sneak peak of my rod build..

[WaffleJaw]

well i started the handle today....the blank Im using is a IM6 7' MH (no name)...it sucks cause they didnt take the finish all the way down....you can see in the pic where the shine stops about 8'' from the butt....so currently,Im waiting on the polyurthane i applied to finish drying so i can get the handle and seat mounted and ready for epoxy....the masking tape is marking where the reel seat will be approx......im going split grip on it for the ''look''
i took a 7'' handle and a 3'' handle......cut the 7'' in two..one for the fore-grip and then for the actually handle.....the 3'' will be the butt..(which i may cut a little shorter.....i clamped a drill down to use as a lathe to taper the handles using 150 grit sandpaper

so far everything is coming along nicely.....finding and marking the ''spine'' on the blank and building the handles is the easy part,lol.....this weekend will be all the tough,tedious stuff......Im going to use a metallic green to wrap the guides with....dont know about a trim color yet?

this is going to be my ''slimer'' rod!...ghostbuster's anyone?

hopefully it'll be done in the next week or so.....ill post more as it goes.

this is all i could get done at work today,hahahaha

its extremely fun,but it gets expensive fast

[Badfish]

Looking good looking good!

[BigBassin144]

Hey man, looking good, it's probably better to start off with already made handles than try to build your own. And most likely, they stopped the finish there because most would use a full handle on it.

As for a color with the green, metallic gold would look good, or a pale green, or white or a pearl white.

BB

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

Hey man, looking good, it's probably better to start off with already made handles than try to build your own. And most likely, they stopped the finish there because most would use a full handle on it.

As for a color with the green, metallic gold would look good, or a pale green, or white or a pearl white.

BB

thanks!
yea i look at the split grip kits.....but doing it this way saved me 10 bucks and allowed me to upgrade on the fuji guides...plus i enjoy the challenge i guess,lol....nothings more satisfying than having cork dust fly everywhere.

yea im thinking white on the trim........but the ''batman'' nerd inside me is screaming ''purple''...because of ''the joker''

i dont know,i might wrap both a little and make a decision then.

[BigBassin144]

I think green and purple would look amazing, especially a metallic purple!

I normally like opposite colors, but green and red is for Christmas, not a fishing rod, lol.

BB

http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/rod-wra...d/281602.aspx# (that purple would look sweet.

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

I think green and purple would look amazing, especially a metallic purple!

I normally like opposite colors, but green and red is for Christmas, not a fishing rod, lol.

BB

i think your right....i think it would look awesome!
ill have to order it cause know barlows didnt have many metallic colors in thier store.....

i was looking at mudhole.com today....they make custom decals you can order to put on the rods before you seal it.....might get one made for that extra ''touch''....why not,right......might have to get a ''wafflejaw'' decal for it,lol

[Bassboss]

Dang waffle! lookin good so far!

But I would forget about the for grip! it will make it lighter and more sensitive!

[WaffleJaw]

lol,thanks boss,the fore-grip is a must for me.....when i set the hook thats the first area i pull since i usually rest the butt in or around my belly button,ha!

[Bubba_Bruiser]

Can't wait to see the finish product Waf. Do you have little red circles and sore from fishing in the gut area after a good day of fishing like me. I tend to set the same way on long hook sets.

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by Bubba_Bruiser

Can't wait to see the finish product Waf. Do you have little red circles and sore from fishing in the gut area after a good day of fishing like me. I tend to set the same way on long hook sets.

not recently since i aint catching nothing,lol

but i know what you mean,...i think i took a layer of skin off once when i set the hook on a submerged log,hahaha.....the rubber stopper on the butt can rub ya raw!

[bassboogieman]

If I were building it, I'd leave the foregrip off. Most of your major brands as well as custom makers are doing that. I believe there is are good reasons for it. Weight reduction - every little bit helps. Exposed blank allows for direct finger contact ahead of the reel seat - best way to detect vibrations transmitted by the blank. It's the most "current" look of quality rods, and for what real purpose is there a foregrip anyway? But I'm not building it, just offering an opinion.

