Building your own fly rod questions

Is there an advantage or disadvantage to a 2-piece versus a 3 or 4
piece rod, other than the easier portability of a rod that can be
transported in a shorter case?

On Aug 15, 6:20 pm, mdk77 wrote:
Is there an advantage or disadvantage to a 2-piece versus a 3 or 4
piece rod, other than the easier portability of a rod that can be
transported in a shorter case?

Some folks say they can feel the difference that a non-flexing joint
can make. I can't, but I'm so old there are a lot of things I can't
feel. There is, however, that old saying that the more things there
are, the more things there are to go wrong -- slipping joints, splits,
scratches, dings, etc.
From my point of view. the only advantage is portability if you are
backpacking or like to carry a rod in the trunk of your MG.

cheers

oz, who once found a spindled sheet of some kind of tech data inside a
rod blank bought from Herters

"mdk77" wrote in message
ups.com...
I ran across this on the internet and wondered what the advantages and
disadvantages are to building your own fly rod. Is this something the
average fisherman should stay away from (too difficult)? Anyone here
fish rods they built themselves? What are some recommended resources
for this (books, web sites etc.).

It's really not that hard. Technically, if you can glue the tip top on
there and you get a good blank, the rod will cast well. The rest is gravy.

"mdk77" wrote in message
ups.com...

Mike those are both wonderful links. Thank you VERY much for your
help, and thanks to everyone else who responded on this. This is a
really nice newsgroup for newbies like me. I think I understand the
downside and risks to building a fly rod. If I would try something
like this it would mostly be for the satisfaction of it and not to
save money. One of the previous posters mentioned that you don't get
a warranty this way, and that IS a good argument for NOT building your
own rod.

I don't actually agree with that. I think you pay a lot for that
replacement warranty, and building your own is a significant saving, IMO,
assuming you don't buy exotic components.

"mdk77" wrote in message
oups.com...
Is there an advantage or disadvantage to a 2-piece versus a 3 or 4
piece rod, other than the easier portability of a rod that can be
transported in a shorter case?

I've always gone for 2 piece because they supposedly cast better. As soon
as I casted a couple where I couldn't tell the difference, I decided my next
rod will be a 4 piece that is easily transportable carry-on on a plane, and
easily packable in a backpack.

On Aug 16, 1:20 am, mdk77 wrote:
Is there an advantage or disadvantage to a 2-piece versus a 3 or 4
piece rod, other than the easier portability of a rod that can be
transported in a shorter case?

At one time, multi piece rods were very problematic indeed, as the
ferrules caused flat spots and other problems, so most people
preferred two piece rods, but with good multi piece blanks, you wont
be able to tell the difference now. I prefer two or three piece rods
for most things. But I have cast four and five piece rods which were
very good.

The main reason for making a rod in several pieces is ease of
transport, If you don´t need very small sections, as when placing rods
in airline luggage etc, then there is not much point in using them.
The more joints you have, the more there is to go wrong.

--
Regards and tight lines!

Mike Connor

http://www.mike-connor.homepage.t-online.de/

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/Flycorner?hl=en

PS

Two piece rods are usually cheaper than multi piece rods, as they are
cheaper to produce. Each ferrule adds to the cost of a blank. But it
might be quite hard to find some two piece blanks in certain
configurations now, because the multi-piece rods have become so
popular.

--
Regards and tight lines!

Mike Connor

http://www.mike-connor.homepage.t-online.de/

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/Flycorner?hl=en

Mike;92561 Wrote:
Also by the way, it´s not gold, it´s Silicon nitride usually coated
with Titanium nitride

'Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) - An Overview' (http://tinyurl.com/2rvzqe)

'Titanium nitride - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia'
(http://tinyurl.com/393dsu)

It doesn´t lubricate anything, but is extremely hard and has a low co-
efficient of friction.

