BLOG.HARPERFLYRODS.COM

MAKING WOOD INSERT CUSTOM FLY ROD GRIPS

2012-05-30T06:22:33Z

My web site page on making the grip was out of date and did not address some of the innovations which I am now using. I started to work on it and decided to give those who visit my blog a preview.

In the early 50's when I was learning to fly fish I started with a 9' bamboo rod with a solid wooden grip and reel seat. Today, I realize what a "beast" it was as far as weight goes for a 9 year old.

About 5 yrs ago I was inspired by Terry Henson. With his encouragement, I started to use wood inserts in my grips. Most of the time, these were successful but a few times weight became a problem.

The 2 rods above (Top - Tulipwood w/ Bloodwood, Bottom - Ebony and Ivory) are beautiful but the extra weight tired my arm after a half day of casting.

The problem I faced was to lower the weight and still be able to have the beauty of the wood and I think I've solved the problem.

The process begins the same, as always, selecting the most beautiful and unusual woods available to be featured in the grip.

In this case I have choosen Aboyna burl and Redwood burl. The top photo shows the fantastic eyes of the Amboyna and the eyes, swirls and twirls of the Redwood burl. The lower photo shows the sapwood, heartwood interface showing the natural multi color effect on the wood.

With the featured Amboyna, I choose Ivory, Horn and East India Rosewood as accessories. With the Redwood, I choose Ivory, Horn and Canarywood as accessories.

The Amboyna, to be used in a Western style (RHW) grip, had serial sections cut for the fore section, mid section, butt section of the grip and the reel seat. The redwood, to be used in a Full Wells grip with a fighting butt, had serial sections cut ,as above, but with the fighting butt. These sections are clearly marked to insure correct orientation during glue up.

The sections of the featured wood are bored out to reduce the weight.

With the Western style the mid section (1.5 " in length) is bored to 3/4" completely through. The butt section (3/4" in length) is bored 3/8" deep with a 3/4" Forstner bit. It could be bored completely through but the 3/8" of wood at the end helps prevent wobble on the mandrel while turning on the lathe. It will be removed when inletting for the reel seat hardware. The fore section (3/4" in length) is bored with a 5/8" Forstner bit to a depth of 3/8" to accommodate the taper in the fore grip.

The Full Wells pieces are bored completely through and will later be capped with the accessory wood.

Cork arbors are glued into the openings in the feature wood pieces with Titebond III and allowed to dry over night. The surfaces are sanded flush with 120 grit sandpaper in preparation for glue up

The photo below shows the approximate outside diameter of the finished grip mid sections and fore section of the Western grip and mid section of the Full wells grip.

As you can see we have eliminated a significant amount of the wood and the weight associated with it.

Check back in a few days to see how the Ivory, Horn, accessory wood, burl and natural cork are used. The glue up, the turning, inletting the reel seat and finishing are to follow.

March Trip

2012-04-15T18:50:48Z

Finally after several months I had a chance to get in my first fishing trip of the year. As always the anticipation and preparation were big part of the enjoyment of the trip. Got a list of recommended flies and tied up a bunch.

The weather was cooperative and the fishing conditions were great.

The catching was not red hot but all the fish caught were in the 19 - 20 inch range.

At the end of each day there was FANTASTIC food (I didn't have to cook as I supplied the flies) and great deck time to discuss all the really important issues of life like the next trip.

Casting for Recovery Fly Rod Nov 2011

2011-10-22T03:11:02Z

After last spring's successful Casting for Recovery auction for one of my fly rods, I was asked to consider donating another rod. Of course, the answer was yes. How can you say no to such a worthy cause.

The process started last summer when I was sorting some of the special feature woods I use in my grips. I wanted this rod to be as nice or better than the one I made for the spring auction, so the wood for the grip had to be very, very special. I sorted some of my best burls and found I had quite a choice. Some of the burl pieces are are shown below.

I choose a piece of Amboyna burl (the most beautiful and expensive burl wood in the world) which was 1/2 sapwood and 1/2 heartwood with the interface running length-wise on the grip. This piece was not only bi-colored but had very small, dense eyes in both the sap and heart wood.

