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Post 11 Jul 2021, 12:41 • #1 
Sport
Joined: 05/14/15
Posts: 96
Location: Little Rock, Ar
So decided to take a little time off and play around with a few different finishing techniques as well as practice shaping cork just to get the basics down. While waiting for some flor grade rings to arrive from Portugal, I was lucky enough to turn up a few Steffen blanks so here is the first build out of those..........This is my fifth build and my first Steffen to ever cast ( I now understand why people enjoy them so much ). This is an 8056/2 finished with silk Kimono Midori tipped with Kimono Ginza and paired nicely in both balance and color with an old Winston Perfect 3 1/8. The reel seat is a RL NSDL blued with Yew wood spacer, Mildrum stripping guide with eco snake guides. A few things I would have done differently with this one in retrospect, but still learning and overall pretty pleased with the outcome. Again, thank you to those of you who continually give me advice when asked !!!! It is very much appreciated..........











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Post 11 Jul 2021, 15:58 • #2 
Guide
Joined: 06/07/15
Posts: 162
Location: US-PA
Looks pretty darn good to me - what would you have done differently?

What is the length / line wt?


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Post 11 Jul 2021, 16:31 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Nice!!!


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Post 11 Jul 2021, 17:24 • #4 
Sport
Joined: 05/14/15
Posts: 96
Location: Little Rock, Ar
kbobb wrote:
Looks pretty darn good to me - what would you have done differently?

What is the length / line wt?


Thank you. It is an 8056 and I just finished lawn casting it. I need to play around with a few different lines but so far I'm enjoying it with a Rio Gold WF5 but I still need to get it on the water and see. If I were starting from scratch again I would have kept the same cork shape but sanded it down a bit more. It feels good in the hand, but I still have to wonder if too much cork between the hand and blank dampens feel and I bet it does to some degree. The other thing is paying closer attention to the length of the ferrule wraps and matching them up. They're close but not spot on ( I know, nitpicky sh*t but I notice it so........)

Driftless wrote:
Nice!!!


Thanks !


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Post 11 Jul 2021, 17:36 • #5 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/01/12
Posts: 900
Location: Upstate NY
Nice work!


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Post 11 Jul 2021, 18:00 • #6 
Sport
Joined: 05/14/15
Posts: 96
Location: Little Rock, Ar
wjude wrote:
Nice work!


Thanks Bill ! And thank you for answering questions and for your guidance, I appreciated it !!!


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Post 12 Jul 2021, 15:10 • #7 
Guide
Joined: 06/07/15
Posts: 162
Location: US-PA
I think the 8' 5/6 is a great blank and it performed well this year with our cicadas.

I think you'll like it a lot!


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Post 12 Jul 2021, 18:15 • #8 
Guide
Joined: 11/23/14
Posts: 194
Location: US-TX
Little Red River?


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Post 12 Jul 2021, 18:43 • #9 
Sport
Joined: 05/14/15
Posts: 96
Location: Little Rock, Ar
ccrick52 wrote:
Little Red River?


Correct. Spent time on the LRR ? This was a decent distance by boat below Ramsey access in low water. Spend most of my time on the LRR but do occasionally fish the White and Norfork as well.


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Post 12 Jul 2021, 21:43 • #10 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/02/16
Posts: 515
Location: Georgia
Nice build, Trey. I like the reel seat hardware and thread work. I think you’ll enjoy the Steffen 5/6. I have the same rod in a four piece, and my favorite line is an SA MPX 5. It also fishes well with a DT 6. Pretty sure almost any 5 or 6 weight line will work with that rod honestly.


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Post 09 Nov 2021, 12:10 • #11 
New Member
Joined: 10/20/21
Posts: 20
Location: Oregon
Beautiful Steffen build. I’m working on my first Steffen and plan on using Kimono silk as well. How did you finish your wraps - did you use color preserver, spar varnish or epoxy?


