I have been building custom rods for the last 2ish years and that’s great the only downside is I have only found a hand full of companies that sell components ie. “blanks, guides, cork, etc.” so I would like to know what companies everyone is purchasing there components and supplies from.
95% mud hole
5% Jann’s netcraft
Have not tried anglers workshop, get bit outdoors or the rod room
Sportsmen direct for blanks.
Theflyshack for winding checks.
Hardware store for guide files.
Mudhole for everything else (guides, handles, thread, epoxies, etc.). I like to get Mudholes 5” ice grips (eva or cork) and slice the bottom 1.5” off and split the grip 2”-3”.
Voodoo rods (they bought the rights to Bullards) is another good one I’ll use occasionally for rod finish, epoxy, mineral powder, and small tools. They are worth checking out.
I built my own wrapper from scrap wood and I did purchase a drying motor from MH to diy a rod dryer out of scrap wood, a 2” pvc endcap, some bolts and some hair ties. Works rather well if I may say so.
ILL definitely have to check these out I mainly use mudhole but net craft quite a bit also.
Mudhole is a good place to shop. Shipping costs can seem a little crazy at times and some items (like little rubber winding checks for $1 a piece, that’s borderline criminal lol) can be pricey for what they are. The fly shack has the rubber winding checks (the “slim” ones on their site) starting at roughly .20¢ a piece. I’ll pay the shipping on those and buy winding checks at 1/5 the price. It really does make a difference if you want more than just 1 or 2 but if you’re making a split grip handle, that’s $3 worth of winding checks from MH and .60¢ worth from TFS.
The blanks from sportsmendirect are quality and cheap. Like $5 for a 32” fiberglass blank that you sand down very easily to create that Noodle tip. Just use a cordless drill and a series of wet sand paper from 400-1000. Go slow and you’ll have a great noodle rod with a stout backbone. Their carbon blanks are slightly more expensive at around 12$.
From MH I use a size 12 PacBay Minima spinning guide as a “stripper” guide then American Tackle single foot fly guides sizes 3,4, and 5. I start with with the size 12, then a fly size 5, then a 4, then finish with a 3 then wrap a 3 for the tip-top. I also wrap on a hook keeper. I’ll use their ice grip handles (cork or eva) and either use them as is or split them like I mentioned earlier. I like the Pro-Kote epoxies and Pro-wrap thread.
With those suppliers I can build a new custom rod for around $25-$30.
Ryan- after you sand the glass blanks what do you use for a paint or clear coat? Ive been using all carbon and have toyed with the idea of sanding for a noodle tip but have not looked into the paint and clear coat which is what is holding me back. I assume the clear needs to be flexible so as not to crack and peel?
I have been looking into rod building and found some good information at http://anglersresource.net/
I have yet to do any price checking.
That’s where Voodoo Rods comes in for me. I’ve only sanded fiberglass blanks so far but I use their mineral powders and mix with their CP Extra (rod finish or wrap sealer [not a color preserver]). Obvisouly, a darker powder will result in a darker finish coat but this stuff dries extremely thin so I just kind of pile it with a small brush while the blank is spinning rather fast (drill speeds) and spread it equally across the blank. Apply more as needed until coverage is adequate. It doesn’t build up like thread epoxy does so it’s kind of hard to really put too much on just keep in mind that the more you put on at once and if your blank is spinning fast enough it will spin right off the blank and can make a mess. Once the color is achieved I’ll put a few coats of just plain CP Extra with a coffee filter and hang dry tip-down for 24 hours, 1 coat is just 1-2 swipes with the coffee filter. A little finish can go a very long way. This process is rather easy but still involves a few learning curves like application and mineral powder to finish ratio. The powder is very concentrated so it doesn’t take a whole lot. The powders are actually meant for epoxy marbling but they work pretty well for what I use them for.
A lot of guys also just use automotive body spray paint in several light coats. I haven’t tried that method but I have seen some excellent results. Then they finish with a 2k spray epoxy. 2k is a 2 part clear coat epoxy used for vehicles and other applications like fishing rods and instrument/furniture finishing. If you use the 2k spray, unless you have a friend with a paint booth (where they would have both parts of epoxy in gallons) a spray can will cost about $20. You don’t need a lot at all and once you activate the epoxy in the can, the pot life of the epoxy starts and only lasts about 24 hours so if you do this, wait to finish your rods until you have enough ready to justify the cost of a can of 2k spray. So build like 5 rods then finish them all at once. I chose the mineral powder and rod finish mixture because its cheaper and way more forgiving if I make a mistake. And…I can do it in my living room without covering everything in epoxy overspray lol.
A flourescent spray paint can also be used for the tip. Some paints will react badly to rod finish so I just don’t apply finish over the tips if I paint them. (I use a flourescent rustoleum that works out alright). Automotive spray paints should be ok if they are properly dried. Some paints can take days to weeks to properly dry. You don’t want to put a finish on paint that isn’t completely dry because once the finish is dry, the wet paint underneath will never dry (or take an extremely long time) and can cause finish issues in the future. Or if you get good at the mineral powder method you could do the same thing and apply a flourescent tip with flourescent powders and rod finish.
For a first rod/s, I would probably go with an automotive spray paint and a rod finish final coat like CP Extra or Permagloss.
As always, please continue your research before taking anyone’s word. I only do this as a hobby and give away 90% of the rods I build so I may not have the most professional approach and execution when it comes to doing things. However, all my rods have come out nice and professional looking because I did a lot of research and I take my time to do things as correctly as I can.
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