I did not have any pink wood but I did have some purple heart which I chose as the accessory wood knowing it would go well with CFR theme. I also selected horn and Ivory to go with this beautiful wood. The pieces were cut to appropriate size and prepared for assembly.

The center of the mid piece was bored to 3/4" and cork lined to reduce the weight of the wood. The fore piece of the grip was bored to 5/8" half way through and lined with cork. The butt section would later be hollowed to receive the recessed reel seat. The pieces were center drilled and assembled.

The grip was shaped on the lathe to a 6 3/4" western style (reverse half wells) and reel seat insert to fit, nickel silver reel seat hardware.

The four views, below, show the beauty of the Amboyna burl used in this grip and reel seat.

Now, how am I going to decide which view goes on the top part of the rod???

To me it is the eyes which make Amboyna burl so special as well as the swirls and twirls seen in the wood. So it boiled down to sap wood or heart wood. As I turned the piece on the lathe I noticed a small drying check in the sap wood, it was stabilized but was still visible (see 3rd photo of the 4 above) so the heart wood became the top(see top photo of the 4 above).

Now to chose a blank for this rod. I decided on a Five Rivers Signature V 9'6" five weight. This is a medium fast action rod, very light and sensitive, for those delicate small fly presentations yet can develop high line speeds to punch through those afternoon winds. The extra 6" makes for easier mending to get those longer drag free drifts. Its medium fast action make for easy relaxed all day casting.

The components to complete the rod were a fuji ceramic tip top (1/2 the weight of a standard chrome tip top) followed by six #1 fine wire snake guides then two # 2 fine wire snakes, one #3 and one #4 standard snake guides and a Fuji # 12 ceramic insert stripping guide. All in chrome finish. These components maximize the rods performance.

Gudebrod maroon and metallic silver were the threads chosen for the wraps. A silver two thread band is centered on each guide foot.

The ferrule and but wraps include a silver five wrap spiral (because it's a 5wt.) sandwiched between two 3 thread silver bands.

A multilayered layered feather inlay featuring an amherst pheasant collar feather and red rump feather, a peacock pheasant eye feather and 5 (because it's a 5 wt.) jungle cock eyes, was placed just above the grip. (Fore more detail see post: Casting For Recovery Rod Mar. 2011)

Just finishing he feather inlay with the top 2 sections on the dryer.

All my rods have a lot of "MOJO" built into them but for a little extra, a pink ribbon was added to the reel seat before the butt cap was attached.

Here it is finished and ready to fish.

Click HERE for auction site

RAMBLINGS ABOUT A ROD WRAPPER

2011-06-03T01:07:51Z

After over ten years and about 2 hundred fly rods I'm finally putting my old wrapping stand out to pasture. It did everything I ask it to do but was not very attractive. Some pressboard covered with wood grain vinyl. A velcro strap to hold the blank and 2 thread tension devices (both the same). Very utilitarian but not a thing of beauty.

It is being replaced by a home made one, constructed of Afzelia burl which has some modifications from its predecessor. Two types of thread tension devices, one which acts on the thread, the other which acts on the spool (much better for silk tread). The blank is held by elastic bands rather than the velcro, and brass post are more optimally located for better thread angles.

This is what customization is all about. Improving the functionality of an item and making it a one of a kind thing of beauty. I don't know if the rods I wrap on the new stand will be any better than those with the old wrapper, but so far I've enjoyed working on the new wrapper much, much more than the old one. It's like fishing with an off the rack cookie cutter rod vs. a custom rod. Remember, TOOLS CAN BE BEAUTIFUL!!

A special thanks to Mike for his help.

Casting for Recovery rod

2011-03-11T21:01:00Z

This past Feb. while I was working the Trout Unlimited booth at the Pasadena Fly-fishing show, I had a chance to meet and chat with the wonderful ladies from Casting for Recovery. I knew of their mission previously and took the opportunity to learn more. I was so impressed with their work that I offered my help with their fund raising. They have contacted me and asked if I would be willing to donate one of my custom rods for their Spring 2011 on-line auction. I was honored and of course, accepted their request.

