spoonplugger1

When they wrap the graphite on the mandrel it is pressed on under pressure, than a celephane tape is spun over everything to ensure the graphite stays where they put it while it is baked in a vertical position, if the tape job is bad the graphite can move away from the mandrel when heated and leave a swelled area. Get with NFC, something is not right.

Guess I'm missing something, you have 5 and 6 mm guides, Lead Head told you he can get 16 lb. / 30 lb braid through a 5 mm no problem, and a 25 lb / 50 lb braid through a 5.5 and you have 6 mm guides. What's the problem again?

Did you go to the REC site and look at the info there?

If you can't find a precut grip buy one without the cut and have the supplier cut it for you. REC has very nice grips and cut them to my specs last I ordered one, but I also bought their reel seats. I'm sure Batson makes a reel seat also with that cut out, I'm pretty sure the size 7 reel seats come with the correct cut out.

All you need to know is how long your rear grip is, after that everything falls into place for your supplier, they throw it all in the tube with the blank and you get all the correct parts on the same, or similar nickel as a bare blank would be. It is your choice though.

When you pay retail the excise tax is included in the price, so you never see it, you pay excise tax on rods, reels, fishing line and tackle, etc.

The Xrays are higher modulus and lighter.

You may get away with 12 inches, 18 may be expecting to much. You'll lose power and have a slower action.

Lamiglas does composites, I've used many, MHX does composites, NFC Deltas are composites, Thrasher I think may have some, you just got to look and ask questions of the companies. Rod building takes a bit of research and catalog/phone/e m ail time, you can't learn it here. Just remember to give them all the info as if they know nothing, because they can't read your mind. I write it m down first, set my parameters, than ask.

Time to try composite rods maybe, I have graphite rods that are over 30 years old and regularly used with no failures.

Don't guess put a casting reel on it and test cast it, worry about the rest later.

More guides doesn't increase casting one little bit, in fact it's a hinderance. Competition casting rods have less guides, many less to the point they are virtually worthless as a fishing rod, guides are on the rod to protect the blank from failure under load and nothing else. A bare blank is at it's best efficiency, everything we put on it ruins that efficiency.

Material costs plus $150, will get you close depending on where you live. Anything fancy will cost you extra, and considerably more expensive because of the expertise and time involved. Fancy wraps or weaves are sold by the inch with a minimum.

Jimmy, If you watch the GPS Fuji video I think you'll see many of your assumptions are a little off, more guides alone is a poor way to improve a rod of any sort, if you haven't control of the line in the first 3, or 4 guides you've already lost the fight and more won't help.

Being at a high school you may have access to a lathe, have the rear grip turned to the inside diameter of the grip, which is bigger than the rod's butt. Saves a bunch of work on grip and blank cleanup and arbors, slip on the new non exposed reel seat, slip on the grip, than the butt cap, done.

Skeletor has the right mind set, many associate the tip to the hookset speed and power they experience with the XF discription more likely than not, the rod is also more powerful. In fact if the final power of two rods is the same the tip on the XF will be the softest, how can the softest tip have a better hookset? It will also have the lowest lure rating on the bottom end.

Wickford Rodworks N. Kingstown, RI. www.wickfordrodworks@wmconnect.com was my last info.

Irod sells blanks?

It doesn't give you a disadvantage, and tip wrap/guide wrap with braid is much harder when gravity is on your side. The line, if given a chance would want to go to the bottom of the rod anyway so let it.

Just poor epoxy application on an uncompleted thread wrap. It's all just unnecessary decoration.

Get with St. Croix, they will make it right, wouldn't hurt to take a picture and send it to them. That said it won't hurt a bit to use the rod till you hear from them. Guide alignment is more of a cosmetic thing then something that will blowup a rod. There is a huge amount of room for the line to move around in. There isn't anything there to impact rod use till you hear from St. Croix, rods cast where you throw them, guide orientation has nothing to do with it, if this wasn't true everyone would hate their bass rods built for casting reels.

What tools do you have handy, can't help till I know what we're working with. You already said you have nothing to rotate the rod on, correct? Looks like shrink wrap over cork or eva.

Rainshadow REVC68MXF. Blanks don't care how you build them.

Tip, top, tube sizes are in 64th of an inch, so are your drill bits tip should, slip right in one of those small, drill bit's holes. If it's goes in a long way and sloppy at the length of the original tip top it's a half size smaller.

Got a set of drill bits? They will help you select your size.