Rod Building Set - Fishing Product Review

More of this Feature • Part 1  The Kit • Part 2 - The Tools • Part 3 - Starting the Rod • Part 4 - Finishing the Job    Product Reviews Library  Join the Discussion "I want your reviews, too!" Ronnie   Related Resources • Cabellas • St Croix Rods    Email Your Comments • Email me your additions to this review and I will add them to it.

Part 3 - Starting the Rod

F.R. "Fritz" Nordengren
Producer - Co Founder
New Media for Non Profits
www.nmnp.org

Artie says the average rod can be built in 2 hours over a few days. I did mine in about 3 hours – mostly because I worked a few minutes at a time, and then went back to other chores.

After finding the rod’s spine and marking it, I used the rod reamers to expand the cork handles to the right size for the rod butt. The reaming was rough on my hands – in the future, I may invest in a ¼ inch round file to make it easier. The blisters will heal in a few days. 

After test fitting the handle components, I slid them into place and glued them with the 5-minute epoxy included in the St Croix kit. After that, I attached the tip –top and then marked the location of each guide. The instructions included easy to follow measurements for a number of rod and guide styles.

With each guide held in place by masking tape, I began winding thread around the feet of the guides. Here is where the Rod Wrapper made the job easy, holding the rod in padded cradles and having a thread tension bobbin to make the wrapping go smooth.

When wrapped, the next step is to apply a color preserver to the thread so it looks good for years to come. Here’s the only complaint I have with the kit: The instructions say the kit includes "No Color Preserver" thread – meaning it doesn’t need color preserver. And they don’t include color preserver in the kit. However, my kit had standard thread – so in a few seasons, I expect it will fade. I’ll order color preserver for my next rod.

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