I want to make a rod that will generate lots of interest and raise as much money as possible. For the blank, I chose a Five Rivers Signature V nine foot, four piece, 4 weight. This is the 4 weight rod I fish and I don’t think any other 4 wts. compare to it.

Once the blank was selected, I had to think about components. As with all my rods, performance is the primary concern. For a tip–top I decided on a Fuji CFAT size 6. The ceramic insert gives better line flow and saves almost 0.2 grams compared to a standard chrome tip-top. A size 12“N” style stripping guide with silicon carbide insert followed by a #3, #2 light, #1 light, and six #1/0 light chrome snakes make up the guide set. The selection of these components saved about a gram and a half of weight compared to std. wt. guides and std. loop tip-top thus maximizing performance in sensitivity and ability to deliver tighter loops and greater line speed.

After selecting these components to make this a fantastic performing rod, my task is to make this rod into a ‘one of a kind’, thing of beauty. I remembered a piece of afzelia burl with some spalted sap wood and gorgeous eyes that I had set aside to use as a featured wood in a very “special” grip. What could be more special than a rod for Casting for Recovery? This afzelia sap wood was combined with amboyna burl, buffalo horn and ivory to make the grip and reel seat.

The grip was glued on the blank and after several days of consideration, I have selected thread colors of medium brown and metallic gold for the wraps

More to come as the build of this beautiful rod continues.

I had all the components assembled Fri. so decided to build the rod this weekend. Fri. night the guide placement was determined and marked on the rod and the spine was found for each section. I took the time to do the guide foot prep and glue on the tip-top. Got up Sat morn. Had my coffee, read the news and was ready to wrap. I decided on a 2 wrap gold inlay in the center of each guide foot wrap.

The ferrule wrap and butt wrap design would have a 4 wrap spiral (because this is a 4 wt rod) located between two 3 thread bands of gold thread.

Watched some great basketball and got all the thread work done by late afternoon. Then it was time to think about the feather inlay.

I have to think about the design for a while.

About 9:00 pm wandered back into my office looked at my thread work, did a little more burnishing, and had to plan the feather inlay. Got the feathers out to study again. A pattern began to develop which involved feathers from the Amherst pheasant, Peacock pheasant, and of course the Jungle Cock.

The feathers selected were Peacock Pheasant eye, Jungle cock flank feather, Amherst Pheasant neck hackle feather and rump feather and 4(because it’s a 4 wt) jungle cock eyes. It was now about 11:00 pm and decided to go to bed because the next step would take about 4 hours.

Got up Sun morn, had my coffee, read the news, checked my e-mail, watched Meet the Press, and started the inlay.

First the Jungle cock flank feather was applied to the blank and allowed dry.

Then the Amherst neck hackle feather was applied and allowed to dry.

Then the Amherst rump feather was applied and allowed to dry.

Then the Peacock Pheasant eye was applied and allowed to dry.

The first set of jungle cock eyes were applied and allowed to dry

And finally the last set of jungle cock eyes were added.

I completed the inlay and got to watch Duke and Ohio St. win their conference tournaments and the NCCA tournament brackets announced. Now all have to add are couple coats of CP to the entire inlay allow it to dry over night, apply thread finish and attach the reel seat.

2 coats of flex coat lite were applied to the guide and ferrule wraps.

And to the feather inlay.

The reel seat was then glued on.

All my rods have quite a bit of "MOJO" built into them but again I wanted to add a little extra to this rod so before the butt cap was glued on a mini pink ribbon was inserted into the base of the rod.

Attach the butt cap and the rod is ready to fish.

Here it is, the finished rod with rod sock and rod tube. You could be the owner of this high performance one of a kind, beautiful fly rod and at the same time help with the the fantastic work being done by Casting for Recovery. Please bid generously during the Spring 2011 on line AUCTION held May 2 thru May 13.

For more pictures of the finished rod go to my web site, by clicking on the banner at the top of the page, then go to Gallery 6

To see how the grip was constructed, click on making the grip.

