I've not paid much attention to rod building in the last 4 years,up until then I tried to keep up with what was going on in the tackle industry in general and rod making in particular. Got away from it due to severe health issues. I can do some limited fishing now and because I'm retired and disabled I have the time but not unlimited funds for rod building again.Have subscribed to Rodmaker and ordered a number of back issues but still have many questions that I hope some of you gents and ladies can help me with. Todays question is : I've looked at what data I can find on these "internally reinforced" rod blanks like
Cape Fear & Graphite USA, and I must admit that I'm at a loss to understand what happens to the blanks' natural tendency to "oval" when it's loaded? How does this "internal hexing" affect this? The tendency has to still be there so what is done with/to it ? I supoose I'm showing just how dumb I am but I'm not one to "just accept" what someones sales literature tells me.
As an example: there's a lot of hooplah about the "New Guide Concept": there's nothing new about it . I recall back about 81 or 82 the president of Fuji,a Mr.Okuma(?), wrote an article about rapidly choking down the line on a spinner rather than gradually and pointed out (rightfully so)that wide spool conventionals could benefit from the same theory. The gentleman also had plenty of figures to back up his idea. Result?!? Nada! No big company was willing to chance presenting the US fishing public with a rod that "looked different". As I recall the guide style that Fuji used was an NLG and the first guide was 25mm and was put on the rod with the double braced side facing the tip top, don't recall the position of the others right at the moment. I built a number of spinners for myself,my Dad,and some others and they worked beautifully. I mounted the guides whatever way worked best and to h--lwith convention. I wasn't the only one to do so but back then you just couldn't get past tradition and the RC factor.
I only bring this up as an example of buying into the claim of new in the fishing tackle business. Another example is magnetic cast control: its greay and I love it but "new" it wasn't back in the late 70's early 80's because Ocean City made an "Inductor" back in the 30's I believe it was.
I hope that some of you-all can point me to some publications/articles on the initial subject. Thank you! Warren

Warren, I also happened to read the same article when I was in Hong Kong in the early 1980s. Too bad at that time, you cannot
even buy guides in Hong Kong, I have to source it from Japan. It is so much easier now in America. Your saying that most big
time manufacturer do not do anything about it is not quite right. In japan as I recall they did have some of the rod, especially lure
rod in that style way back in 1983, but saying that the American market is too conservation and no one want to take the risk is
more likely. As for the reason that new concept is so big now is that finally the manufacturing process finally did make big
enough improvement and Anglers World and Fuji did need something to sell. A little history first, in Japan, Daiwa's interline
force Fuji to move since 1993, all manufacturer have to offer interline as their top mode (by the way, interline do not use guides
from Fuji). This trend force changes, in Japan, if you are an Iso fisherman, and your rod have guides on it. It is literally a
laughing matter which most Japanese will not stand. Not to mention the boat (fune) rod are also under attack with guides. The
rock bream rod, and even salt water lure rod someone offer Interline from Daiwa, Interget from Ryobi, Innerguide from
Shimano. You get the idea, Fuji need to do something or the whole market will be lost. So you know, the shimano Innerguide
rod has the best designed inserting guide and tip top, while daiwa has the best water repelling and design (their new megadry rod
is amazing, not to mention the price 650 to US$700.00. I am not talking cheap stuff here, iso rod run from $400 to $1000 a
piece and Fune run as high as US$800.00, we are not talking the cheap Daiwa Taiwan stuff which we get in America here!!

As for your question on Cape fear and graphite USA. With what I know cape fear got their technical pattern after an Australia
firm and they are not bad at all. One big factor is their engineered spine. I would not touch their light tackle stuff, it is just way
too heavy for it is a hundred percent glue together blank AFAIK. Love their 7' sailfish spinning blank, great soft tip for looping
live bait and the back bone is strong enough to kick ass. As for graphite USA, the design is not even new, but the manufacturing
process is much refined. Back in the days when I was at research lab (nuclear Lab in Bloomington, IN), the kind of weave is call
bi-direction graphite construction. With opposite fiber forcing each other to canceling the basic form of ovaling. The blanks is so
strong that you can literally roll a truck over it and nothing happened. I have seen and heard other who also see the same thing.
Can the rod break? Yes; I just broke one. My fishing buddy sit on the tip (no rod can handle a 200lb butt force at 6 in off the
top)...LOL

All said, the advance in manufacturing process do make today tackle a whole lot more enjoyable. e.g. Fuji's new concept guide
if you take a really close look is a work of engineering art. The old Fuji tip top is forced steel ring over the SIC guide which need
a lot of material and a grove in the SIC ring. But this time Fuji engineered a perfect metal that will expand and contract enough to
hold the rind in place without using a pressure stamp!! Thus the ring can be much lighter and so is the frame. The frame so
nicely wrap, protect, and hug the ring. It is specially obvious in this design in the TFST, UNSG, LSG. Try it, heat the ring up
to about 150C and the rind will fall off. Heat it further and put the ring back, cool it and it will hold!! No glue, no mess. As for
the LNSG the full wrap and ultra light frame with a higher grade material make it that much better. (Now the good part, you can
replace ring without taking the guide off if you crack a ring!!) Last you got to try the LCSG (Low riders) it is so good that I have
10 set in order and already have two set on rods. You need to read up on the new guides design from Fuji, it is getting good. the
following URL will show you. [www.fujitackle.com]

Talked too much, you need to read it yourself, (Japanese is not what I know best, but with some help I managed) LOL

Good fishing (catching) <*)))))))><{

Dorge - you are the most! I've been reading your expert comments on bass fishing reels on the bass fishing rods and reels board, and now find out you are also a rod builder and nuclear engineer or physicist. The thing I like about your posts is that you always think deeply about the reasons that something is engineered the way it is, whether its a reel, a rod, or a guide. Also, you must have a fantastic arsenal of rods and reels. If I'm ever in the midwest, I'll be sure to try to meet you.

The Cape Fear Hextek construction is comprised of "T"-beam sections glued together. They are very tough and durable, but do not offer anywhere near the stiffness to weight ratio of the tubular structure.

All rods must oval (or change shape somewhat) as they are bent. And yes, the Graphite USA blanks do go oval when flexed. There is nothing wrong with that.

Stop a blank from going oval when flexed and it will break. (We've been through the specific experiment before but few will sacrifice the blanks to prove it to themselves.)

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