[Matt Henderson]

I bought some blanks from New Zealand last year and never got started on them.  I then bought some cork rings a few months ago and they've been in the drawer of the fly tying desk for ages too.  However I made a start this weekend. Got as far as arranging the cork rings in the right order and reaming the rear grip to fit and then glueing them together last night. 



Poor photo but not too bad to say it was the crackberry...

Will update as I go.

Cheers

Matt 

[Hamish Young]

Be interesting to see that one finished Matt

H 

[Iain Goolager]

Be interesting to see that one finished Matt

I agree, I don't like gloss finishes 

Iain

[Irvine Ross]

I'm sure you will be very pleased with the finished rod. I have been using my one built on the same blank for the past year and it casts very nicely.

Good luck with the rest of the assembly.

Irvine

[Hamish Young]

I agree, I don't like gloss finishes 

Iain

Bloody hell Iain, you need to get out more   

H 

[Matt Henderson]

Iain is there no beginning to your comedy talents?   

Been busy the last few nights, learning a lot as usual.  One being that if you glue lots of cork rings on then clamp it and don't move it soon the whole things sticks to the blank!  Regular turning of the blank helps stop this happening and means you don't end up having to "break" the cork rings to get the cork off the blank.  A few more pics:

Glueing the rear grip together



I also realised that its best to recess the cork rings for the reel seat before you glue it to the grip.  I recessed the rear grip once it was glued together, careful use of a craft knife and some find sandpaper and it worked out fine. 

Recessed rear grip



And the whole thing dry fitted together. 



Thanks for the good wishes guys and hopefully it will turn out well. 

Looking for some thread, and guides now! 

Cheers

Matt 

[Matt Henderson]

So I've ordered my SiC stripper guides, snake guides, thread, epoxy, a few spare cork rings to make the front grip a touch longer and hopefully they will arrive on Monday.  

Got the lathe set up yesterday and was all set to go but ended up with A) the work on the phone because I was on call   and B) not being able to cut the threaded bar because my hack saws were either blunted by the bar or missing their blade!!  It's the drill lathe thing off of the axminster site.  I screwed it onto some MDF and then screwed a bit of 2x2 to the bottom of it and clamped it all in a black and decker work bench.  Simples.  I didn't fancy making my own lathe type set up.  

This afternoon got thing set up again and had a wee shotty at turning cork.  The threaded bar was cut down from a metre length and then I used a 3mm bit to drill a small depression for the tail stock (I think that's what its called) to sit in.  It appears to work quite well only thing is that the threaded bar turns on the tail stock rather than the tailstock rotating too.  Also at lower speeds there is a fair bit of vibration!  That and there's no emergency stop button, at one point it jumped the tail stock as the drill chuck had opened up and it looked like it was going to go horribly wrong but got the plug out of the extension lead!  Used sandpaper and files to shape my wee test piece.  Might try and get some dowel rod tomorrow and see how that is compared to the threaded bar which at 6mm is quite flexible.  

The lathe set up and waiting the threaded bar, note the as yet untouched test piece near the base of the lathe.  



The test peice was three rings of ruberised cork and I just made as strange a shape as possible to see how it all worked.   And this is what I came up with.





Might get a start on the rear grip tomorrow.

Cheers

Matt  

[Matt Henderson]

Turned the front and rear grip tonight whilst the wife was out.  I did make a drawing to plan from, but as I was going felt how it was in my hand and just took a bit more of here and there as I felt it needed it.  



Close up of the front grip



Needs a little bit of work to make it pefectly symetrical and also a a good rub down with very fine grit sandpaper to make it all nice and smooth, also might need to give it a little bit of filler.  I also ordered some graphite spacers the other day and have sanded them down and reamed them to fit the blank to fill out the space between the reel seat and the blank.  I've also got a roll of plasterers mesh tape to try as well if I don't think the graphite spacers will work.  

Just got to order the winding check now.  Remaining guides should arrive in the post tomorrow and then it will just be a wrapping fest over the next week.  

