeds with tooling he made himself. After learning to build rods on other peoples blanks, he decided that he wanted to build his own. He has developed his shop with ingenuity and perseverance. Mark makes some of the straightest rod blanks I have seen.

Mike McFarland works with gear that was originally in the DiamondBack facility in Vermont. Still, he had to build his own curing oven and find a new shop that would hold the rolling table.

Of course, if you have the skills and the machinery, there may be something you can provide to one of these gents and take payment in rod blanks ... Both Mark and Mike are known for their ability to customize rod tapers.

Tom

Anyone have a source for the heat shrink cellophane tape seen in these videos? Thx.