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Post 22 Jan 2023, 13:37 • #51 
Master Guide
Joined: 08/23/19
Posts: 371
Location: North Central Oregon
Nice work GR and everyone else!

I finished my 7 1/2' JC Higgins. I only did a refurb/resto on this rod. I re-used all the original guides except for the stripper and tip top both of which were either grooved or rusted, I kept the original reelseat and grip. Blank was stripped, saved the decal and script, touched up the script slightly, then applied 6 coats of Tru-oil. I tried to match the original color of wraps as close as possible, and used the original guide spacing. CP and then spar varnish on the wraps. Grip was cleaned, holes filled with Golden Oak wood filler and then very lightly sanded with 600 grit.



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Post 23 Jan 2023, 02:37 • #52 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/31/15
Posts: 1238
Location: Northern Rockies
Excellent work on the restoration, paramount. That is a clean, classy rod.

PENZZZ wrote:
... I suspect the original “finish” on your reel seats was cyanoacrylate.

PENZZZ, thanks for the insight. Curious, what makes you think that? I have another insert from the same retailer that hasn't had any issues, but the finish has a different look and feel. I have one more insert from the bad batch on a rod still being built. The finish seems similar to the one that has done well, so I'm hopeful I don't have to resurrect it down the road.

csmielke wrote:
I love that grip shape and quality and have been searching for a source for a project I am working on. Do you make your own or would you mind sharing your source?

Chris, I shape my own grips most of the time. Here is a template for the grip if that helps. This is based on the measurements from my Western Glass 5-weight, which in my hands seems to be the Platonic form of this shape (so far). With lighter rods, I keep the same shape, but slim it down just a bit.



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Post 23 Jan 2023, 07:53 • #53 
Guide
Joined: 11/23/17
Posts: 314
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
Early on when I began turning reel seat inserts I came across a popular pen finishing technique that employed boiled linseed oil and CA.

The result was a decent looking surface, though plastic-like. I learned early on that doing this finish in the cold was problematic. During winter I’d created what may have been my best CA effort, then brought it to my shop to admire. The temperature change caused minor sweating on the finish, which quickly clouded over. A big disappointment. This happened with another insert. Then a CA finish on a walnut insert fractured in dozens of places, likely caused by expansion or contraction of the wood. I quickly moved away from CA.

If my memory serves me well, a fairly large seller of inserts commented along the way they used CA as a finish.

Your seller credited you for the failed finish, give them a call and inquire about the finish they use.


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Post 23 Jan 2023, 10:00 • #54 
Sport
Joined: 03/28/21
Posts: 70
Thanks GlacierRambler for your quick response and helpful reply.
Chris


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Post 26 Jan 2023, 00:03 • #55 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/31/15
Posts: 1238
Location: Northern Rockies
csmielke, you're welcome. Always glad to share. I've learned so much from the members here that I'm glad to add whatever I can to the collective knowledge base. PM me if you have any particular questions.

PENZZZ, your description of the CA sounds really similar to my experience. Thinking about it more, I suspect you're right. The damaged inserts' appearance matches closely with other wood pieces I've seen finished with CA. The seller I used didn't turn his own, but offered inserts from a variety of sources. So I won't know officially what was used. Either way, it's worked out. And, even better, I've learned more about wood finishes. Again, thanks for sharing your knowledge here. The internet can drive me crazy most of the time, but forums like this one have genuinely enriched my fishing, and I'm grateful for your help in making that better.


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Post 27 Jan 2023, 09:09 • #56 
Guide
Joined: 06/30/20
Posts: 251
Paramount I have a 7.5' JC Higgins that I fish as a 4 wt. I LOVE that rod. First one I ever redid. Sentimental favorite for me but operates really, really well. Have you fished it yet? Please let me know how it fishes.

Whoever posted that pic of the huge brown in the last page, I'm JEALOUS. WHAT A FISH!

Finally got some work in on my son's 7.5' 4wt NFC rod. Its a gray blank. Doing off white wraps, with gray accents. Using black as the 3rd color to add to ferrule wraps, etc. Have a look:




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Post 27 Jan 2023, 10:17 • #57 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/26/21
Posts: 383
Location: North West Georgia
Your wraps look great! I like my NFC 4, Im sure your son will get great use out of his!