Dennis

SELECTING A BLANK FOR YOUR CUSTOM FLY ROD

2010-09-21T19:36:00Z

This is the most critical step in getting that fly rod you will really love. Nothing the rod builder can do will improve the intrinsic qualities of the blank. He can maximize them, but he can’t improve them. This is an area where it doesn’t pay to go cheap. That said lets look at some of the things to consider when selecting your blank.

MATERIAL: Material the blank is made from is a consideration. Graphite, glass or grass (bamboo) are our main choices today. Bamboo will always have it’s advocates because of tradition, and the “feel”. Glass has made a come back because the fiberglass used in today’s rod is not the same as that used in the fifties and sixties and some prefer that “feel” to graphite. But 99% of the time we are going to chose graphite as the material for our blank because it does the job more efficiently than the other materials. All graphite fibers are not the same. Some fibers are stiffer than others. We measure this stiffness by what is called the modulus of the graphite fiber. The higher the modulus the stiffer the fiber. Thus we can gain the stiffness required with less weight. Conversely, the higher the modulus is, the more brittle the fiber and a greater chance of breakage. High modulus graphite is more expensive than lower modulus.The blank manufacturers each have their own proprietary graphite for their blanks and most will not reveal the actual numbers.

POWER: The power of a blank is the stiffness of the blank or the amount of energy required to deflect the blank during casting. The power of a 5 wt. blank can vary from one manufacturer to another. Different models from the same manufacturer, both labeled 5 wt., may have different amounts of power. There is no standard for blanks or rods like there is for fly lines. The power of a blank can be easily determined by looking at the weight / deflection ratio.

ACTION: The action of the blank is where the rod flexes when being deflected. A fast action blank will deflect in the top quarter of the blank, a moderate fast action in the top third, a moderate action in the top half and a slow action throughout the length of the blank. This action is a result of the taper of the blank and/or type (modulus) of graphite used.

LENGTH: Single handed fly rod blanks are usually available from 7 feet to 10 feet. The waters you fish will help you determine which blank will be best for you. Small overgrown streams are easier to fish with shorter rods. Big open waters most often fish better with longer rods. The longer the rod the easier to generate greater line speed thus longer cast. Mending line is easier with a longer rod. Remember that with a longer rod the fish has more mechanical advantage. Length is also important when landing fish. If you are netting your own fish, a rod over 9 feet makes it hard to net without high sticking and the risk of breaking the rod. If you have help netting or can beach your catch a 10 foot rod is not a problem.

NUMBER OF SECTIONS: Is a 2 section rod better than a multi-section rod? In theory a 2 piece rod should cast better than a multi-piece rod, but in reality with today’s ferruling methods most of the time it is hard to tell the difference between a 2pc. and a 4pc.rod. I feel that the taper and graphite type are much more important than the number of sections. I have some 6pc. rods which cast wonderfully and are perfect for the backpacker. The only reason they usually are not the first arrow out of my quiver is it takes a little longer to rig at streamside. All my favorite rods, the ones that I fish (1 – 12wt.) with one exception, are 3 and 4 section rods.

MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY: No one buys a rod with the intension of breaking the rod but accidents do happen. Know what the manufacturers replacement policies are for the blank and what your rod builder will charge to rewrap that section.

These are some very general thoughts on blank selection. If you are a rod builder I’m sure you have some additional thoughts so please share them in the comments section. If you are looking to buy a rod, my advise is to cast as many models from as many manufacturers as you can. See which ones fit your casting style. Then see what your custom rod builder has to offer. If you want to know what I fish go to my web site (harperflyrods.com) by clicking on the banner at the top of the page and selecting “recommendations”. While you are there take a look at some of my custom rods and grips in galleries # 1 and 2. Hope this has helped. Next up, I plan to discuss guide selection. It will be similar to the tip top article.