Cheers

Matt  

[Hamish Young]

Very aggressive shaping on the cork Matt - any particular reason

Looking good 

H 

[Matt Henderson]

Very aggressive shaping on the cork Matt - any particular reason

Looking good 

H 

mostly because it's what felt right in my hand?  I do need to smooth out a few bits to make them a little less like a coke bottle!  Still I like curvy things...

[Iain Goolager]

Needs a little bit of work to make it pefectly symetrical and also a a good rub down with very fine grit sandpaper

Gibbs Tool Market are doing a sale on 9" Grinders! 

I know you'll get it spot on Matt 

Iain

[Ben Dixon]

Looking good Matt

Ben

[Matt Henderson]

Over the last week I've smoothed out the handle, splined the blank and wrapped the rod guides and the ferrules. I borrowed an 8/9 line from a guy at work and took it for a cast tonight. So far so good. I just need to redo on ferrule wrap and then the highlight wraps to do. Photos to add tomorrow from the camera.

[Matt Henderson]

A taste of how it should look once finished



I'll stick the end bit of cork on after I've had a cast with the reel and line and see how it is for balance, I have a cunning plan for if it doesn't balance...

The front grip smoothed out a little



The end of the top section all wrapped up and ready for epoxying...



cheers

matt 

[Matt Henderson]

Right I'm a bit of a fussy bugger.  My 15ft rod is almost perfectly balanced when i'm fishing and I'm a little worried that the 13ft rod won't be the same.  I borrowed a reel and line off a mate and fished it for a day and the rod became tip heavy and my hand was knackered by the end of the day.  So I had a wee go through google and worked out how to install my own counterbalance system.  With the help of a set of calipers I measured the ID of the blank at the butt end.  Then nipped down to B&Q and picked up a long bolt with a philips pattern on the head and some nuts to go with it.  Then it was a case of grinding down the nut to fit.  



The ground down nut next to an original.  

And then inserting the ground down nut inside the blank and sticking it place with some araldite.  





Then it was a case of drilling a hole in the last peice of rubberised cork that I'd shaped for the end of the handle. Countersinking the inside of it to take an extra nut or lead foil if required.  





Simples!



In the meantime the top two sections are epoxied, the bottom two have had one coat and the handle has had one coat of sealant stuff.  

I'm off to see a man about a line......  

Cheers

Matt  

[Matt Henderson]

There were some questions about the aggressive handle shaping here are a few pics of how it works for me:

Lower hand



Upper hand



And finally the finished article:











What is known as a liars mark/honesty mark in the states, given that the River Don conservation code is that anything over 33" or 14lbs goes back then here is a wee visual reminder (I'm unlikely to ever need).



Specially for Iain



So it was a CTS Affinity DQ+ 13ft #8/9 4 piece.  Hopkins and Holloway hard chrome American pattern snakes, Fuji SiC lined stripping guides, Struble SS reel seat, a mixture of real, composite, burl and rubberised cork for the grip and a wee home made balance system.  Been good fun to build and I'm quite happy with it.  Might have a week off before I start on the next rod. 

Cheers

Matt 

[Sandy Nelson]

It looks really nice Matt

You have way more patience than i have, judging by the wraps
Some rather nice detail touches

Look forward to hearing how it casts

Sandy

[Irvine Ross]

Very smart looking rod Matt.

You have a lot more patience than me too. I hope you get as much pleasure fishing with it as you obviously did building it.

Irvine

[Iain Goolager]

Matt,
I'm at work so can't see your pictures - looking forward to seeing the Bad Boy this evening.

Yours Truly 

Iain

[Iain Goolager]

Hi Matt,

Can I give you my honest opinion - being a who has never built a rod.

1) I think some fancy calligraphic transfers would have been a cool touch - didn't Mike post some examples from 'the rod builder'.
2) Would it have been possible to test the rod with various counterweights before the rubberised end cap was glued on? then secure them inside the rubberised cork end cap prior to final glueing? or does the whole handle (cork) have to be glued as a unit? Did the whole bolt go into the handle? that's a bit of boltage! if so could it contact the blank if it were seriously flexed?
3)  That's some serious finish on the rod though Matster, like the 1,2 & 3 silver open wraps on the top three joints denoting which section it is - I think I'd manage to assemble the rod without those though  but it just shows your thought, skill & attention to detail.
4) like the Honesty Mark & it would be a nice touch on some trout rods @ say 12" & 20" for example.
5) Lose the fly retainer 

All in all I bet it's nice to fish with and you should be pleased.

