building ice rods

[scmelik]

well, recieved all my supplies for building rods and started last night on wrapping my first guide. I'm using all minima guides with the butt guide being #10 spinning and the rest #6 fly guides. I was able to do the spinning guide but my lord the fly guides are challenge. Ha. NO clue how im going to wrap the tip guide on at this point. Trying to not give in and buy a tip top. Been doing a lot of reading on forums to get guys' ideas on making this easier. Most guides grind the guides it looks like which is what im going to be forced to do because i had a hell of a time getting that thread to jump up the guide feet. I was using masking tape to hold the guide down and that didnt work very well. Afraid i might try a small amount of hot glue? Anyway, I don't like to give up but this is going to take some patience I can see that. ha. Any advice getting the thread to jump up the foot without having to grind, etc would be helpful! Thanks

i grind the foot down quite a bit (so far it hasn't bit me in the but), then super glue them down and it seems to work pretty well.  As I work up the rod towards the tip top I bring my rod supports closer together and lighten up the tension on my thread.  No doubt its a pain especially when you get to trying to wrap noodle rods…YIKES! 

[SINX53]

You are absolutely correct about wrapping the last couple of guides on a Noodle rod. PITA.

[scmelik]

You are absolutely correct about wrapping the last couple of guides on a Noodle rod. PITA.

i can wrap the first few in 15 or 20 minutes and the last few will take me like 2 hours to get done.  thank god most of the noodle rods I make are for me haha

[jwetovick]

do you guys use actual guide for the tip or do you use tip top guide? Im half tempted to call truths and use a tip top. Although i if i could get the glue to hold a regular guide down i could probably tackle that.....all this makes me appreciate how darn good my new Thorne Bros rod looks.

[scmelik]

i use a regular guide, I hate the "ice rod" tip tops, they are way to small, and the ones that I feel are big enough don't fit the blank real and leave a pretty big step to try and wrap up to make it look good so I said screw it a year ago and started using just a regular #6 guide.

[fish-kabob]

i don't grind my guides per say i file them with a hook sharpener made by timeco one side has a file the other a flat honing surface i file with the square edge a vee grove in the bottom of the foot file the top so smother to wind the thread up. as for the tip top some spring wire use to make light wore guides like that of a bobbin threader folded same way in a vee shape then just bend it down to form a tip top.

 i use to like building my own guides there was a site that sold the same stuff that  guides are made off for  building rods it was sold  at a bamboo rod building  web site type place .  i will see if i can dig it up?  but if you get some wire for building spinners at janns netcraft or Barlows tackle or even cabelas has some.  just got to form it to shape and tape it tight with some 1/8 inch tape and wrap it on..


  by the way are you using double foot or single foot guides?  any ways try wrapping the one foot of a double or a small portion of a single with 1/8 inch masking tape or small strips of masking tape. that was to hold them in place as you wrap. i always adjust the guides after i got done  but with noodle rod you going to break the blank in two if you do it that way lol's or you can use real loose wraps to do the above don't know  if you can?


don't forget once you get them warped you got to check for flat spots so the line going in and out does not get flat spot i take some line run it threw the guides and tie it off at the reel seat. then so it is like a i got a fish type of weight of the fish on the line type of weight and look at the sting threw the guides side ways some times those guide will get flat spots from none guide to the next .  you will need to adjust the guides or add more so there are no flat spot which means more re-wrapping of the guides.... lol's   

[jwetovick]

Was able to work more on my first build. after using a dremel tool i was able to shape up the guides and had zero issues now with the thread climing up the guide. i tried using hot glue instead of masking tape but i can't hold my hand steady enough and then the glue dried, etc. I was able to get all the guides on with masking tape. The tip was kind of a challenge but it seemed to turn out OK for the first time. I think I'm going to try and find some small rubber bands like for dental uses. That may be my best bet. i spend more time cutting small pieces of masking tape and taping those guides on then anything else. Next step will be the small decorative wrap in metallic green. Then the hook set, then epoxy, then handle. If you have any advice on my planned order let me know. im using a hollow carbon fiber handle from mudhole. like the looks of them over cork for now. thanks for all your guys' ideas/help so far.

