A re-work project...

I had purchased this rod off FleaBay awhile back - and it was damaged in shipping. The seller made it right. He refunded my purchase price - AND let me keep the rod. Two of the guides were bent, and the hoods on the seat were a bit mashed. The blank is fine, so it became a new project to pass the time - and a reason to get new toys.
I have cut the cork and seat off and prepped the aluminum extension for new grips...let the fun begin.
any tips, hint and general information would be welcomed!http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5290&stc=1http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5291&stc=1http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5292&stc=1

Cutting Grips, on a DIY lathe....So if you see some ole' fart fishing the pier with a beater rod with bright yeller split grips, stop by to say hello.

http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5298&stc=1http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5299&stc=1

Also sealed the sanded places on the blank with some Rustoleum Lacquer. They will be covered by the under wraps and I don't know if this was necessary - but felt like a good idea.

The lathe is great. Variable speed?

That sanded area on the blank might have looked great natural, if stripped the whole blank, wrapped guides and flex coated
Did the blank have a manufactorer sticker on it?

Bo - yes variable speed w/ trigger lock. The sanding blocks are 80 and 30 grit coarse. I had planned on having to smoothe with a 120/200 block but it was not necessary.Ironman...I would not even imaging the time it would take to strip and sand an entire blank. I may give it a go sometime in the future..but October is coming soon and I've got to get this rod ready. The markings on the rod are a Silver oval label that has Master Fishing Tackle Co. on it and a small circular label that says engineered design...something.There was also a grafic on the grip that said California, USA. I could find no information about the company or the rod...It is well made - no junk and solid components.

They actually strip fairly quick.....I have grown to like a certain older blank.....I have a few ready to wrap and flex coat.....I dought they get done before a future trip.....I have enough to fish with as it is
This 2nd part time job is taking up a lot of time,hunting season is coming soon.....I have plenty of excuses :D

Glad to say the "outside" grunt work is done. It is still hot as crap and I will be glad to return to the man cave and some air conditioning! I have stripped 3 rods, an 8'6 Okuma, 7' Penn (ugly stick blank) and this 8'0 beater. I'll set the seats and re-grip tomorrow night - and start wrapping this weekend. It's my first time laying thread - so there may be a few re-do's before I get the hang of it.

I am learning too.....good luck, it will be nice catching fish with something you built yourself

Update on tonight's work:
Building up the seat
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5311&stc=1

Grips and cross cord wrap
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5312&stc=1
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5313&stc=1

Grips are done - actually did all three rods tonight. The wife is out working her second job to pay for our trip so I had some free time tonight.
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5314&stc=1

Finally getting to the fun stuff..my first wraps. It's a Yellow/Black Tiger thread under wrap and black on the guides. It's a bit more tedious than I expected - but I'm getting the hang of it.

http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5332&stc=1

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scbasser

Finally getting to the fun stuff..my first wraps. It's a Yellow/Black Tiger thread under wrap and black on the guides. It's a bit more tedious than I expected - but I'm getting the hang of it.

http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5332&stc=1

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Looking good

Thanks Ironman - I appreciate the encouragement. I picked up two more today - for $4! Neither have any markings left, But one of the has a blue blank and I think it's an old Conolon, 7'6". The reel seats are good on both rods but both will need new cork and the blue one will require new guides. The other is an old 8' surf rod and has unusual line guides. The supports for the guides are split and are wrapped to the side of the blank. I have never seen this and if any one has info on manufacturer, I would like to know.
either way- they will keep me busy most of the winter while I pine away the days waiting on my spring trip to GS.

This "hobbie" is like plumbing...you NEVER have what you need to finish a job. except I can't run to Home Depot and pick up a few more fittings. I was short one 40mm guide and needed to order larger hook keepers..so 3$ for parts and $8.75 shipping...so I wait.

Any other supply beside Mud Hole worth trying?

I try to stay away from mudhole as much as possible. I order most of my stuff through getbitoutdoors.com, rodroom.com and acidrod.com. Theres plenty of other places out there. I order all my marbling pigments and building supplies through voodoorods now. I try to support smaller shops with more of a family feel.

Thanks BigBoy_ I too prefer smaller shops. I'm just getting started and Mudhole was like Wally World - they got it all.
I have the other links saved for future orders and will source them first.
Are there any local supply shops near Gulf Shores? I would love to go shopping while I'm down next month.

Rodroom is just west of J&M, take Lindsey lane off of canal road.
the ladies that work there are great about helping you pick out what you need

+ 1 on Mr flats recommendation I visit the rodroom on every trip. Those ladies are good at their job they will take time with us uninformed to make sure we get what we need.

Theres nothing wrong with mudhole. Just get much better customer service from the others in my experiences. Once you get building a little more you'll find that a lot of there stuff is pretty generic. All the places I mentioned have there place. Acidrod has some amazingly easy to use and customizable abalone veneers. Voodoo has hard to find thread colors, the best marbling pigment, special sauce and finish. Rodroom has certain blanks I need. Etc....

Just pulled my first rebuild off the drying rack tonight. It was an old 9ft Okuma surf rod that I used as my "learner". There are evident flaws that I learned from - how to count threads, how to seat the first wrap, how to set the loop to pull the tag end, how to bury a tag that was just a bit too long - and finally, how to move finish for an even coat. Big barreled surf rods take a lot more finish than I realized.
Under wraps seem to take FOREVER - but really only take a few minutes. You can move guides a LITTLE bit after wrapping - but get them as close as possible before wrapping. I am far more comfortable working left to right than right to left. Color maters..put some thought into the design BEFORE you start. If you don't like it - strip it and start over..it's just thread until the finish goes on!
I think I will enjoy this hobby, and look forward to learning fancy wraps and designs. But in the end - I like bringing old things back to life. I have stocked a few of blanks for the winter, but after I finish the feature rod on this thread, my efforts will be focused on the October trip. Time to put this hobby to work!
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5357&stc=1http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=5358&stc=1

Very nice, and good points of what you learned in the process of the build, a few I hadn't thought about.....thanks for that!!......perfect or fancy isn"t necessary for me......just functional

Nice job. This fall share a picture after you get it bloody.