Hi Guys,As stated in a previous thread i am doing my fist build,I have purchase a Pac Bay quickline blank 9`4# 4 piece fast action,first impressions with my limited knowledge are very good handle is a reverse half welland the reel seat is Model UL5. Lustrous dark Cocobolo wood insert with nickel silver hardware.the guides etc are chrome snakes with a lined stripper.The blank itself is finnished in a gloss black so for wrapping i went for midnight black thread with teal for any trims i will probably add,Thanks go to Dean at Rods Bits For advice and a good deal to get me startedI have 2 questions though first how do you fix the top reel guide to the reel seat epoxy or rivet and epoxy secondly how do i find the spine in the bottom two sections.
i will endevour to post pics as i go along
John

Hi John,
You might find some info in my thread called first build.
Have a great time, and enjoy the build I did.

Not quite sure what you mean about the top reel guide, does it not fit into the cork handle where it is epoxied, certainly no rivets should be used !!!!!!

Regards,
TC

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Hi TC thanks for the input i have read your build and picked up a few tips.What i meant by the rivet was cutting a small groove on the inside of thr wooden reel seet the ndrilling a small hole on the back edge of the reel holder and then riveting them together with a small brass rivet when finished they would be completely flat.At the moment i am practicing the wraps on a broken top section of a rod,having varied success main problem being the tension on the bobbin
J

Hi Obiwan
I think it would be best if you post a picture of what your trying to do?
then I can help you

Gary

Hi Guys here are a few pics of where i am at present.pic 1i have layed out all the kit to check that every thing is there pic 2this shows the handle ready to take the reel seat,and the blank prepared to take the same.pic 3this shows the handle and reel seat epoxied and fitted into place,after these pics were taken i prepared the guides by filing them down a bit final sanding still to be done,i have also found the spine which was easy on the top two sections ,the bottom 2 sections i found them by gently flexing the rod till i found the least resistance.i have fitted the top ring into place using hotmelt glue next step is to place the guides on the blank.I have also come accross a unique way of tensioning the thread using strong magnets (more on this later)

Hi again

Just use epoxy on the reel seat (No need to rivet)

But also glue it in inside the end cork ring make sure you get all the epoxy out of the reel seat sometimes people forget and the reel foot will not fit in.



Gary

Hi Gary, thanks for the advice,went with the common sense approach which was the same as your comments,had a quick look at your site, you got me thinking about bamboo now lol.the reason i was thinking of a rivet was that i seem to recall a rod from my youth having a rivet on the reel seat when i stripped it down
John

Yes that correct John a lot of the older rods did have a rivet in the top band.

Looking forwards to seeing the progress on the blank

Gary

Hi Guys,As i said previously i was going to try a thread tension technique using magnets it appears to work better than springs washers etc etc etc.I have a 100mmx6mm bolt fixed to my rod wrapper onto which i slid a 1"x.5"x.25"ring magnet and slid it to the bottom,i then slid an inverted magnet onto the bolt so that the poles of the magnet repelled each other, i then slipped on the bobbin then a small washer and tightened it up with a locking nut.to achieve the desired tension i simply loosen the nut till i get the thread to flow freely,when the thread does come off the bobbin i get a consitant and very even tension,i will post pics of the set up as soon as i can
John..........ps watch the magnets when you catch your fingers between them it nips the skin a bit lol

Hi guys,just a quick update,the following pics show the stages that i am now at.Pic 1 shows the blank with the guides taped into place,i had a flex test to see if they were ok i had to tweak a few but i am now happy with the final positioning.Pic 2 shows the rod all wrapped up,i am pleased with the efforts so far.Pic 3 shows the trim bands at the joints and the decal which was a rub on transfer type.the next stage is to epoxy the guides