[SINX53]

I am glad that I am not the only one that takes more time to tape on guides than to wrap them. Let me know how the rubber band idea works if you go that way.

[fish-kabob]

i score the masking tape with a exact-o knife to about a 1/8 inch length wise so i got two style of tape one is the one for making tape arbors for grips the other is for wrapping guides have a rag ready for when you epoxy the handle and dont ware good clothes most of all with five minute epoxy! if you need any more help just say some thing. on any thing...   

[Dog-duster]

Before I had done my guides after the handles were glued on but it was a pain to deal with wrapping the guides on the tip end so the next rod I build I'll glue the handle after I do the guides like your plan. I'm betting it'll be much easier.

[scmelik]

Before I had done my guides after the handles were glued on but it was a pain to deal with wrapping the guides on the tip end so the next rod I build I'll glue the handle after I do the guides like your plan. I'm betting it'll be much easier.

I have done it both ways and I personally don't think its any easier to do it before or after.  I always do it after because I generally put a decorative wrap of some type on the rod, and I think its easier to get a nice smooth seamless transition then to try and do the wrap and epoxy work after the handle is installed.  But that is the beauty of building your own rods there is no right or wrong way.

[jwetovick]

So, I have built two rods now and all i can say is "addicting". Always room for improvement but overall the second one i think turned out pretty nice for a rookie. Now all i can think about is building more rods. No clue who I will sell them to or what I will do with them all but will worry about that later. ha. My next project is going to be some marbling on the first rod that is complete. This will be my experimental rod. I will say though, the first one is the MHX Quiverstick 32in and that thing feels pretty darn good! I am a new believer in the little longer rods 30-34in.

[SINX53]

Post some pics when you get a chance.

[scmelik]

So, I have built two rods now and all i can say is "addicting". Always room for improvement but overall the second one i think turned out pretty nice for a rookie. Now all i can think about is building more rods. No clue who I will sell them to or what I will do with them all but will worry about that later. ha. My next project is going to be some marbling on the first rod that is complete. This will be my experimental rod. I will say though, the first one is the MHX Quiverstick 32in and that thing feels pretty darn good! I am a new believer in the little longer rods 30-34in.

just wait till you get into wraps and heaven forbid weaves.  You want to talk about addicting and completely aggravating at the same time start doing those.

just got 10 more blanks from sportsmens direct. Time to start building again.

[jwetovick]

just wait till you get into wraps and heaven forbid weaves.  You want to talk about addicting and completely aggravating at the same time start doing those.

just got 10 more blanks from sportsmens direct. Time to start building again.

yeah the wraps and the weaves look fun. I'm actually looking at painting the black carbon blank i have now with which krylon fusion paint. have read many reviews on rod building.org and other places about painting blanks with this paint. some good, some bad. any experience? if the paint really does hold up well then guess what? even more options as far as painting the blanks for people for a more customized rod. 
I'm trying to figure out if TB blanks are really that much better than sportsmens direct (for example) ? I'm thinking about buying a noodle blank from DH Custom and one from TB just to compare to the cheaper blanks. 

[scmelik]

yeah the wraps and the weaves look fun. I'm actually looking at painting the black carbon blank i have now with which krylon fusion paint. have read many reviews on rod building.org and other places about painting blanks with this paint. some good, some bad. any experience? if the paint really does hold up well then guess what? even more options as far as painting the blanks for people for a more customized rod. 
I'm trying to figure out if TB blanks are really that much better than sportsmens direct (for example) ? I'm thinking about buying a noodle blank from DH Custom and one from TB just to compare to the cheaper blanks. 

I have painted blanks before with krylon with very good success.

I have built and fished TB and they are very very nice and I will say (and I'm sure Ill catch hell for it) but I think they are well worth the money. The SD blanks are very nice and I love em but they only have one action and one speed. You can sand them down for a different action but there isn't much that I am aware of that you can do to change the speed on them. I am going to play with a few of the ones I have that I am going to play with and see if I can turn them into a power noodle style blank.