Thanks for visiting

Dennis

Choice of tip tops for fly rods

2010-03-09T23:52:00Z

Custom rod building is all about choices. We choose the blank based on power, length, and action desired. We choose components based on the choices available and which will best suit our needs. Grip choices are based on style, and size. Considerations in the choice of guides include: wire vs ceramic insert , single foot or double foot, thin or standard wire. Each of these deserves its own separate discussion. which I hope to get to some day. But now I wanted to talk a little about tip tops. Think of a diving board, if you add extra weight at the end of the board you will affect the function of the board in its transmitting power to the diver. He wont go as high with 10 pounds strapped to the bottom of the end of the board as he would without the 10 pounds, if we make it 20 pounds that affect will be even greater. This has to due to damping and resonance frequency, but I don't want to get into the physics of that as I'm a Biologist and not a Physicist. The bottom line is the lighter the tip top the more energy is transfered to the fly line resulting in faster line speed and farther cast. Below is a photo of some of the tip tops we can choose from.

The top row: Over sized wire tip top, three standard wire tip tops with various platings.

The bottom row: Two on the left are metal frame ceramic insert tip tops, third from the left REC Ti -Ni alloy with Al sleeve, on the right is a single foot guide which I sometimes use as a tip top.

The size of the opening of the tip top should be large enough for the easy passage of knots but small enough not to add unnecessary extra weight. In the wire tip tops we have two choices std. or OS. Ceramic inserts give us a range of sizes based on ring size. These ring sizes are based on outside diameter of the ring not the diameter of the opening so there will be some variation between manufacturers and the type of ceramic used.

The effect of weight of the tip top will be related to the power of the blank. If I place a std. wire tip top (.46 grams) on a 6 wt rod it will have less effect than on a 1 or 2 wt. rod. An over size tip top (.55 gm) will affect a 6 wt more than it will a 8 weight. These wire tip top weights are an average of 10 of the std.(.46 gm) and 10 OS (.55 gm) tip tops.

The weight of the ceramic inserts is determined by 2 main factors. the frame material and the size of the ceramic ring. For my study of wt. comparisons of ceramic inserts I chose Fuji TFST ( titanium frame SIC insert ) and Fuji BFAT ( plated steel with Alconite inserts ). A size 6 insert was chosen as it will easily pass all my knots up to a 6 wt. The TFST weighed in at .23 gm. (Half the wt. of the std wire tip top) and the BFAT weighed in at .27 gm. only .04 gm. greater than the titanium frames. Ring size played a far greater role than frame material. In the TFST a 5.5 ring weighted .18 gm compared to the .23 gm of the 6 ring. In the BFAT a 6 ring was .27 gm..The 7 ring was .40 gm. and the 8 ring was .50 gm. Tube diameter of 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 on the BFAT 6 showed no difference in weight on my balance.

The REC std weight was .16 gm. The single foot guide size 1 std weight was .08 gm.

The cost of the tip tops will also play a role in our selection. The cost of a std. hard chrome wire tip top is some where between $1.00 and $1.50. A over size can run up to $1.75. These are the least expensive. The Fuji TFST run about $11.50, the BFAT about $3.50. The REC is $5.50 and the single foot about $.85 to $1.00.

So how do I use this information? It has to be in benefit to cost ratio. On 1 & 2 wt rods I recommend a single foot guide as the tip top. The cost is about the same as a std wire tip top but you save .38 gm. at the end of the rod. You can feel this difference when you cast.

On 3 & 4 wt rods I recommend CFAT ( same as BFAT but in chrome and a few cents more ) this is about a $2.00 up grade over the std. wire tip top, your saving .19 gm. on the end of the rod. You may be able to feel this difference but it can be easily seen by doing a resonance frequency comparison. The REC would be a good choice if it weren't so ugly and noisy. On 5 & 6 wt rods. you probably won't notice the difference in casting if you go with either CFAT or std wire tip top. At this point is .19 gm. worth $2.00 to you. On 7,8 and 9 wt rods our choice would be OS wire or size 7 CFAT tip top. Our wt savings is .15 gm. again at a cost of about $2.00.

The above picture shows the various tip tops installed on the rods. On the left is an 8 wt. with an OS wire tip top, large enough opening for all my knots it include shooting heads. Next is a 7 wt. with a size 7 ceramic insert, again large enough for shooting head connections and knots. These are followed by a 5 & 6 wt. with sdt. size wire tip tops. Because of the power of these blanks, I felt I could add a decorative wrap to the top with little or no affect on the blank. These wraps are purely decorative and have no other function. The next are 4 wt with a BFAT size 6 and a 3 wt. with a TFST size 6 ceramic insert. No decorative wrap was added to minimize the weight at the tip top. The far right are 1 & 2 wt. rods with a single foot guide was used as the tip top.

