Choosing a rod blank to duplicate a a factory rod

Huntindave wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Rodwork wrote:</div>
What size are you looking for? The 43″ is 0.32

The Meatstick I want to replicate is 24″ in length. The specs for the Netcraft blank list at; 24″ length, 5.5 tip, .185″ butt diameter.
Looking at it again,The specs listed for the 24 inch blank are questionable, because as listed, the tip size (assuming MM units) is larger than the butt size, weird.

The specs for another blank from a different source are Tip: .7 ; Butt. 6mm Which would be more in line with what I’m looking for.

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Lee wrote:</div>
And there’s always a few wraps of masking tape.

It’s not about fitting a handle or grip.
Didn’t figure the .185 diameter in a glass blank would give me the backbone wanted.

Tips are commonly measured in 64ths of an inch… 5.5/64″ = 0.086″ = 2.18 mm

Buy the longer blank and cut the tip and butt off so you have the butt thickness you need and sand it down and shape it to what you want.

onepine wrote:

BassKhang has several blank styles with butt and tip measurements. Good quality blanks that fish well. Carbon blanks are really feel the bite sensitive and fiberglass blanks are really show the bite sensitive. He will ship blanks and components also. https://basskhang.com/collections/ice-rod-blanks

I took a snoop over to this site earlier this morning and will be tossing a few bucks that way. I’ll get a couple of the noodles, haven’t set my mind yet, and the components to wrap up a couple dock rods. The blanks come 36″ which is perfect for what I want.

tswoboda wrote:

Tips are commonly measured in 64ths of an inch… 5.5/64″ = 0.086″ = 2.18 mm

Weird that specs for a rod would use fractional units for one end of the rod and decimal units for the other end. I do have limited experience in looking at rod specs but within the sites I visited Janns Netcraft was the only one to do this. Apparently other suppliers do this also, I just hadn’t come across it yet.
My background is working in a custom tool shop for 40 years.

Rodwork wrote:

Buy the longer blank and cut the tip and butt off so you have the butt thickness you need and sand it down and shape it to what you want.

Thanks for the suggestion. I’m thinking of buying the blank I mentioned which already has the tip and butt diameters I’m looking for.(Tip: .7 ; Butt. 6mm ) I can get that blank for $7.50 plus ship&tax.

Everyone has been most helpful and your collective help has allowed me to find the blank I think I need.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>onepine wrote:</div>
BassKhang has several blank styles with butt and tip measurements. Good quality blanks that fish well. Carbon blanks are really feel the bite sensitive and fiberglass blanks are really show the bite sensitive. He will ship blanks and components also. https://basskhang.com/collections/ice-rod-blanks

I took a snoop over to this site earlier this morning and will be tossing a few bucks that way. I’ll get a couple of the noodles, haven’t set my mind yet, and the components to wrap up a couple dock rods. The blanks come 36″ which is perfect for what I want.

I too liked what I saw from this supplier. He has some very good illustrations detailing the differences in the blanks he has to offer.

Have you tried Mudhole.com? This one seems similar to my Meatstick 24″. It’s a seemingly better blank..similar bend. Trim the tip or butt, or both to get the feel you like….
I read this once, “fish have never had an original thought” so I doubt they care how much your rod cost. But it sure feels good when you have your very own ‘Green Hornet’ in your hands. MoJo means everything! lol

https://www.mudhole.com/MHX-Ice-Rod-Blank-FIB-26UL-MHX

Lee wrote:

Have you tried Mudhole.com? This one seems similar to my Meatstick 24″. It’s a seemingly better blank..similar bend. Trim the tip or butt, or both to get the feel you like….
I read this once, “fish have never had an original thought” so I doubt they care how much your rod cost. But it sure feels good when you have your very own ‘Green Hornet’ in your hands. MoJo means everything! lol

https://www.mudhole.com/MHX-Ice-Rod-Blank-FIB-26UL-MHX

Another good option. There are about 3 suppliers which have a blank that is on my “short list” of choices.
Thanks

Huntindave wrote:

Weird that specs for a rod would use fractional units for one end of the rod and decimal units for the other end. I do have limited experience in looking at rod specs but within the sites I visited Janns Netcraft was the only one to do this. Apparently other suppliers do this also, I just hadn’t come across it yet.
My background is working in a custom tool shop for 40 years.

Just about every open water blank is listed this way… butt listed in thousandths of an inch and tip listed in 64ths of an inch. The dimensions on open water blanks only really matter for sizing grips and tip tops.

Ice blanks are the odd ball, but I agree that listing both butt and tip in mm is the easiest to compare since ice rod blank measurements can be used to predict power and action.

Sorry Dave, it was never meant to be a cut. When you said you found a $15 rod you were happy with I thought you were spending a lot of energy to duplicate a $15 rod. My apology that it sounded bad.
As for you Pmb, it’s nice to know the Posting police are staying on top of things!

3rdtryguy wrote:

Sorry Dave, it was never meant to be a cut. When you said you found a $15 rod you were happy with I thought you were spending a lot of energy to duplicate a $15 rod. My apology that it sounded bad.

If you had been following along you would know;
(A) the meatstick is a $40.00 rod
(B) I already acknowledged the easy, cheap route would be just buy another meatstick.
(C) replicating the rod is the entire focus just asking about locating a similar blank to build on.
(D) I picked up the marked down rod as an impulse purchase.
(E) I build/make a lot of items and it has never been about cost. I actually enjoy making my own tools and equipment. It might be a 50 cent jig or a $4500.00 boat from scratch, or many things in between.

And no, I don’t think that makes me any more or less, ” a hard core fisherman”. No hard feelings, I’ve been called worse.