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Rod building with ADD!
Post 19 Nov 2022, 01:21 • #1 
New Member
Joined: 11/09/22
Posts: 11
Location: Ravenna Ohio USA
This post is basically to introduce myself and start asking some questions. Perhaps it's obvious that my name is Dave - I'm from Ravenna OH - I sometimes make tools for fly tying and sell them as Sukhoidave's Custom Tying Tools. I've become short on materials and motivation for that but try to come through when people have requests. I've been tying flies for 54 years - since I was 8 and learned with some very good instructors like Wayne Luallen, John McClain, Paul Ptalis, and Don Bastian.

I've built around a half dozen fishing rods - mostly fly rods but also a 10 foot Ugly Stik Surf spinning rod that came out well. I made a 5wt fly on a St Croix blank that is my best effort - came out beautiful and performs very well. I traded it to a guy for a sweet traditional recurve bow and hope he's still using and enjoying it. I made a 12wt Tarpon rod on another St. Croix blank that I'm quite sure I'll never use for Tarpon... got a big Atlantic Salmon on it while trolling smelt streamer flies in Sault Ste. Marie last summer. I also still have a 9wt St. Croix fly rod I built and traded away a 7wt.

RIght now I'm working on a Batson Rainshadow 6' 6" 2 weight to replace a 3wt that I built years ago and then broke it on or before the first cast with it. (ADD brain tossed it in the back of the pickup truck all strung up and ready to go with a bunch of shovels and axes) I also just got a honey yellow 7' 6" 4wt 3 piece blank from Get Bent Fly Shop - it's beautiful! This time my ADD brain had me gluing on the reel seat before figuring out the spine... I think I managed to get it lined up properly before the epoxy set up...

I have to constantly remind myself to go very slow, think things through first, and even write stuff down!

So my questions - I'm removing the guides from the Batson 2wt that I finished with Gudebrod Rod Varnish from a very old bottle of mine. It didn't penetrate the thread very evenly and was ugly so I'm redoing it. I haven't gouged the blank or anything - yet - and I've got most of the epoxy off. It seems like acetone is helping clean up the last of it hopefully - and not stripping the rods finish. Does that seem right? Any other tips for cleaning up the blank before re-starting?

I'm working on dressing the guide feet better this time and nicely for the single foot snakes that are going on the honey yellow rod. It seems a few guys here use that Flex Coat rod foot adhesive - I'd like to try that stuff - would anyone be interested in a trade for a chunk of it for something I may have? I could try rubber cement but have no idea how to go about that.

I guess that's all for now. (I'll remember 5 more things I meant to ask about as soon as I post this...)


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Post 19 Nov 2022, 10:40 • #2 
Master Guide
Joined: 05/20/12
Posts: 980
Location: Eugene, OR
Welcome! I find much to sympathize with in your post.


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Post 19 Nov 2022, 23:24 • #3 
New Member
Joined: 11/09/22
Posts: 11
Location: Ravenna Ohio USA
Can anyone give a fairly quick reply about whether I'm hurting the rod blank by wiping it with acetone, please. I seem to get some softened residue around the spots the guides were - I think it's the Gudebrod finish and not finish from the blank itself. (hoping!)

I also have lacquer thinner that I can try.


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Post 26 Nov 2022, 10:29 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 12/19/07
Posts: 393
Location: US-MI
I may have a stick of the guide adhesive kicking around. It is just a temporary hold to help get your thread started. I’ve used a hot glue stick before with similar results. Heat guide foot and rub it on the stick. Rewarm and attach to rod. I personally don’t like the
adhesive. I’ve switched over to using dental ligatures. Cheap and effective


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Post 26 Nov 2022, 10:43 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
I would stick to denatured alcohol for the wipe down.

Unfinished blanks, or blanks that are finished with an epoxy paint should be fine to do a quick wipe with acetone, but why risk it.

I use coffee filters for the wipe down to avoid lint.


Btw, go slow :)


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Post 26 Nov 2022, 12:24 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
I know you are joking about "ADD," but too much searching will lead only to conflicting advice and erratic results. Stick to one method. Evaluate the ease and outcome. Only then will you know if another one works better once you try that. Mixing them all in usually delays progress and improved outcomes. Living with one result tells you what one or two things--if any--need improvement.

KISS is usually the best advice. And with necessary products such as finish and glue, less is more. There will always be a product to make a one-time job appear easier, but many rodbuilding products are for repeat, rapid production and completely unnecessary for hobby building. Just as an example, guide adhesive came up here. Realize that if it has any amount of stick, it is only a nuisance later on when a guide needs to be wiggled into alignment or replaced.

If you decide to try something other than tape, rubber cement is convenient for a temporary hold when wrapping. Allows easy alignment, cushions the guide foot more or less permanently, and most important, tells you if your thread tension is tighter than need be.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50223&p=218961&hilit=rubber+cement#p218961
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=49045&p=214942&hilit=rubber+cement#p214942


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Post 26 Nov 2022, 12:41 • #7 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
I have never needed to graduate beyond masking tape to hold the guides on. I slice narrow strips.

The guides can, and should, be adjusted after the wraps are completed.