The addition of any weight to the blank will decrease the resonance frequency. thus reducing the energy transmitted to the line, reducing the line speed potential of the blank and thus distance of the cast. Since the tip top is at the end of our long lever its weight will have a greater effect than the other guides which are closer to the butt of the rod.

In the real world if you put a std. wire tip top on 1 or 2 wt. you won't ruin the rod, however you will decrease the potential of that blank. Will this make a difference to the fisherman? Probably not. I know that I'm the "limiting factor" when it comes to casting, not the tip top or any of the other components but at the same time it's nice to know that your rod was built to reach its greatest potential.

Hope this gives you some ideas about tip top selection on your next rod, or was this just another discussion of "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin". Let me know. Just hit the add comment below and leave your opinion.

Thanks Dennis

Rod building program

2009-10-02T17:02:00Z

JUST A NOTE!

John Fleisher of 'Fish Tale Tackle' and I will be presenting a program on custom rod building. The program will be at the regular monthly meeting of the South Coast Chapter of TU, Monday, October 12th at 7:00 p.m. at the Duck Club in Irvine,CA. Lots of good information on how to build your own fly rod. Hope to see you there.

Dennis

Guide Foot Preparation

2009-07-03T13:11:00Z

Several years ago on one of the rod building boards someone ask what was the least favorite part of building the rod. The answers that came back were overwhelming "guide foot preparation" ... almost everyone agreed that this, while not fun, is one of the most important steps in making a good looking rod. It is what allows a smooth transition of the thread from the blank to the guide foot. Most guides, just out of the box, are going to need some prep work.

When I started building rods, I used a small tooth-file but soon moved to a Dremel tool with a fine grinding stone attachment. It went much faster and gave me better and smoother results. Be careful when doing this because you can take off a lot of material in a short time. Go slow and easy! I strive to get a "U" shape on the end of the guide and extend the length of the ramp up the guide foot. If the guides are large I will take off the shoulders so as not to create a tunnel between the thread and the guides. This makes the thread finish application easier and look better.

After you finish the top of the guide foot be sure to check for any burrs on the edges and on the bottom of the guide. These can scratch or damage the blank and must be removed. 600 grit wet/dry sand paper is good for this but it can be done with the Dremel if you are very, very careful.

The photos below are before and after shots of Fuji BLAG #6 single foot and a BLNAG # 12 stripper.

After the guide feet have been dressed, I use a black sharpie to color the feet. This hides the ground area under the thread after the flex coat has been applied. Good guide foot preparation is not something you see on a finished rod, but lack of it will be very obvious.

Hope this has been helpful, please comment, and let me know if there are any topics you would like to see addressed. Thanks for taking the time to read this

Dennis

1st blog entry

2009-06-27T16:06:00Z

WELCOME,

Welcome to my blog. This is my first attempt at bloging and I’m not too sure where this project is going to go yet. But as the sub-title says “random thoughts of a rod builder” is my attempt to talk about my rod building philosophy, experiences, successes, failures, techniques, tips and any other related aspect of the craft (art). I’m a fly-fisherman and I build mainly fly rods but the techniques are basically the same for all fishing rods. I'm not a production builder, but more of a craftsman who wants to build the best tool for the job and add a little art in the process. I want my end product to have a little of "me" and "who I am" expressed in it.

To start, let me tell you why I started rod building. In all honesty, it was based on economics. I could get more kinds of fly rods for the money I had available to spend on the sport and to have the exact rod I wanted for the different waters I fish. Also catching a fish on a rod that you built, on a fly you tied, is a much greater thrill than doing it with equipment bought at a fly shop.

I hope to add to this blog on a regular basis giving tips, techniques and such. Let me know what you think of my website or the direction you would like to see this blog go. Thanks for taking the time to read this and please comment.

Dennis