Continueing to replace lost/broken rods, I started another.
Buddy got into building rods about 10 years ago, built two, then gave up. But he had a GL Loomis blank sitting around for years that I bugged him ... then finally a couple years ago he called a day before we went fishing & asked if I wanted it. After bartering a bit on the price, we came to a number we both could agree on and it sat in my rack for a couple years.
I usually trim the reel seat to fit the foot of the reel I plan on using. I trimmed the reel seat to much & didn't have any reel seats left in my stock.
I was looking through my old rods that I broke, and found one with a Fuji soft touch reel seat & decided what the heck, I'll try to take if off & if I break it, so what, I've already considered it a loss. Cut the handle & blank about 1/4" above the seats, trimmed all the cork down to the reel seat, then since I use graphite arbors, got my smallest drill & drilled the arbors on both sides of the reel seat using the blank as a guide. Hit the blank piece that protruded over the reel seat & worked out the seat. Cleaned off all the rod bond (epoxy) & it's as good as new.
Turned down the arbors & cork piece behind the reel seat this afternoon - still use the old wrap-a-drill-in-a-rag-and-clamp-it-in-a-table-vise trick. Then I take an old drill bit, add tape until the cork piece jams in tightly and put a small clamp on the trigger of the drill.
The fore grip and butt piece came ready made but I had to drill out the hole to fit the blank.
Here's some pix so far .....
Buddy got into building rods about 10 years ago, built two, then gave up. But he had a GL Loomis blank sitting around for years that I bugged him ... then finally a couple years ago he called a day before we went fishing & asked if I wanted it. After bartering a bit on the price, we came to a number we both could agree on and it sat in my rack for a couple years.
I usually trim the reel seat to fit the foot of the reel I plan on using. I trimmed the reel seat to much & didn't have any reel seats left in my stock.
I was looking through my old rods that I broke, and found one with a Fuji soft touch reel seat & decided what the heck, I'll try to take if off & if I break it, so what, I've already considered it a loss. Cut the handle & blank about 1/4" above the seats, trimmed all the cork down to the reel seat, then since I use graphite arbors, got my smallest drill & drilled the arbors on both sides of the reel seat using the blank as a guide. Hit the blank piece that protruded over the reel seat & worked out the seat. Cleaned off all the rod bond (epoxy) & it's as good as new.
Turned down the arbors & cork piece behind the reel seat this afternoon - still use the old wrap-a-drill-in-a-rag-and-clamp-it-in-a-table-vise trick. Then I take an old drill bit, add tape until the cork piece jams in tightly and put a small clamp on the trigger of the drill.
The fore grip and butt piece came ready made but I had to drill out the hole to fit the blank.
Here's some pix so far .....