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Post 27 Jan 2023, 12:11 • #58 
Master Guide
Joined: 08/23/19
Posts: 371
Location: North Central Oregon
Glacier Rambler thank you for the kind words.

Mr Jesse, I havent fished it yet, but hope to get it out soon. Great work on that NFC blank.


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Post 02 Feb 2023, 19:46 • #59 
Sport
Joined: 03/02/18
Posts: 38
Location: US-IL
robow7 wrote:
Will be working on a couple Moonlit blanks here in the next couple weeks, the 8'2" 6wt and the 8' 5wt. I don't have any idea what to expect with these blanks as I've never handled one but they were recommended by a friend who knows that I prefer a slightly faster glass.


OK, I finished building up these two Moonlit Lunar S-glass blanks and though I have not fished them yet, I have been able to sneak out and do a little casting. I was not able to find a lot of information on these blanks so I thought I would give you my thoughts, realizing that much of this is subjective so take it for what it's worth. Both blanks measured out at their described length and both had nice coloration with little or no "splotches" These are 4 piece designs with butt over tip ferrules. The joints were clean and the fit on each was quite good. The plugs in all the segments were clean and attractive as well. The weight of the 8' 5wt blank came in as advertised at 2.2 ounces on the money. I found no advertised weight for the 6 weight blank but it must be extremely close to the 5wt blank as surprisingly both finished rods came in exactly the same at 4.2 ounces each. Both rods btw, received the same reel seat, cork, and guides. Each blank came with an attractive rod sock in some synthetic poly material. Btw, for a short time, I had a pair of the 8'2" 6wt blanks in my possession and they were absolutely identical in weight, length, and flex so from that smallest of sample sizes, I will say the manufacturing quality seemed to be consistent.

The only difficulty in building up these rods came in the fact that they both had significantly wide lower butt section diameters which meant I couldn't use my standard reel seats, inserts and cork grips, the butts were just too wide and I was forced into all aluminum reel seats with large inside diameters that are quite functional but cosmetically not as attractive as many other reel seats IMO. Also, because that final section has such a larger taper, I was forced into a very wide half wells cork lest the the rod taper about 11" up is wider than most half wells cork ends at the top. A full wells cork would not be an issue but the tapered half wells is where the problem lies. Again, not a huge problem but removes a lot of choices when it comes to pre-made cork grips and reel seats that were available from my main 2 suppliers.

As to describing the action of the rods and what they cast like, well here comes the very subjective part.
Both rods are fairly light in hand and balance is good, not tip heavy at all.
The 6 weight rod will cast a 6 weight line quite well, even a line that is rated a half size heavy and here's the important part.....when you have aerialized a great deal of line as when you're bombing a longer cast. It didn't buckle at all as some rods will. This rod's action is slightly faster than many glass rods (don't compare to fast graphite) and personally I like it and think it will make a fine streamer rod for chasing Smallmouth.

The 5 weight rod is a slightly different animal. It definitely has a softer tip section, more than you might think for being only one rod weight down. I found that if I were making shorter casts, then a std. 5 weight line would load it up with more full flexing comparatively than its larger brother. A 5 weight line sized a half size heavier started pushing the blank more than I like on longer casts. I threw on a standard 4 weight line for longer casting and the blank handled it much better. Sooo, fishing in close, yea, a std. 5 weight line would work, but if you're aerializing a lot of line for longer casts, I think I would rely on a 4 weight line. For those that prefer a rod that flexes way down into the butt upon casting, throw my recommendations out the window.

Anyway, I hope some might find this information helpful if looking at the Moonlit Lunar S-glass series of blanks.
Rob


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Post 02 Feb 2023, 20:52 • #60 
Master Guide
Joined: 12/19/07
Posts: 393
Location: US-MI
Ground hog this morning said 6 more weeks of Winter. Looks like he bought me some time to get theses projects started and hopefully finished.
Thanks Phil.


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Post 03 Feb 2023, 09:21 • #61 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Would enjoy pics of the Lunar build, ferrules in particular. Tip over butt, aren't they?


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Post 03 Feb 2023, 11:27 • #62 
Sport
Joined: 03/02/18
Posts: 38
Location: US-IL
Not sure how to post photos on this site without webhosting but yes, butt over tip ferrules.


