I'm putting my wish list to gether and wasn't sure what pitfalls lay ahead with winding checks. My butt diameter is .495 = 12.57mm and my options for ordering range from 12-12.5mm. I guess my question is with alumminum winding checks is it advisable to get one smaller in diameter then drill out the hole or buy bigger and epoxy in place?

any help will be much appreciated!

V/r
Richard Stradling
diverguy1979@yahoo.com

Richard,

Every rod blank has a little different taper and winding check size will be effected by the reel seat and/or grip placement. On Mudhole web site they have a link to winding check sizes every 2" along the blank for the MHX blanks. This might get you close. If I am not sure I will add a comment to my order for for the vendor to verify the size of the winding check with the reel seat placed at X" from the butt of the rod. Most all of the supplies will help you out in that regard. If they don't have a comments section available on their order form give them a call on the phone. I personally order about 5 sizes of winding checks for each size available to have in stock; which was an expensive investment and probably not an option. Try calling the distributor and discussing it with them.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Thank you kind Sir!

Always opt for the larger one, they are not the easiest to increase a bore on. Sometimes a short thread wrap is enough to make up the difference.

Ron Weber

What Ron Weber wrote. No good comes from forcing a too small check into place.

Try different weight thread to take up the space. If color is an issue (and when isn't it) wrap the thread back over itself if a single layer is not enough.

Just a word of warning, never drop a metal winding check down a blank, lower it slowly and under control, if it goes just a bit sideways and seizes on the blank it's a bear to remove and will leave a permanent mark/scratch on the blank.

Just a word of warning, never drop a metal winding check down a blank, lower it slowly and under control, if it goes just a bit sideways and seizes on the blank it's a bear to remove and will leave a permanent mark/scratch on the blank.

Just a word of warning, never drop a metal winding check down a blank, lower it slowly and under control, if it goes just a bit sideways and seizes on the blank it's a bear to remove and will leave a permanent mark/scratch on the blank.

Just a word of warning, never drop a metal winding check down a blank, lower it slowly and under control, if it goes just a bit sideways and seizes on the blank it's a bear to remove and will leave a permanent mark/scratch on the blank.

Just a word of warning, never drop a metal winding check down a blank, lower it slowly and under control, if it goes just a bit sideways and seizes on the blank it's a bear to remove and will leave a permanent mark/scratch on the blank.

Just so I'm clear, you're saying to never drop a metal winding check down a blank? ;)

Lololololol....just about @#$%& myself...thanks for the words of wisdom!

Mike,
Metal winding checks have sharp, square edges that will grab the blank like you won't believe just on their own weight, adding a bit of speed just multiplies the problem many fold.

As Don said, every rod blank has a different taper, and his advice of ordering different sizes of winding checks, as well as requesting assistance from the vendor, is definitely good advice. With that said, I use a process that has worked very well for guesstimating the diameter of a blank at a particular point along its length. At least its worked very well for blanks that appear to have a linear taper over their entire length.

I subtract the diameter of the tip, from the diameter of the butt. I then divide that number by the length of the blank, in inches. The result gives me a guesstimate as to what the taper per inch of blank length is. Once I determine that, it's a simple process to determine what the diameter of the blank is at a measured distance from the butt. I can't guarantee that you'll have the same results using the above process that I've had, but so far I've had the winding check end up fitting the blank no further than 3/8" from where I calculated it would fit.

I've used the same calculations for purchasing exposed blank reel seats as well. So far so good.

And finally, as Ron mentioned earlier, winding checks are not the easiest thing to increase the ID on. For the times that I've ordered a winding check that is slightly too small, (it's happened 2 out of 5 times) I've taken a short piece of 1/4" steel rod which I cut a 1" deep slot down its middle. I then cut about an 1 1/2" L x 1" W piece of plumbers emery cloth and insert it into the slit. Chuck it up in either a cordless or corded drill and ream the ID.

Since the winding check's proximity to where I want it to fit has been so close, it hasn't taken long to increase the ID the couple of thousandths of an inch needed for a proper fit. The bore is smooth and free of burs, and the cross hatch pattern inside promotes better adhesion.

Some words of warning. Depending on the type of winding check, reaming the ID can make the tapered leading edge, quite sharp. Simply run the tapered nose of the winding check over some 320 grit sandpaper, to knock the sharp edge down. Also, I've not used the above process on a two toned winding check as of yet, but if you'd need to dull the tapered edge of the winding check, my guess is that doing so would result in the nose of the check being a different color. Definitely something to consider.

And finally ...... don't hold the winding check with your finger tips when doing the reaming. It's not heat issue. It's a the emery cloth will sand down your finger tips very quickly, and painfully issue. The painfully thing is something I didn't notice until afterwards. lol

After doing the first one, I used a hand clamp with rubber jaws to hold the second one.

Addition: You'll also want to chamfer the ID of the non tapered end of the winding check, to knock off any sharp edge.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/2015 03:59AM by David Baylor.

If you know how long the butt grip will be and the seat you will put on Add the two and have the dealer measure from the butt Put a check there Better to add .5 to the size and put thread wrap under so as not to have it real tight on the blank

Bill - willierods.com

Richard, I would advise you to buy a aluminum windingcheck that is 1 mm wider and NEVER smaller than the blank (to drill it out, is a @#$%& of a job..). The change that your rod will snap, if is is to tight in a (to small) winding check is present.
Fill the gap, between the blank and the winding check with a (D size) winding tread (about 2 mm). After that, use winding epoxy to finish the job. That is the best solution, to stay at the save side.

If you could confirm the total combined length of the grip and the reel seat you could ask the blank vendor to mic the diameter of the blank that distance from the butt and proceed from there. I suspect there are several rod building suppliers who would provide this service.

Any on this site will As I said Simplest way

Bill - willierods.com

Bill: Missed your post. Didn't mean to steal your thunder. After reading about the hazards of close-tollerance metallic winding checks seizing up and scoring the finish I would certainly take some fine sandpaper and slightly bevel the inside edges before I slid the winding check down the blank.

No big deal Phil
I never had a check get stuck Guess there is always the first time Then with correct measuring and the added .5 in ID size it usually goes right down to the seat Maybe lucky

Bill - willierods.com