Ive been wanting to build a rod for a while now and today i found a blank and its being orderd for me. Im getting a Lammi Tri Flex csb 120 -2m. im going all out on this, i spent 2 hours in the store looking at rod blanks, built rods, and everything till i found what i wanted. i picked out this lammi from the factory built model. i cant wait to build it myself. my own rod, my own plugs, what else can i do?
i cant wait to get it and start building. if i need to know anything ill just ask you guys. any tips before i get started?

Just wrapped my first as well. The only advice I can give is patience. My teacher said "You'll have this rod a lot of years, so it pays to take your time and do it right."

Good Luck!!!

Good Luck with your first rod Christian. fishpart gave you the answere. No matter how long it takes to build it perfect , its still a short time compared to how long you'll have it. Take your time and do it perfect even if it takes what seems to be forever.

should have been orderd by the shop today. i cant wait for it to come.

got a call the blank came in. going to pick it up this weekend

Hey Christian, I just started building my second rod today too!
Good luck w/ yours, its lots of fun.

got the blank today and everything. sitting right by the computer now, cant wait to start building. :D

Don't rush is good advice, take your time, think each step out, make notes and follow the step by step advice given by others.

i read like 800pages on the net last week to get ready for this thing, tommorow checking the library for more. i splined it tonight with my dad. and gonig to practice wrapping on a dowel first.

ok about wrapping the ferrel. which way should i wrap, towards the tip, or towards the end of the ferrel? i think that makes sence.

Saltheart taught me you start winding at the smallest diameter and work up-hill.

My thoughts are, your wraps are always slipping downhill packing tightly against the last wrap rather than running down hill ahead of the last wrap.

ok, i dont understand what you mean by up hill. so heer is some pics of what i mean.
do i start the ferrel wrap here, at the end and work my way toward the tip? or....

or here...........and work toward the end of the ferrel.

Christian, start your wrap at the point in your second picture. You want to go from the smaller diameter to the larger. On all your wraps start closest to the tip and work toward the butt.

Hope I make sense this time..................

it makes sense, i wrapped it perfectly last night. coated it with CP and then the thread turned black. i was wicked mad, i need new thread. im so angry right now.:af: :af:

Christian,

What color thread were you using and is it nylon?

The reaon I ask is that I am getting ready to preserve mine soon. I wanted to use all NCP but I could not get navy blue NCP. So, my underwrap is a light purple NCP, and the over is nylon navy. I will also have some metallic gold accents in the butt wrap.

Good luck and post some pics of the rod when you get a chance.

l8r,
Rob

Christian - make use of that camera next time, and post the pic of the bleeding thread wrap.

i was using a varigated (spelling?) nylon in a dark green.
i was going to take a pic of the thread, but i took it off yesterday, looking at it made me angry.

i just ordered some NCP last night. should be here in a few days.

heres an update on my progress. tonight i worked on fitting the reel seat, and putting on my cork tape, but cap just sitting there too. comming out real nice. waiting for my thread too.:yawn:

Christian.......not butting in here, a little hint, when fitting your reel seat on , 1. sand the blank where the seat is going , the glue will bite better that way. 2 try useing 3/8 masking tape with 1/4 gaps between the rows of tape, you'll get more glue on this way.3. at the top of the reel seat mark the blank and put the last row of tape just beyond that mark so once the seat goes on an the glue is dry you can cut it off flush, that way when the cork tape gos on there will be no gap between the tape an seat for the thread to fall in.

I am fixing a reel seat rt now on a friends rod we built last year. We used the masking tape deal when we built it. Well this rod was for cod fishing and the clamp on the bottom of the 113 penn crushed the seat and it is Junk. We learned to do reel seats at MikeCC and this is the best way to do it. Will last a life time. 1. sand the area were the seat will go. 2 sand the inside of the reel seat it self 3 wrap the cork tape up from the butt to were the seat will rest If the seat is reel big you can build up here with masking tape. 4 build up the blank were the center of the reel seat will go using fiberglass sheet rock tape (looks like netting) slide the seat on and tape in place at the bottom so that the epoxy does not leak out. 5 Now stand rod on butt end and fill the top of seat with epoxy, you can heat the seat with hair dryer to keep the epoxy free flowing. as you fill the seat it will settle a little and you might have to refill a little to top it off. let sit over night and you set for life.
Macojoe

Hey macojoe,

This is un-realted but, I gotta' ask...

What are you doin' to the shark??? It don't look "natural" my friend! :eek:

Cheers,
Rob

wow thanks for the tips. ill be epoxying it down tonight.

another question,
how should i let the rod sit while the epoxy is setting? this is for the reel seat of course.
i think it will work anyway i do it just want to know if there is a special way.

Maco said it right, one thing to add is clean the inside of the seat and the blank w/isopropyl alcohol for good adhesion.
The fiberglass drywall tape w/epoxy poured in is the way to go, ask Specialist

Christian, stand the rod up & down until the epoxy sets.

