my first
 

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.

need help with this one
 

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