The Art of Handcrafting Custom Game Calls > Handcrafting Other Items, Pens, Bowls, Forms
How to build a fishing rod tutorial
crookedneck:
Well here we go. :gitrdone:
First I'll start out by saying rod building can be as easy or difficult as you make it. Most people who play on this website will have a majority of the tools needed to complete a build. What you don't have you can improvise as you go. I'll give options as I progress.
I would like every one to understand that the methods that I will show during this tutorial are only my methods. Like call making there is always a different technique or method to do something. I have just found that through time my methods work for me. There are several rod building forums that are dedicated to rod building that have tutorials and instructions. Youtube is also another source of information. Some sites are friendly to newbies some are not. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will gladly share my thoughts and opinions.
The first thing you will need to figure out what type of rod you want to build. Spinning, casting, fly rod ect. Each type of rod will require different components for example the grip on a fly rod looks different than a grip on a spinning or casting rod. The method of building each type of rod is the same. It is only the components that are different.
There are numerous different places to buy rod building components. Below are a few that I have personally worked with and had excellent customer service from all. There are other places out there too.
www.jannsnetcraft.com
www.midwestrodandreel.com
www.mudhole.com
www.swamplandtackle.com
www.utmostenterprises.com
www.cabelas.com
www.batsonenterprises.com
For this tutorial I am going to be building a 6'6" spinning rod. As I build it will update with pictures and instructions.
The components I am going to be using for this build are a Mudhole MXH-MB782 6'6" blank. I am using American tackle spinning guides and tip top. The reel seat I am using a Pac Bay Minima reel seat. The grips I am turning out of Spalted Hackberry that I got from Dbroswoods.
crookedneck:
The first thing I do when I recieve a blank in the mail is to unpackage it and inspect it. The graphite used in todays modern fishing rods is extremely sensative, yet it can be damaged fairly easily. I go over the blank and inspect it visually and with my hands making sure that there are no scratches, cuts or knicks in the blank. After I do a visual inspection I bend and flex the blank. To make sure that there is no damage to the blank.
In the case of this build I am using a 6'6" one piece blank. Most rod building suppliers ship blanks in PVC pipe or cardboard tubes.
Has any one here ever experienced problems with shipping calls and them getting damaged or lost in shipping? Now try that with a 6 or 7 foot tube. :censored:
If you are building a multi piece rod it is still important to inspect the blank as there can be flaws. I have only had 2 blanks that were defective upon reciept out of hundreds. In both cases the defects were found on inpsection, the supplier was called and the blanks were replaced. So it is important that this inspection happens shortly after recieving the blank. If you recieve a blank and wait several months to inspect or build it makes it harder to do a return. Warranties on rod blanks vary upon the different manufacturers. Some have 100% unconditional warranty some have a limited warranty some have none. Prices usually reflect the quality of the blank and the warranty extended.
After inspecting the blank you can start the building process. The first thing I usually do is to decided what type of handle I am going to be turning and installing on the rod. Different types of rods can have different types of grips or handles. Grip material varies depending on the type of build. The most common type of grip material is probably cork. Then EVA or foam. Wood and some newer composite materials are also being used. I recently saw a company that is making fishing rod grips that look like golf club handles.
Grips can be made or they can be bought pre formed. When glueing cork rings and wood for my grips I usually use Titebond II. Grips can be as simple or elaborate as you can get. Alot of wood used for turning calls can be used for fishing rods 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" stock is usually what I use when I do wood grips. Alot of the finishing steps used on calls can be used on rod grips also.
Example of different types of rod grip materials
Standard spinning rod grip made our of wood
Cork split grip on spinning rods
Wooden fly rod grips
And the holy grail of custom rod building grips belongs to a friend of mine by the name of Mark Blabaum from Mineral Point, Wisconsin.
His inlays are perfect. One of my favorite grips is the one pictured below 2nd from the right.
crookedneck:
After deciding what grip material to use I measure the butt of the fishing rod to determine what diameter it is and what to drill my rod grips to. Most cork rings come with a 1/4" pre-drilled hole. I will usually glue my cork rings then drill then after glue up. My wood grips I will usually drill after rounding out the grip with a roughing gouge. When shaping cork I usually use just sand paper to do my shaping. Dry wall sanding mesh works really good for rough shaping of cork grips. Then as you get down to the final shape you would graduate through the different grits of sand paper like you would with a a call.
crookedneck:
After measuring the butt of the rod, I turned the grip for this rod. Being as every one here is pretty handy at turning I did not document how I turned the grips. The thing to remember about grips on a fishing rod is that the rod tapers. For this build I am doing a split grip. So the grip is a multiple piece grip. Due to the taper I drilled the butt of the rod using a 1/2" bit and the grip portion I drilled at 7/16" This was to make sure the fit was closer.
Different grip materials can be fit and prepared in different methods. If using cork a hand reamer is used to make sure a good fit is made between the rod blank and the cork. EVA or foam will stretch so, sizing isn't critical. When using wood you want to ensure you are a little oversized but, as close to the blank size as you can get. You do not want a forced fit while using wood as it may crush or damage the rod blank. I will show you how to make shim the rod blank to get a close fit.
To mount a grip the tools I use are a tape measure to mark out where I want the grip set.
Masking tape. I use 1/4" wide masking tape. This can be found at any rod building component supplier.
The Grip or grip pieces.
Any trim or winding checks (can be rubber, metal, wood) In this case I am using aluminum winding checks. These must be sized to fit properly. Small black circle in the picture below.
Paper towel
Aluminum Foil (I just use this to mix my epoxy on)
Denatured Alcohol (used to clean up any excess epoxy, you need to be careful not to use anything more powerful as it may damage the rod blank)
Epoxy (I use a product called Rod bond, it is a rod builders gel epoxy. It can me mixed in small amounts, it is waterproof and is flexible, I also use this when I epoxy my call bands on)
Spatulas for mixing
Sand paper
crookedneck:
Prior to mounting the grips I take the blank and find the straigtest axis. Not all rod blanks are perfectly straight. I always build on the straigtest axis. Other builders find what is called the spline or spine of the rod. Here I have the top of the rod marked with a "T" to ensure I get the right orientation. If the rod has a slight bend I always make sure the bend points up. After adding guides it will straighten the rod out.
Here is a video to show how to find the spline.
To mount the grips use the sandpaper to lightly scuff the blank in the area that the grip is going to be mounted. This ensures that a good bond is created with the epoxy.
After a light scuff I test fit the grip, I drilled the butt grip to .500 but my intial measurement was .470. To make up that space I use the masking tape to make a shim or arbor. Here a couple wraps of the tape bring the blank upto .500. I like to use the 1/4" tape as I can allow gaps for epoxy to fill. If there is a large gap, another method is to use drywall mesh tape. There are also different types of arbors that can be purchased.
After ensuring the fit is good, I mix two equal parts of gel epoxy using the spatulas and the foil to mix. After the epoxy is mixed I then lather the epoxy on the portion of the blank that is to be glued. I also putt some epoxy on the inside of the butt section and then fit the two pieces together. If using arbors it is important to make sure, that the tape or other arbors are totally encapsulated in epoxy to make them water proof.
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