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Post 26 Nov 2022, 13:16 • #8 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/01/12
Posts: 900
Location: Upstate NY
Use painters tape (blue 3m) to hold guides, buy the 1” wide and cut it perpendicular, 1/8” or so. That tape will not leave a residue behind.

Tread lightly with whipping down a blank with any “solvent” for several reasons. First the more powerful solvents might soften the original blank finish, that’s going to depend on brand of blank, who made it and what they top coated it with or not. Some brands of blanks, even what you might think of as a high end blank, can have a top coat of paint that will soften and discolor with a mild solvent. Some solvents may also leave a residue behind that will reak havoc with 2 part Epoxy Rod Finish. Best to test in places that will be covered up, grip/reel seat area if possible. Coffee filters work great, no dust like Carl mentioned.

That Gudebrod rod finish, if it is the old water based stuff, just scrape off the high points with an old credit card held at 90 degrees to blank, you won’t get the “thread marks” out, but if you are putting the guides back on in the same place, that will be covered, just make sure no “bumps” are left that will muck up your new thread wraps.


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Post 28 Nov 2022, 23:45 • #9 
New Member
Joined: 11/09/22
Posts: 11
Location: Ravenna Ohio USA
cheffy wrote:
I may have a stick of the guide adhesive kicking around. It is just a temporary hold to help get your thread started. I’ve used a hot glue stick before with similar results. Heat guide foot and rub it on the stick. Rewarm and attach to rod. I personally don’t like the
adhesive. I’ve switched over to using dental ligatures. Cheap and effective


I'd like to try the guide foot adhesive if you can find it, I'd be happy to trade something you could use.

I have some of the dental ligatures coming from Amazon - thank you for that tip!


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Post 11 Jan 2023, 13:58 • #10 
New Member
Joined: 11/09/22
Posts: 11
Location: Ravenna Ohio USA
I'm finished with everything but the Flex Coat finish applications. I think the rods came out nicely. I tried the dental ligatures and I'm not sure if they are an improvement over masking tape strips. I'm really happy with the changes to my building station with a thread tension control attachment. I'll post pictures if I can manage to get some good hi resolution images.


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Post 11 Jan 2023, 17:39 • #11 
Sport
Joined: 08/04/18
Posts: 77
Location: US-CT
Dave, I'd be interested in your photos of the thread tension control, I'm getting close to building my own set up.
Thanks!


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Post 12 Jan 2023, 03:49 • #12 
New Member
Joined: 11/09/22
Posts: 11
Location: Ravenna Ohio USA
My station is built out of wood but I pretty much copied the thread tension system from this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9j8CjLtVn0

I have a sewing machine motor that I would like to use for applying rod finish. It seems like it should be able to turn both frontways and reverse and also to be speed controllable. I also have a dimmer switch that I'm wondering if I can use to control it but my knowledge of electricity and how it works equates to about attaching red wires to red wires, black to black after first turning off any current so I don't get zapped. I'll post some pictures tomorrow but anyone can chime in with any thoughts whenever.


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Post 12 Jan 2023, 05:59 • #13 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/10/09
Posts: 1651
Location: US-OH
carlz wrote:
I have never needed to graduate beyond masking tape to hold the guides on. I slice narrow strips.

The guides can, and should, be adjusted after the wraps are completed.



+1


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Post 12 Jan 2023, 12:11 • #14 
Guide
Joined: 11/23/17
Posts: 314
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
Awhile ago I stopped using wing-nuts on my spool tension device. Actually, moved away from all-thread too, though the binder clips do work with all-thread. See attached over on Rodbuilding.org. If there is any interest I’ll add photos.

https://www.rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,122525

Jeff



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Post 14 Jan 2023, 01:26 • #15 
New Member
Joined: 11/09/22
Posts: 11
Location: Ravenna Ohio USA
Thursday and Friday are my days off - or my weekend... I have been watching videos and noticed the use of rod finishing motors to spin the rod at 200 rpm when applying epoxy to all the thread wraps. I find the idea intriguing and it seems like a good idea to me. Well I disassembled a sewing machine a while back and saved all the components that seemed like I might be able to use for something in the future. I guess I was thinking about doing motorized winding at some point.

So I knew I had the sewing machine motor and that I used it in the past for my archery hobby to paint cresting on arrows. As usual, I didn't know where it was, so had to spend some days searching all my junk drawers and junk shelves and everywhere my ADD brain accumulates clutter. I found it in my hobby room/shop closet. The power cord was missing so another search until a few more days later I found the cord/foot control in my tool drawer.

I had a very enjoyable weekend modifying it to create the finishing machine I want. I didn't want to use the foot control so I rigged up a plastic bolt to control the speed and allowing me to leave it running at a steady speed. I made an aluminum standoff and will add a baby bottle slip clutch/rod chuck using instructions from Youtube by "The Fishing Hobby." (thank you) It was a fairly simple project but I'm proud of it as I'm not at all knowledgeable or comfortable with electricity. I know not to mess with wiring while hot and to attach red to red and black to black but not much more.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z-EIIIKD_2A

Somebody please dm me some tips about posting pictures and videos on this forum.


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Post 14 Jan 2023, 13:51 • #16 
Administrator
Joined: 01/10/06
Posts: 7811
Location: Holly Springs, NC
See this thread for instructions on posting images. Read the whole thread and make sure you follow all the steps.


Tom


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