Delaware Valley Tackle

At first I thought this thread title was "Bought New Girlfriend a Condo" and we needed an intervention.

All they are saying is use the thread in the tensioner to tie off the other. In this scenario, the "loose" thread is leading so you undo 1 wrap of it and pass it under the other thread, wrap over it and use a pull tab for the final tie off. It's hard to visualize here but when you do it it will be crystal clear what needs to happen.

You need something to keep the braid from slipping. Backing, tape or tying to the wiffle spool will all work. There's no mechanical reason I can think of to not tie to the spool, but something about it, I just don't like the idea. I use backing myself as I can't see loading a reel full of braid that will never see the light of day.

Ceramic bearings are not the magic made out by some people, but my guess with the G is that you have Orange Seal bearings and/or oiled. Remove the seals with a needle and flush them. Reinstall dry and you'll see a big difference. The smallest possible drop of the lightest oil will quiet them if you're in the camp that thinks they are distractingly loud.

Flushing the stock bearings should always be the first step in improving performance followed by a deep cleaning, Super Tuning in design appropriate (solid spool shaft) models, Carbontex Drag, ABEC5 ceramic hybrid bearings, handles, trim etc. on a cost/benefit basis.

There's a better tutorial article w/pics on rodbuilding.org. It's pretty simple but a few tricks for best results, pretty much like all rod building topics lol. Use either a high-build or a couple coats of epoxy over the base. The depth helps with the effect. Remember to wrap the opposite way for the top layer. Warm the wrap with a hair drier before pulling the sacrificial thread. This helps hold the remaining thread in place. You may have trouble keeping the base layers from overlapping if you run them both through the tensioner. I run the black through with just enough tension to keep it from slipping on the blank and feed the metalic by hand with the spool in a bowl.

I'll build you something nice for $999.95. For $1100 I'll align the guides straight.

That'll be sweet. I keep telling myself I should keep better weight stats n such on my builds but get up against deadlines and just get them out the door best I can. Shouldn't complain about being busy. Lol

Use black and silver for the base and red and whatever as the sacrificial. The top color dictates the color and the base gives the effect. Leave the base wraps looser than you think you should to get good movement when burnished.

This is an old rod builders trick. It work well and looks right. There are any number of decorative end caps available but the installation is a little more involved. Run a strip of tape around where you want to cut to help keep it straight unless you're luck enough to have a fine kerf chop saw available.

Right, eggs at $10 a dozen and then doing a happy dance when you get a "free" one

This is a good suggestion especially for a versatile rod. The St Croix MH fishes a little heavier than other MH's but still not a Hvy.

It's real easy to high-stick on a short line and break a tip if it's really fast. That's not as much of a concern in the heaviest punch rods which I put on a slightly slower blank. With Mod/Fast you can lay into them and get them coming up all in one motion. A fast action in a rod this heavy to too much of a broom stick.

I agree. I don't like split seats either and trimming weight at the location of the seat will have the least affect. Compared to an exposed blank seat with the barrel trimmed, a split seat doesn't save that much anyway. A 1.5-2 oz blank, micros (especially Recoils or Minnima4), short wraps, split grips is going to be as light as you can get. I'd opt for a Titanium Torzite or Sic top over a Recoil though.

"lightest" is a relative term. What power & length and/or application are we talking about. A sub 3oz rod a strictly finesse deal for example, but a <4oz jig rod would be real light comparatively.

Brandon, Thanks for the PM, I stand corrected. I'm surprised since the Revos don't even have that extra bearing. Good example of why having a schematic is so important.

There's no bearing in that spot. What leads you to believe you would need a new one?

A quick search turned up this: http://www.oceanstatetackle.com/catalog/item/7331845/7616674.htm

It won't hurt to post pics here, but antique tackle is a specialized deal. If I were you, I'd try to google a collector to get an appraisal.

Any quality, standard 200 size reel should handle A-rigs well enough. If you want a dedicated reel just for that a swimbait reel like the Curado 300E would be a nice addition or even a Calcutta. The other brands have similar offerings as well.

Like pretty much all the top brands, the models that retail for $100> will all be pretty good. Then it becomes about features and preferences.

30# will handle just fine, but you can maximize the benefits of braid by down sizing without going too low as suggested above.

Better safe than sorry. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

Best bet is to pull one and measure IDxODxW. A call to Daiwa might get you the info but it's not documented anywhere handy.

Most "Insta-gage" style flipping switches are awkward to use and a weak link mechanically imo. That 2 speed reel is a bear to work on too. I'd retire it to a display shelf myself.