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Post 09 Nov 2021, 14:19 • #12 
Master Guide
Joined: 04/25/07
Posts: 547
Location: US-PA
That is well done, neat, clean serious hand skills sir. Threads are very impressive, as I have placed a few sutures in my day. And I would never attempt to wrap a rod.


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Post 09 Nov 2021, 20:16 • #13 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
handsome build, very nice indeed..

don't sweat the handle. Long ago I built a Fibatube 3 1/2wt blank and believed it needed a fattish handle for my big fat hands. Twenty years later I decided against that, and sanded the handle down to a much slimmer fit.. so if you really can't stand the handle after fishing it a while, it's not hard to take it down a bit..


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Post 09 Nov 2021, 21:45 • #14 
Sport
Joined: 05/14/15
Posts: 96
Location: Little Rock, Ar
El Duderino wrote:
Nice build, Trey. I like the reel seat hardware and thread work. I think you’ll enjoy the Steffen 5/6. I have the same rod in a four piece, and my favorite line is an SA MPX 5. It also fishes well with a DT 6. Pretty sure almost any 5 or 6 weight line will work with that rod honestly.


Thanks ! Yeah, I like Ray's seats as well. I've built out three other Steffen blanks since this one all with RL seats and really enjoy them. Plus I also tend to use older reels, a few of which have a longer foot compared to modern stuff and Ray builds his seats with a little longer wood spacer so haven't have any fit issues due to length. I DO need to fish this with a 6 wt line but have only used a heavier 5 wt and love it. I've read that Mark's 2 piece rods tend to be a little more mellow compared to the 3 and 4 piece versions which might require the heavier line weight to achieve the same action.

Rhillier wrote:
Beautiful Steffen build. I’m working on my first Steffen and plan on using Kimono silk as well. How did you finish your wraps - did you use color preserver, spar varnish or epoxy?


Thanks. So I did several test wraps with this particular green using spar varnish, TM epoxy and spar urethane and ultimately decided I liked it best with NO color preserver and sealed with spar urethane. I just finished up this Steffen 8'6" 5/6 using Kimono Castle Gray tipped with Kimono Golden Pavilion and really like the results ! I DID use a color preserver with this one. I'll post more pics of the build at a later date but here are a few to give you an idea. Have enjoyed experimenting with colors I've not typically seen used with these blanks........





JASTrout wrote:
That is well done, neat, clean serious hand skills sir. Threads are very impressive, as I have placed a few sutures in my day. And I would never attempt to wrap a rod.


Thanks ! I'm slowly getting a little cleaner with each rod I believe but still a lot to learn for sure. I look thru threads at rods built by guys that have been doing this a while and their stuff blows me away...........Certainly gives me a standard to continue to strive for. And I'd wager if you're able to suture up a wound you would have no problem wrapping a rod, just takes patience as well as practice I'm finding........

doug in co wrote:
handsome build, very nice indeed..

don't sweat the handle. Long ago I built a Fibatube 3 1/2wt blank and believed it needed a fattish handle for my big fat hands. Twenty years later I decided against that, and sanded the handle down to a much slimmer fit.. so if you really can't stand the handle after fishing it a while, it's not hard to take it down a bit..


Thanks. Yeah, it actually feels fine to me and after fishing it a while I don't think I'm losing any feel due to the extra cork. What I've found is that, for me, a grip that is on the skinny side tends to give me hand cramps after fishing a while whereas something with a larger diameter does not. I've built out three rods since this one and have used the same basic grip shape but I have sanded the grips down a bit more and they feel fine. Plus I think from an aesthetic standpoint it looks a little better having the cork taper down and be closer in diameter to the seat.


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Post 10 Nov 2021, 09:41 • #15 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Nice to see updates on this build, well done from the start. A kernel from your experience for any relatively new builder: always contour the grip oversize. As you use the rod, it will tell you where the grip needs a different contour, overall thinning, and so on. Feel and comfort matter more than appearance, but if you get it about right from the start, or after a series of tweaks, it will always look best because it feels best. The ability to shape a grip to comfort for your own hand alone is an advantage of hobby building.


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