[jwetovick]

Thanks scmelik. Appreciate the info. How many coats of krylon did you use? I agree the TB blanks are probably worth the money. Heck i would only have about 45-50 bucks into one which isnt too bad. May just buy one or two to start with and also get a couple DH. Dustin is a nice dude so would like to give hime some business. Really looking forward to painting a blank with krylon and see how it holds up.

[fish-kabob]

 funny you guy brought up blanks? have you tried the old style white"schoolley" type rod blanks and warping them with guides? i find to soft of a rod you can't set the hook when needed? or is that me and just my lake lol's sleeping on the gun lol's even with the fish finder i still could not set the hook so i built a couple out of those white fiber glass blanks reason being you could use the spring bobber on them differently then other rods   out the end like another guide. you could jiggle it lightly and feel the subtle bites but when you have to catch one you could...  they work great for me now.


 any how sd blanks are just as good as the maker want them to be throne bro's are good blanks so are the sd blanks but look what cost more then figure out what better if you paying $50 for a throne bro's rod then $15 for a sd if the action are close enough. then every time you brake a sd rod you could replace it with 3 that for the price of the throne bros.  that's how you got  to look at it if the action are the same.. don't forget it cost about $10-$15 to ship them back and forth for warranty . just remember it's how you feel not how some one else does. if there close enough not to be able to tell then who cares... if that was the case i would go with the cheaper one. if there close in price then i would do some real comparison. 


but of course it depends on the type of guides the spine alignment etc etc     that make the rod a rod. like single foot guides versus double foot the double foot guides will stiffen up a rod were a single foot will soften the action a tad.. this is caused from extra guide wraps  and more epoxy on the rod blank but it all depends on the finished product truthfully. 

 by the way if planing on building on sd rod blanks to sell to sell to people,  buy them early they always run out of their blanks mid season. just a tip..  also see if you can find a smaller blank company like old Siever tiger eye blanks that company want out of business fairly quick cause they were real cheap blanks and there qc or quality control lacked.

[scmelik]

Thanks scmelik. Appreciate the info. How many coats of krylon did you use? I agree the TB blanks are probably worth the money. Heck i would only have about 45-50 bucks into one which isnt too bad. May just buy one or two to start with and also get a couple DH. Dustin is a nice dude so would like to give hime some business. Really looking forward to painting a blank with krylon and see how it holds up.

it depends on the color and how well you coated it the first time.  I have never had to use more than two coats.  I have been meaning to try DH blanks but haven't gotten around to it yet.

[Dr Huxtable]

I have painted blanks before with krylon with very good success.

I have built and fished TB and they are very very nice and I will say (and I'm sure Ill catch hell for it) but I think they are well worth the money. The SD blanks are very nice and I love em but they only have one action and one speed. You can sand them down for a different action but there isn't much that I am aware of that you can do to change the speed on them. I am going to play with a few of the ones I have that I am going to play with and see if I can turn them into a power noodle style blank.

Do you put any sort of clear coat after, or just the krylon?

I was surprised that SDI's extreme taper blanks actually have a heavier action than their ultralight carbon but the glass ones do seem very much like a power noodle to me.

[Dr Huxtable]

Before I had done my guides after the handles were glued on but it was a pain to deal with wrapping the guides on the tip end so the next rod I build I'll glue the handle after I do the guides like your plan. I'm betting it'll be much easier.

I find it easier to wrap without the handle.  Also lets me skip out an a rod dryer.  Without a handle I can just put the blank in a drill to dry it!

[jwetovick]

Painted my first rod today. 2 coats of krylon fusion white and then splatter painted with blue. Seemed to work out good. We shall see how it holds up. Love looks of a white rod as the wraps seem to "pop" a little more imo. A guy could really get creative with painting rods as long as the paint will hold up???

[fish-kabob]

could epoxy it from tip to butt? i use to use the rod finish on some of my handles that are made of wood like burls so they would hold up better. just a suggestion make sure you don t put it on felt after you epoxy it. you will have to turn it on the handle or reel seat  for support and the motor attached to the fighting butt? if you got a rod drying motor?    like said just suggestions..

