Hey everyone, I have read on here about people making their own arbor bits. I need to make one in a size that flexcoat doesn’t offer for fly rods I build. I assume the arbor portion is an aluminum sleeve that is 1/4” round. How would I arbor the point on a spade bit to stay center in the sleeve? Also would anyone be willing to make one for me who has done so already if I paid? Thanks!
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Anyone have a good contact that can provide clarity on some of the nuances around the Federal Excise Tax, specifically when it comes to transforming parts which have already been imported and FET paid, but then transformed & sold to other rod builders.... I've set now for like 2 hours on hold with the IRS waiting to get through on their FET line to only get the call returned to the top
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Just wanted to share my recent experience with everyone. This is not a rod building post, but does concern components. I have had two separate St Croix factory rods lose ceramic inserts in the past several months. The first, mojo inshore, lost the tip top insert sending a $15 x-rap into the ocean. The second, one of their Premium rods, experienced a cracked tip top and lost the insert on the s
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So we are re-setting up the shop and looking at new ways to do things. What do you guys use for dust collection on reaming cork grips? Some of these are 15"-16" long musky grips. Am considering going to a pair of shop vacs properly set in place of the larger dust collector, as it's needing some money put into it, and it's so big and bulky. We build quite a few rods, so a nice set
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I have been using a wet tile saw for cutting rod blanks with a diamond blade and it works great! But I'm in the market for a new, smaller one that fits the shop better. I'm wondering if the type that just has a water tray below the blade that the blade runs through controls dust well enough, or if I need to stay with one with a flood water pump?
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Some of you know, some don't - HYDRA has kind of taken a backseat to ALX Rods over the past few years. Today, we launched a brand new website with new products and better shipping rates! We'll continue expanding this over the next few months. Our OS and NG series rod blanks are incredible. Our NG stock is light because of the large demand for finished rods and we are working to increase th
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Hydra Fishing, LLC/ALX Rods is currently looking for an individual to do warranty repair work in the Greenville, SC area. The vast majority of referred work will be guide repair on a very occasional basis. We have a very large customer base in this area and would like to offer a go to person for any customers looking to repair damaged guides, tips, etc. If you are interested, please send
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Many people here know Bill Stevens and many of the newer guys from the last couple of years probably never heard of him. He was a regular contributor here for many years and was a major proponent of the use of microguides. I just got news that Bill passed away at 3:15 today after a brief illness. He was one of the most knowledgeable person I knew in this craft. He got out of building about thre
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Can someone tell me which brands of blanks are made in the USA. I'll see you all at the rod show....... counting the days!
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Has anyone ordered from Johnnys Pond lately. Larry Wayne has messed up my order twice. I ordered a Pacbay channel lock 2 reel seat in black. He sent it in silver and it was not a channel lock 2 as ordered. Also he shorted me 3 titanium k guides size 10. We talked over the phone I told him the problem and he said it would be taken care of. Well a week later no parts. I made out a paypal complaint
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When I import a product that is subject to FET, I must pay the taxes due based on the first sale price. Am I subject to FET when the product is shipped outside the US? Thank you, Don
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Howdy All, Anyone build on one of these blanks or similar? I built my buddy one first customer rod per say. So he's crappie fishing gets snagged and pow!! Guess it broke in two places and the only thing that didn't go in the drink was handle to the stripper guide. Haven't seen what's left yet. First rod I ever put my name on. So very bummed out about it. Has anyone had any breaking issues
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I just wanted to post that A good friend of mine passed away earlier this week. Some of you may remember Bobby Feazel, he wrote an article for Rodmaker Magazine a few years ago detailing what he termed Electric Decals, a how to on making your own decals using an ink jet printer. He also spent the weekend in my booth the year the article came out demonstrating to everyone his techniques on making
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Hey all, Just wanted to see what kind of connections you guys are "needing to pass" out there... I am currently using 90% fluoro on all my rods. Thus, I do not need to pass any connections and so I plan on building most of my rods using "Pac Bay Minima 4" fly guides as "micro guides." However, when I go to the beach for the occasional in-shore trip, I will def
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Does anyone know the e-mail address of the Seeker company to contact them directly preventing the form from their website ? (I wrote them by web but they did not respond for days!) I purchased by Mud Hole four different Super Seeker blanks and all I got crooked, completely unusable! I do not understand how a company can afford so important a thing like this (I think an issue with their qualit
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Guys I have a perspective customer that I just can’t get to commit. He is a great friend and we have had discussions through the years but he is sold hook-line-and-sinker to Falcon Rods. I know I can out build them meaning quality, design, personalization etc. If I could just compare specs and get similar blanks. Does anyone know who manufactures their blanks? Can we get the same blanks? Gab
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Was wondering if anyone can explain to me what IM6,IM8,IM10, etc means in English. Also what the 43 Or 56 million modulus graphite means.
