Just Completed

[GonetoSeed]

This rod was built for my daughter's school silent auction, so the colors. The blank is a Forecast 7'9' 3wt with the original finish removed and Helmsman Spar applied. Sorry for the photography. Can't seem to get the macro to work.

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/uploads/8056/mairst_rod_10.jpg

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/uploads/8056/marist_rod_8.jpg

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/uploads/8056/marist_rod_6.jpg

[Chuck Morris]

Lookin' gooooood! Nice touch with the feather inlay.

Chuck

[The Ole Man]

How did you remove the original finish? Did you sand or strip ? How well does the Helmsman spar hold up ? Do you wipe on? I've seen some posts on rodbuilding.org where they refinished the blank with Permagloss. Any info on Permagloss vs Helmsman Spar? I've built two Forecast--but I have two more blanks in the closet. A new look might be good vs the blue/teal they come in. Hook & Hackle has Forecast blanks for 33% off right now--almost giving them away.

[Josh Barnett]

That's a very nice looking rod. Is there a wood ring in the grip, or is it all cork?

I like the way the grip and reel seet "flow" into each other. Very creative.

So... I have a question. How do you put the "feather inlay" onto the blank?

I don't build rods yet, but am interested in getting started. I believe I may work with a fellow fly angler here on the BB on making my first rod.

Joshua Barnett

[GonetoSeed]

T.O.M. - I scraped it off with an industrial type single edge razor. I found a little plastic holder in the paint section of the local Ace Hardware. I held it perpendicular to the blank and carefully scraped the finish in long strokes. (It sort of peels of as a layer), being careful not to slice into the graphite fibers. I cleaned all the residue off with denatured alcohol. Then I prepped it by scuffing it with a gray Scotchbrite pad.

Permagloss is harder and clearer than spar. The problem I have with Permagloss is that it dries almost as fast as you apply it. It's a moisture curing urethane so in our humidity it has plenty to cure it. I think the Helmsman Spar is close to Permaglass in durability. It also has a slight amber color, but doesn't show it much on the gray blank, plus I used a matte version. I would not use it on a color that would show the yellow tint. A big advantage for me is you can get it in spray. I hang the blanks using some old blank pieces inserted into the ferrell and butt. Then I spray a dusting coat. When completely dry, I use X-fine rubbing compoud to smooth it out.

I use this same technique with Duplicolor automotive touch up paint if I want a color rather than clear matte. The only extra step is wet sanding with 2000 grit soaked in water that contains Dawn detergent. Here is another Forecast re-colored to GMC Canyon Red
http://www.fishingphotos.net/photopost/data/500/1093wtcropped-med.jpg

The wraps are Gudebrod Gunmetal with out CP so the red shows through. In the picture it makes them look purpleish. In sunlight they are grayish.

Josh - the grip is a combination of apple wood and burl cork, which is a cork composite. The finish is Casey's Tru-oil gunstock oil. This brings out the grain in the burl, making it look wood like.

In this case the feathers are laid on a thread wrap that has been color preserved using a color preserver. The reason for color preserving is that nylon thread will turn darker than the spool color and translucent under the wrap finish unless it has been treated with a color preserver of some type. I wanted to retain the opaque blue color to contrast with the feather color.

After the first coat of CP is dry, I apply another coat of highly dilluted CP. The purpose of this coat is to act like an adhesive that gently bonds the feather to the thread wrap (lots of builders use other techniques to achieve this). The feathers are layed down in this coat and fiddled with until they are in the shape you are trying (I stress trying) to achieve. Once this coat is dry, the two part finish is applied in multiple thin coats to achieve the depth you want.

If you get started building be forewarned it is addicting. I'm always willing to help out if you want to discuss aspects or techniques that have worked for me.

[Ivan]

Nice Job!

Did you hand turn the grip? If so what sort of rig are using?

Ivan

[GonetoSeed]

Thanks. I turn my grips and seats. I use a Jet Mini lathe with a 4 jaw chuck for boring, slicing inlays and shaping/finishing the grips and seats. I bore the rings to an ID just smaller than the smallest OD of the blank taper. Glue the parts together with Rod Bond and clamp them using an appropriate sized piece of all-thread with washers and wingnuts. When dry I transfer them to an appropriate sized mandrel that I got from Andy Dear at Lamar Reel Seats. These mandrels are drill stock and have been machined to fit on the live center in the tailstock of a wood lathe.
(http://www.lamarreelseats.com/). I shape, sand and finish on the lathe. Then ream to fit the taper of the blank.

btw, Andy is a great source for wood for seats and grip inlays. He also just started carrying burnt cork. Dale Clemens for one discusses the use of burnt cork in grips, but it has not been available for a number of years. I haven't used Andy's yet, but will try it on a future project. He has also just started selling an instructional DVD on how to turn and finish seats. Many of the same basic ideas can be used for cork and/or wood grips (I do not have a business relationship with Andy, just a satisfied customer).

[mmarkey]

Nice job man. Really like the feather fish.

[GUTHOOKED]

T.O.M. - I scraped it off with an industrial type single edge razor.
You got bigger cojones than me. ;) I've stripped a few just using Scotchbrite pads, and a few using wet sandpaper, starting out with 400 grit and working down to 1000. Both methods seemed to work out alright, you just have to be careful not to get into the graphite itself.

Nice looking rod, GTS. I really like the grip/seat design.

[GonetoSeed]

iIm not sure about how big, but I do know there is shrinkage proportional to the price of the blank.

[GUTHOOKED]

LMAO. :D