Chris

If your putting on the finish coat on the threads you must have a spinner?

Like Chris said, Clean the blank with alcohol or acatone. and leave standing stright up over nite. Sorry I left those to steps out.
MacoJoe

cape, i said i was doing the reel seat not the wraps or guides. i do have a spinner.
up and down seems the way to go, i just wept clean all things to be glued with alchohol a few minutes ago, you didnt even have to tell me.
:D im epoxying in a few minutes.

what I said was after you glue up the seat put it in your spinner till the glue sets up. It's what I've been doing for 30 years. your not going to flip a 11' rod in your house, now I'm not saying your rod is that long but think about it.

Leave it standing for at least a few hours or your going to have a problem with it leaking out and what a mess you will have!! Also have some acatone or alcohol handy when pooring the epoxy in in case you spill some on the seat. You want to get it off quick

Macojoe

Christian - you work fast. Wanna come by my house and glue up some handle assemblies for me? I'll even let you do it for free. Come on, I'll even allow you to grind my guides for me. lol. You'll be done with this rod in a week the way you're ging at it. GOOD JOB!!!

drying.......
it came out pretty well. had to watch it while pushing it on because i put way too much epoxy on, had it wipe it away with a brush before it started to drip or got all over the place. its actually looking like a rod now. im definitly going to look inot making a rollerblade wheel rod wrapper or somthing similar.

capesams, i did the epoxy they way you said, just i trimmed off the tape before i glued. the tape extends probally 1/16" past the seat to stop thread falling in the gap between the grip as you said.
fore gripping tommorow after school.

heres some progress for ya. a close up of the still drying seat.

from a distance....

Love the slipers

looks like he already broke it,,,tips leanimg in the corner?

Christian. I been watching You and You seem to be a very Smart Young man that is going to be going places in life,
I bet Your Mom and Dad are very proud of You.
You are going to Be one hell of a fisherman.
seems like You are allready:)
BM

Yes, we are very proud of Christian. He is a great kid and a spectacular fisherman. Sometimes he completely amazes me with what he is willing to try and what he can accomplish. Now if only his geomerty grade was as good. Life would be perfect!!!

Repirts, AKA Christian's Dad

Thats one Hell Of a Kid You have there.
so when You buying Him a Boat:smash:

Christian keep up the good work. Your parents should be proud.

Hey BM, First I have to hit the lottery! He's in private school and his older brother is in college but IF the RIGHT BOAT came along at the RIGHT PRICE I might just find a way.

I would like to thank everyone on this site for the kind words and encouragement that he has received. All too often we concentrate on what is "wrong" with our teenagers. It speaks well of the fishing community and the especially the members of this board to be so gracious to Christian.

:btu:

Repirts you should pat yourself, and your wife on the back. Christian is first class all the way. I met him at the last MSBA meeting, good kid. I only hope that when my wife and I start having kids they are as well behaved, and ambitious.

chrissy, ya know that yellowing rod i have with the missing eye in my basement? well i ripper off the grip tape as far as i could (the horrible wrappings of whoever made it stopped me) but i got far enough to see that the blank is a Lammi. How do i take off all the stuff (several year old wraps) this idiot did to th blank or is it forever condemed? anyone help me out! Also what can i use to clean it?

your a funny guy, SO WHEN YOU BUYING HIM A BOAT!!:D

hech, dont sware, fix the post.

lighter and razor blades. come over today.

what are you talking about? is horrible a swear? haha, yeah so ill come over tonite cuz i have the fembot today and shes gonan drain my wallet, but also gonna get me sumthign for my brithday...abu abu abu abu. i wanan get a cardinal combo, on of the little ones for large mouth and schoolies...my other shoolie rod has toally had it i think...it sounds very sick

another question,
i want to wrap my cork tape down to the blank so ill be wrapping over the cork then onto the blank. how do i make up for the step from the blank to the cork tape to make it less noticable and smooth? hope that makes sense.
i was think of makiing a ramp of epoxy, or masking tape with epoxy, or shrink wrap, ,or build up thread on the blank, what do you guys think?

Feather the corktape down with a file or sandpaper.

ahh, ok. ill do that thanks.

I do beleive I posted a how to with pics for doing that on the rod forum,, do a search.

capesams, i couldnt find the thread.
i did find something after i googled the idea and i used it, came out pretty good. a few uneven parts right where the cork tape tapers and gets thin, but it'll be covered with thread and epoxy anyways. its a nice smooth transition.
my thread (as in nylon, not the board thing) should be here tommorow.

maybe john can find it, I know its in here some where:confused:

I found it....
go to ,,main forum/striper talk
search under,,,OH...JOHNNY BOY..
its all there in color..

got my thread today and had some fun. St. Patric's day is comming up so why not.
got irish?

that last pic was just for fun, i decided to just do it in green.
another question, is it safe to do a stress test with the rod without epoxying the rod ferrul?