[jwetovick]

on my third rod build now and went with white fusion and then mist with blue. Then I used metallic blue thread. Last i'm going to try a 5-6in section of metallic blue/white marbling on the butt end. see how it turns out. this build is on the MHX panfish M/L action cut to 32in.

the first rod i built was on a MHX quiverstick 32in and the more i mess with that thing the more i like it! going to try a couple DH noodles next.

[stpaulslouch]

on my third rod build now and went with white fusion and then mist with blue. Then I used metallic blue thread. Last i'm going to try a 5-6in section of metallic blue/white marbling on the butt end. see how it turns out. this build is on the MHX panfish M/L action cut to 32in.

the first rod i built was on a MHX quiverstick 32in and the more i mess with that thing the more i like it! going to try a couple DH noodles next.

Do you have any pictures?  I'm thinking of getting into this myself and always enjoy seeing other peoples creations.

[jwetovick]

i am an idiot and can't figure out how to attach pictures in a post. help? ha

[SINX53]

click on link for instructions. Can't wait to see the pics.

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=31022.0

[jwetovick]

bumping this topic from a couple months ago. Have now built about 9 rods using MHX, CRB, Sportsmans direct, and one DH Custom noodle. All have their pros and cons. I will say that DH Custom noodle is NICE!  I am going to order a TB quiverstick blank ($32.95, gulp) to compare directly with the MHX quiverstick. In the past couple months has anyone been able to better compare the MHX blanks with TB?? Just trying to decide if the TB are worth twice the money. By the way, this rod building is crazy addicting. Makes me want to try every blank available.

[SINX53]

Very Addicting, I am on rod #12 this year. 5 for myself and 7 for friends and family. This is what I have built so far. All using MHX Ice Blanks.

My Rods                                                Other Rods
30" Quiverstick                                      30" Quiverstick
27" Quiverstick                                      27" Quiverstick
18" Finesse                                           36" Panfish Sweetheart (2)
33" Panfish Sweetheart                        36" Panfish Queen
26" Power Noodle                                 28" Panfish King
                                                             26" Crappie Killer

[Stinkybaits]

I think that the majority of the customization that Throne Bros or any custom builder would do would be cutting the blank down to a size of the customer's request. I am assuming that Thorne Bros gets there blanks for lets say the Quiverstick all made at 36" and then just cuts them down to size.
 I just started building rods this May and I just finished rod number 8. I have been getting the MHX blanks from mudhole.com.  5 of the 6 blanks that MHX came out with last were based on Thorne Bros blanks the other one St Croix.
                                Thorne                MHX
24" Finesse              27.95                  14.99
26" Power Noodle    29.95                  10.99
32" Quiverstick         32.95                  16.99
36" Panfish SH         29.95                   16.99
36" Professional       50.95                   34.99

I can't tell you if one blank is better than the other since I do not have any Thorne Bros blanks but in researching I found the MHX were much more affordable. From working with these blanks, they all seem pretty nice. The true trial will be this winter when I hit the ice. These are the rods I made so far.
(2) 30" Quiversticks
(1) 27" Quiverstick
(2) 36" Panfish SH
(1) 26" Power Noodle
(1) 18" Finesse
(1) 36" Panfish Queen (MHX CIB-36UL)

I kept one of the 30" Quiversticks and the 18" Finesse, the others I gave to my fishing buddies/father in law for them to try out this winter. I am planning on making another 27" Quiverstick and a 33" Panfish SH.

Actually most  of your carbon or graphite blanks are made to order depending on what each of the bigger custom rod shops or big companies like st croix want.  Glass blanks however are a different story. Most custom guys will hand sand glass blanks down to whatever they need using a lathe. Better be the master before attempting such a feat. Probably one of the best guys if not the best at hand sanding is Adam Bricker guy is amazing at what he can do and nothing matches or even comes close to his Microliner. All of the finese noodle rods are made with glass blanks. More for sight fishing like a spring bobber vs feeling like carbon or graphite. Plenty of great blanks to pick from like TB or the rest mentioned in the threads.  Probably one of tge best threads for custom rod building is the NERBS great info and people like helping people.  Wealth of info.