I am building a spiral wrap rod for jigging. I just epoxied the reel seat onto the rod today and read about sanding the blank prior to the install. I used masking tape to seat the reel onto the blank...cut 1/4 inch grooves in the masking tape to allow the epoxy to flow through the entire reel seat. I did not however sand the blank down before installing the reel seat. Am I going to hugely regret this???
I built a rod about 20 years ago....this is my first attempt at building a rod since then.
the heavier the load on the rod, the more this will come into play. If you will be fishing 30lb or lighter, i doubt it would be an issue. If your masking tape job was good and the blank was not solied with too many oils, and the epoxy was mixed and applied properly (completely fills the inside diameter w/ epoxy no sag spots, then it will most likely have no effect. I wouldnt even worry about it, if it fails then you'll know. From now on sand, and use a cloth to prep area.
Thanks for the info. I did fill the reel seat area with lots of epoxy and the channels that I cut out of the masking tape probably allowed it to fill in with no air pockets.
I hope that's the case....
Funny thing is....I'm building this rod specifically for jigging large AJ's. It's an 80 lb. blank and I'm putting a Accurate 665NN on it. If it breaks under pressure from a big AJ....I'm gonna have some fun bringing it to the boat....Live and learn I suppose.
I have built and sold over five thousand "Downwrap" or spriral wrap here in Japan. We do not sand the blanks down (we use blanks built with many materials, from Old school glass to high tech 120ton Mitsubishi Carbon). We goove masking tape, and
epoxy (not 5 min. type though, usually a 24 hr. set type) just like you did. We have never had a single problem. It sound like you were careful putting the RS on, so you should be OK. If you want insurance drip some epoxy in the space between the last 1/4 inch at the top of the RS and the blank. if there is tape in the space, cut it out with a razor blade, and remove with a dental pick, or even a wide gap fishing hook.
This will give you a little cap of direct blank to reel seat epoxy filler before you slide your foregrip down.
I just read what I wrote above. It makes absolutely no sense to me, but I hope it helps you.
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3-30-2011...Capt. G's Bloody Urushi. Often copied, but never fully duplicated.
Thanks for the info. I did fill the reel seat area with lots of epoxy and the channels that I cut out of the masking tape probably allowed it to fill in with no air pockets.
I hope that's the case....
Funny thing is....I'm building this rod specifically for jigging large AJ's. It's an 80 lb. blank and I'm putting a Accurate 665NN on it. If it breaks under pressure from a big AJ....I'm gonna have some fun bringing it to the boat....Live and learn I suppose.
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You say you cut channels into the masking tape??..
Am I right?.
Did you make a solid arbor out of tape then cut groves into it? All the way to the blank?.and then filled with epoxie?.
It might take quite awhile ,but the glue on the tape will sooner or later dry out ETC.. then you know what will happen next.
But I'm just speaking about the glue on the tape,if the epoxy did'nt reach the blank.
I did use the thin masking tape to make four arbors about 1/2 inch each. I cut a 1/4 inch groove in each of the masking tape arbors. I then put epoxy all over the blank, tape, grooves so that there would be a solid fill of epoxy beneath the reel seat.
Thanks for the info Capt. G ... makes me feel much better! I thnk I'll let the reel seat cure for 48 hours.
BTW, I just wanted to clearify that I do not think my way is the only way, or best way. Doing it by the "Bible" (Dale Clemens books) , which is the way most probably do it, is to sand and prep. I will second what LendAFish said--the blank need to be completely clean and free of oils, residue.
I just wanted to state what has been my experience, and not to discourage a first time builder before before a problem even occurs.
It is like I tell my employees "There are three ways to do things. My way. My Way. and MY WAY". But Ya'll can do whatever floats your boat.
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3-30-2011...Capt. G's Bloody Urushi. Often copied, but never fully duplicated.
I did use the thin masking tape to make four arbors about 1/2 inch each. I cut a 1/4 inch groove in each of the masking tape arbors. I then put epoxy all over the blank, tape, grooves so that there would be a solid fill of epoxy beneath the reel seat.
Thanks for the info Capt. G ... makes me feel much better! I thnk I'll let the reel seat cure for 48 hours.
The fiberglass drywall tape works really well. It is basically meshed fiberglass approximately 2 inches wide and is really nice because it adheres nicely to the blank and epoxy will flow all the way down to the blank so no need for grooves or having to pick it out from the reel seat. Home depot and most large hardware stores carry the stuff. I got mine from acidrod.com. Hope this helps.
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