All we need now is some water and a run of fish!

Well Done Mat

Iain

[Ben Dixon]

Nice Job Matt,

Whippings look sweet, I'm in agreement with Iain about the keeper ring, I hate those things.  Be interested in seeing how that handle on the bottom end feels when casting.  Personally I like quite a thin handle on a DH rod as it allows me to feel the blank more when casting but the picture of your hand wrapped around the lower end looks as if it may work quite well despite it looking like a butt plug.  Serious amount of work gone into that, looking forward to seeing it christend.

Cheers

Ben

[Iain Goolager]

despite it looking like a butt plug.  Serious amount of work gone into that, looking forward to seeing it christend.

Please don't invite me to that field test! 

Iain

[Matt Henderson]

Hi Matt,

Can I give you my honest opinion - being a who has never built a rod.

1) I think some fancy calligraphic transfers would have been a cool touch - didn't Mike post some examples from 'the rod builder'.
2) Would it have been possible to test the rod with various counterweights before the rubberised end cap was glued on? then secure them inside the rubberised cork end cap prior to final glueing? or does the whole handle (cork) have to be glued as a unit? Did the whole bolt go into the handle? that's a bit of boltage! if so could it contact the blank if it were seriously flexed?
3)  That's some serious finish on the rod though Matster, like the 1,2 & 3 silver open wraps on the top three joints denoting which section it is - I think I'd manage to assemble the rod without those though  but it just shows your thought, skill & attention to detail.
4) like the Honesty Mark & it would be a nice touch on some trout rods @ say 12" & 20" for example.
5) Lose the fly retainer 

All in all I bet it's nice to fish with and you should be pleased.

All we need now is some water and a run of fish!

Well Done Mat

Iain

Iain, 

You are entitled to your opinion and you raise a few wee points that I haven't explained very well. 
1.  I prefer to paint it on myself but if one was to go professional then the decals that Catman used on his last builds would definately be the way forward. 
2. The end cap isn't glued on.  It will unscrew to add more or less mass as is required.  And you're right 4" is probably longer than I need.  I plan to get a 2" bolt and trim it exactly to size.  The 4" bolt will be kept for the future for when I get one of those gucci reels you have for much cheapness when you're finished with it.  I plan to file off the threads and sand the end smooth too, I can't really see the last 4" of the butt section deflecting so much that it damages the blank but when it snaps I'll let you say I told you so. 
3. In my opinion if I'm going to make a custom rod then I want it to look like a custom or else I would have gone and got a mackenzie or century or some other toy. 
4. I plan to put an honesty mark on the next rod I make for the trout. 
5. This one may be my last!

Be interested in seeing how that handle on the bottom end feels when casting.  Personally I like quite a thin handle on a DH rod as it allows me to feel the blank more when casting but the picture of your hand wrapped around the lower end looks as if it may work quite well despite it looking like a butt plug.

I measured the handle on my Partridge and the max OD on the bottom grip is 33mm going down to 26mm, the "Butt plug" is 34mm going down to 21mm.  It just looks larger than it is. 

Oh and Irvine and Sandy the words "Sh*t f*ck B*gger w*nk" were heard quite a few times whilst doing the wraps.....

Cheers

Matt

[Iain Goolager]

Hi Mat,

Fair play.

you raise a few wee points that I haven't explained very well.

now you've explained yourself very well 

I can't really see the last 4" of the butt section deflecting so much that it damages the blank

give me a shot with a skagit and I'll see what I can do! 

What about a 9' 4wt TCX next?

Iain

[Matt Henderson]

10ft 5wt affinity MX next. Then I'll need to refill the piggy bank before my next rod building adventure. I keep hearing a voice wittering on with something about a new kitchen and bathroom......