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I know Lamiglas, St. Croix, and North Fork. Are there any other domestic blank companies that make freshwater blanks?
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I would appreciate any comments on salt water capable hook keepers of the sizes compatible with inshore spinning rods/popping rods. My limited experience is that the high quality guides I buy are very corrosion resistant, but the keepers are not. Yes, I know about washing the rods. I have used high quality fly guides for keepers, and they work fine, but would like to know if anyone knows of ke
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Since, when one uses micro guides, the line is going to rub on the blank and or be under the rod when landing fish, why does one need to use any more than about one guide for every 18 inches? i.e. Why not go with about 6 guides on a 7 foot or 8 foot rod? When one goes with micros, one has already agreed to let the line rub the blank or be under a flexed blank, so why not just use even fe
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I want to paint some crankbaits and plan to use regular krylon enamel. But want to coat with them something clear, hard and waterproof. Not epoxy. What if any rod building products are out there that I can use for this. I would think Permagloss would be too hot and might melt the enamel. Janns has some plug coatings. Was wondering if you guys have used them and what you think of them. Thanks.
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I have a customer that wants me to build him a SC rod. What thread color thread is recommended?
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I recently bought the Mudhole carbon fiber grips. It is wrapped fiber around foam. The grips have no Perma gloss or finish over them. Should a coat be applied? Will the fiber fray if not? Thanks in advance.
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Rod blank American Tackle AXLB70H (30-50lb line test / 1 - 6oz lure); rear grip hypalon 10.5"; reel seat American Tackle 20 graphite/aluminum; fore grip triangular moose skin; 30mm ring lock guide @ 19.5" from spool face Thunnis 6000 CI4); American Tackle microwave guide @33" from spool face; supplied 6mm ring lock guide at 46" from spool face; 4 supplied ring lock micro gui
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Fuji’s stamped stainless steel and ceramic ring guide turns 40 this year. Developed in 1972, it was a paradigm shift for rod building. Ryuichi Omura, Fuji’s president and 8 time All-Japan casting champion and his son Rintaro, brought the guide to market in 1973 and transformed the labor intensive wire-brazed guide construction process into a high-speed metal stamping and shaping system. Wi
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I'm about to build myself a bigger wrapping bench and the top I was going to paint since it will be plywood. I know its mostly a matter of personal preference but I was wondering what the mostly likely best color would be to paint the top. Originally I was thinking white but now I'm wondering if that may cause problems with glare from the lighting overtop bouncing back and making it hard to see w
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I don’t know how many of you keep up with current trends in tackle. There is a new bait called “the Alabama rig” which until a couple of weeks ago has pretty much been an under the radar garage bait. But with the recent events on the FLW tour in which ALL the top 10 finishers used the same rig and the winner posting a102 lb four day total (20 bass). It has become the hottest must have
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Having a problem getting the butt grip to slide all the way down. The blank is 5/8 at the butt and about 9/16 at the top end of the butt grip the grip has a 1/2" hole. Even with the exoxy glue it wont slide never had this problem before. any tricks?
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I see that there are a VARIETY of ceramic rings. What exactly makes a ceramic ring SIC? And are all companies SIC essentially equally slick? For example Fuji advertises theirs as diamond polished etc. But are other companies' SIC rings essentially the same in performance? Thanks, Mo
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There is going to be a lot of fun for about 50 builders in Chicago, Ohio, and New England - there are 3 gatherings being held. I am really psyched about having the opportunity to meet some new builders, reunite with old friends, and to help make them a better builder. I will be up in Leominster Mass covering the following topics: - Epoxy tips and tricks - Hercules rods for Cape Cod Tuna – wil
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