TL
MC
Sorry, you're right, of course. Titanium by it's nature has a surface
structure which is difficult to polish to a super slick finish (i've
tried, not on guides, but larger things). The link I had found the gold
colored guides was 'Rod Building Supply Components Fishing Rod Blanks
Rod Guides Reel Seats Cork Rod Wrapping Threads'
(http://tinyurl.com/2ods9a) .Their claim was titanium nitride with a
gold plating.


--
stumpy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
stumpy's Profile: http://www.njflyfishing.com/vBulleti...hp?userid=1915
View this thread: http://www.njflyfishing.com/vBulleti...ad.php?t=12220


----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

stumpy wrote:
Mike;92561 Wrote:
Also by the way, it´s not gold, it´s Silicon nitride usually coated
with Titanium nitride

'Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) - An Overview' (http://tinyurl.com/2rvzqe)

'Titanium nitride - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia'
(http://tinyurl.com/393dsu)

It doesn´t lubricate anything, but is extremely hard and has a low co-
efficient of friction.

TL
MC
Sorry, you're right, of course. Titanium by it's nature has a surface
structure which is difficult to polish to a super slick finish (i've
tried, not on guides, but larger things). The link I had found the gold
colored guides was 'Rod Building Supply Components Fishing Rod Blanks
Rod Guides Reel Seats Cork Rod Wrapping Threads'
(http://tinyurl.com/2ods9a) .Their claim was titanium nitride with a
gold plating.


No problem at all. I have also seen some claims to that effect, but it
´s nonsense, Gold is too soft to use as a coating on rod rings, or
indeed any wearing surface. I have seen various gold plated fittings
on a few reels and rod seats, and of course Gold will not corrode at
all, but I suppose it is expensive, and not very hard wearing even on
such surfaces as reel seats etc. Pure Titanium is usually only used
for the bridge and outer ring. The inserts are TiN. Some rings are
also offered in S4 Stainless steel.

The Gold cermets from Fuji, and some of the rings and fittings from
other manufacturers have no gold in or on them, the colour is due to
the Titanium nitride coating.

The inserts are all diamond polished, there is no other way to do it.

The cermets are very expensive, but extremely hard wearing. I have two
rods with them, which have seen hard use, and the rings are just as
good as new. I don´t expect to have to change those rings in my
lifetime.

I have had some "hardloy" snakes, and a few other single rings which
grooved up in less than a season. These grooves also ruin a fly-line
very very quickly. Something to consider when building a rod. It is
a real nuisance if rings groove up. They have to be changed of course.

That incidentally, is the main reason why I don´t use epoxy on my ring
whippings, the other reason is I don´t like high gloss or "flashy!"
finishes on any of my rods. It scares fish. I just use a good matt
spar varnish on the whippings. The blanks don´t normally require any
extra finish.

A couple of guys I know used steel wool on their brand new Sages to
stop them "flashing" so badly. There is no need to do this, if you
have a glossy rod, you can use a thin coat of matt varnish on it. I don
´t know whether it is true, but I heard form a couple of people that
this voids the warranty.

Most manufacturers offer glossy finished rods, another reason I would
normally reject such a rod. No point trying to be stealthy if the
flashes form your gear can be seen from miles away. I also use black
marker on some rings etc, to stop them flashing.

--
Regards and tight lines!

Mike Connor

http://www.mike-connor.homepage.t-online.de/

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/Flycorner?hl=en

mdk77 wrote:
I ran across this on the internet and wondered what the advantages and
disadvantages are to building your own fly rod.


If I can do it anybody can do it. I built a rod from a Sage Graphite II
two piece blank in 1988. A few years later I broke the tip trying to
dislodge a fly from a tree. (Hey, it was my last fly of that kind I had
and it was catching fish.) I sheepishly told Sage what I had done. They
said it was no problem, they would replace it. Because, by that time it
was an older blank, they had me send in the whole rod so that they could
match up a tip to it. They sent me back the rod with a new blank tip and
I just had to rebuild it.

Russell

Who's bookmark file exploded after reading through this thread. I'm
getting a hankering to build a new rod.