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by bassboogieman

If I were building it, I'd leave the foregrip off. Most of your major brands as well as custom makers are doing that. I believe there is are good reasons for it. Weight reduction - every little bit helps. Exposed blank allows for direct finger contact ahead of the reel seat - best way to detect vibrations transmitted by the blank. It's the most "current" look of quality rods, and for what real purpose is there a foregrip anyway? But I'm not building it, just offering an opinion.

bassboogie,as i stated above...the foregrip is where i grab to set the hook....i palm my BC and fan my fingers underneath that area ready to pull....the reel seat has the exposed area to feel the blank.so i have that option when i change my grip
once the i get back to it tomorrow and get the handles and seat in place on the rod,i have a better idea of how i will want it....
i havent felt it with the fore-grip on so i dont know how ill like it in the end...but knowing me,ill probably love it,lol


its just trial and error on the first build.....im gonna learn alot from it,alot about my perference and comfort......it wont be epoxy'd until im satisfied....ill set it up this weekend and go from there.

things will become more clear with practice,and time
thx for you thoughts

[WaffleJaw]

you know,the more i think about it.....ive got a ton of the blk foam grip......I might make a small nub about half/quarter the size of that foregrip to butt up against the reel seat...hopefully getting both of best worlds...comfort when i set the hook ,but keep it small enough for my fingers to extend past it to touck the blank


so many ideas now!

[jig fisherman]

What if you cut a little bit of the cork off so some of your fingers can touch the blank but you still have enough of the foregrig to grab with your hand.

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by jig fisherman

What if you cut a little bit of the cork off so some of your fingers can touch the blank but you still have enough of the foregrig to grab with your hand.

lol, i just mentioned that right above your post......i gonna try using the foam and the cork to see which looks/feels better....just play around with it all weekend.....and the fishing rod too

[fishen green]

wow great job but I think my wife would say pink hmm

[jig fisherman]

no, i meant like a little spot near the middle of the foregrip, like a little groove

[BigBassin144]

Like this, but on a baitcaster? I really don't see any need, depending on how you hold your rod/reel while fishing. that's the the exposed reel seat is for, right?



BB

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by WaffleJaw

lol,thanks boss,the fore-grip is a must for me.....when i set the hook thats the first area i pull since i usually rest the butt in or around my belly button,ha!

haha, different strokes for different folks!

[WaffleJaw]

i thought about something like that as well.....but yea,with the exposed reel seat,my ring finger is usually already on the blank.
ill have some finished pics up on monday of the handle....gonna get alot knocked out tomorrow!

BB,
that is neat looking though....makes me wanna take a dremmel to my spinning rigs,lol

oh and im gonna go with the metallic purple for the trim

[BigBassin144]

WJ, the met. purple is gonna look awesome with the green.

I can't wait to see the finished product.

BB

[WaffleJaw]

got the handle done saturday night.....it was a bit harder than i thought,lol...but all went smoothly....

the guides places are marked,and ready to wrap.....was hoping to get a few done yesterday...but my wife decided renovating the house ,and swapping our studio room with her daughter's room was a must that day....now the house is a mess and theres crap all over my work space,lol

i did try and start the first guide last night before bed.....its a pain!!...and i couldnt get it done.......on the third attempt i was soooooo freaking close to done....then the thread snapped!!.......mother*&@#*&*

[Culln5]

Great start!

[BigBassin144]

Looks great so far!

How long is the rear handle (from end to the back of the reel seat) ?

breaking or accidentally cutting the thread sucks. On the first rod I built, I did a pretty simple butt wrap with 2 colors alternating about every 1/4 inch. When I finished it off and went to the cut the tag end off (with a brand new blade), I knicked the wrap before it and the whole thing unravelled, lol. It's amazing how fast two inches of wrapped thread and get unwrapped.

BB

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

Looks great so far!

How long is the rear handle (from end to the back of the reel seat) ?

breaking or accidentally cutting the thread sucks. On the first rod I built, I did a pretty simple butt wrap with 2 colors alternating about every 1/4 inch. When I finished it off and went to the cut the tag end off (with a brand new blade), I knicked the wrap before it and the whole thing unravelled, lol. It's amazing how fast two inches of wrapped thread and get unwrapped.

BB

thanks man,
i hadnt measured it yet but i will soon.....i used my lighitng rod as a guide for it,lol.....so its almost the same as that...maybe a 1/2'' to 1'' difference or so.

man the biggest pain on the wrapping...(my dad and the book says to start on the outside and wrap towards the foot,to make sure you cover foot completely).....well when i would get to the foot and wrap it about two times...it would ''snap'' underneath the foot....it did that like 4 times in a row......extremely frustrating....because it would also knock the guide out of alignment..
and yea,that stuff unravels quick when it breaks!!

im gonna try agian tonight when i get home.....fresh start,lol
because i was pretty exhausted when i tried last night