Hello All, 

New guy here and I thought I would start out with sharing a new rod I built for my Dad's Father's Day present.  It's an MHX 7' medium power blank made for throwing small plastics.  I'm pretty happy with it and I am sure he will be too.  The link is to a few more pictures of it.  My camera was on HD mode so the files where way to big to upload here.  I love to fish and like to build custom rods and I would like some opinions and comments to make me better.

Thanks,

Larry Majkrzak

 

https://goo.gl/photos/v6a4HQxt4MXmNH2b7

 

Looks really good

Very nice job.  It should work great.  

 

One thing I noticed on your other pics is possibly a photo resolution issue, but it looks like the red wrap on the first Microwave guide is splotchy.  If it is, it is likely due to one or more of the following possibilities:  Not enough penetration of color preservative?  The thread should be saturated, then the excess taken off with a paper towel.  Only one coat of color preservative?  I use two, both allowed to dry overnight before the next step.  Not waiting for the color preservative to completely dry?  If you don't give the CP time to completely dry, this can happen.

 

If CP is done right the guide wrap will look very close to the way the thread looks on the spool, with no variations in color, and will look really brilliant (the reds).  Looking at the photo again after blowing it up, it really looks like something is not quite right, with the area under the foot looking dark and a few circuferential light appearing threads.

 

I use flex coat CP and flex coat lite wrap epoxy.  If you purchased all from Mudhole, you may be using their CP, which should work fine, and their wrap epoxy, which I know does a wonderful job if one is patient enough to let it cure a couple days.  In my experience it is the longest to cure of the epoxies.  That is not a problem, just a fact.

 

You should be proud of this build.  It is much better than my early builds, and you will get better with every build.

On 5/23/2017 at 8:37 AM, MickD said:

Very nice job.  It should work great.  

 

One thing I noticed on your other pics is possibly a photo resolution issue, but it looks like the red wrap on the first Microwave guide is splotchy.  If it is, it is likely due to one or more of the following possibilities:  Not enough penetration of color preservative?  The thread should be saturated, then the excess taken off with a paper towel.  Only one coat of color preservative?  I use two, both allowed to dry overnight before the next step.  Not waiting for the color preservative to completely dry?  If you don't give the CP time to completely dry, this can happen.

 

If CP is done right the guide wrap will look very close to the way the thread looks on the spool, with no variations in color, and will look really brilliant (the reds).  Looking at the photo again after blowing it up, it really looks like something is not quite right, with the area under the foot looking dark and a few circuferential light appearing threads.

 

I use flex coat CP and flex coat lite wrap epoxy.  If you purchased all from Mudhole, you may be using their CP, which should work fine, and their wrap epoxy, which I know does a wonderful job if one is patient enough to let it cure a couple days.  In my experience it is the longest to cure of the epoxies.  That is not a problem, just a fact.

 

You should be proud of this build.  It is much better than my early builds, and you will get better with every build.

I just learned this the hard way!  I wrapped a liberty blank with what I thought would be neon green thread.  I didn't not do the CP right and it ended up much darker and splotchy looking :-(  Lesson learned though!

2 hours ago, sarcazmo said:

I just learned this the hard way!  I wrapped a liberty blank with what I thought would be neon green thread.  I didn't not do the CP right and it ended up much darker and splotchy looking :-(  Lesson learned though!

 

Light threads on dark blanks are very tricky.  Not only the CP has to be strong and well applied, but the wrap has to be very tight and packed well because any slight gaps will show as splotches.  Some builders go to the trouble of painting the area under the wraps a color similar to the thread to minimize this.

I've had so much trouble with light thread I dont use it, except for trim bands and inlays. And as one the two threads in the bottom wrap of a tiger.