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Post 03 Feb 2023, 12:35 • #63 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Robow, I think you mean tip over butt. Butt-over-tip is opposite and far less common. Check here to visualize the difference, and please clarify if need be: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=74560&p=412480&hilit=tip+over+butt#p412531

As you get into building on 'glass blanks, you'll find that a given 'glass blank for a given line weight will almost always have a larger butt diameter than a graphite blank. The component market, naturally, offers more "easy-fit" stuff to the graphite builder. Wood inserts, in particular may need boring or mounting using a stent after cutting the blank. Easy to search here. Check blank dimensions relative to your intended components. In the case of reel seet inserts, there are still good options, and one of the suppliers like SCR or Proof can fix you right up with a wood insert bored to spec. Nothing wrong with a full aluminum barreled real seat, either. Very fitting on a 'glass rod, dimensionally, aesthetically, and traditionally.


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Post 03 Feb 2023, 12:59 • #64 
Sport
Joined: 03/02/18
Posts: 38
Location: US-IL
I have seen the two terms, butt over tip and tip over butt used interchangeably, sorry, didn't realize if there is a true difference. Bottom line, no spigots.


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Post 03 Feb 2023, 13:20 • #65 
Administrator
Joined: 01/10/06
Posts: 7811
Location: Holly Springs, NC
See viewtopic.php?f=8&t=74901 for instructions on posting images with the forum photo uploader.


Tom


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Post 03 Feb 2023, 18:48 • #66 
Sport
Joined: 03/02/18
Posts: 38
Location: US-IL
Thank you for being patient with me.

Image


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Post 03 Feb 2023, 19:49 • #67 
Master Guide
Joined: 11/11/13
Posts: 774
Location: US-CA
Nice build, the color is great. Those Alps all metal seats are very nice. Great thread and finish work!!!!


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Post 06 Feb 2023, 13:33 • #68 
Guide
Joined: 06/15/20
Posts: 260
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA.
Nice work on that moonlit. I built out their three wt once and thought it was a good value of a rod. Haven't had my hands on any others though. I also picked up some of those same alps reels seats I found on ebay. Very nice build.


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Post 07 Feb 2023, 20:09 • #69 
Guide
Joined: 06/30/20
Posts: 251
Hello team! I got my sons NFC 7.5 ft 4wt done over the past weekend. I called it the grey ghost in a fit of inspiration. I’m really happy with how it turned out. Have a look!









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Post 08 Feb 2023, 14:17 • #70 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/05/10
Posts: 5229
Location: Mid Hudson Valley of New York
I like the cool, understated aesthetic of your build. It has a modern, industrial look and feel; elegant in its simplicity.

Nice clean thread and finish work. I favor downlocking seats, and slide band hardware over cork spacer is my choice for a light line 4wt. What hardware did you use on your build?


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Post 08 Feb 2023, 15:22 • #71 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/26/21
Posts: 383
Location: North West Georgia
Nice work! The thread wraps look excellent. Let us know how it fishes!


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Post 08 Feb 2023, 16:08 • #72 
Master Guide
Joined: 08/23/19
Posts: 371
Location: North Central Oregon
Excellent work Mr Jesse!


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Post 19 Feb 2023, 22:36 • #73 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/26/21
Posts: 383
Location: North West Georgia
My winter projects are starting to pick up steam. All components are ordered, and grips are turned.


From left to right, the rods are a troutsmiths 7645, a troutsmiths 7034, a Fenwick 84-5 (detailed in another thread) and an iconoglass 8wt. I turned all four grips today, more than doubling my previous experience. All 4 feel good in hand for me, though Im happiest with the looks of the two in the middle. Hopefully Ill get to wrap guides on these sometime in the next few weeks.


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Post 20 Feb 2023, 00:10 • #74 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/26/10
Posts: 547
Location: Montana
Here is a winter build I did for my wife. Her favorite color is purple. Got me a few brownie points :).




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Post 20 Feb 2023, 10:25 • #75 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/31/15
Posts: 1238
Location: Northern Rockies
Beautiful work, all. BrookieBoy, what are the rods you have in the photo there?

I've finished my Barclay 804 Para. Here's a photo (more are in the Rod Photos forum).



Now it's on to the pair of ********* 6-weights. I'll keep cleaning up some smaller stuff from other projects along the way, but that's going to be my focus for the next few weeks.


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