Just finished 1st build for someone other than myself

[Elliott5400]

Friend asked me very short notice if I could build a rod for his wife, for their anniversary. I originally said I can't make it happen that short notice but he said I'm the only one who can make it happen.

A couple overnight shipments later, and well I made it happen.

Over the years this is my 3rd rod completed. The 1st 2 I built were very basic no frills, made to fish. So I used those 2 hardcore and didn't see a need to build more yet. This rod here is by far my best work yet. Thought I don't currently build a ton of rods (yet) I spent a lot of time with minutes before bed watching technique videos and browsing forum posts, which greatly helped me prepare for this build.

Once the rod is cured, I will be taking professional photos of rhe entire deal and update back here.

 

[Chris54]

Wow!!!! This is awesome!!
Nice work on the writing.

 

[Elliott5400]

Wow!!!! This is awesome!!
Nice work on the writing.

I had to contract my gf to do the writing. 2nd line has a slight twist but still looks great. Not bad for a first attempt.

Next time a finer point pen would be better. I used a Deco color extra fine paint pen and was still a bit too thick.

Thanks for checking it out.

 

[herkileez]

Nicely done. The finish looks great on the wraps.

 

[Elliott5400]

Nicely done. The finish looks great on the wraps.

Appreciate the feedback! Thanks for checking out the build.

 

[Buzzy]

I agree with herk, the finish on the wraps looks great.

 

[JACKspASS]

Very nice! Your thread work looks tight and clean, I like the single accent wrap. I have done a few builds and it is very rewarding.

@Elliott5400 Did you notice much of a cost savings building it yourself versus buying the same rod stock? I was somewhat discouraged by the price of nice components

 

[Elliott5400]

I agree with herk, the finish on the wraps looks great.

It's the most stressful part sometimes.

Trying to make sure any bubbles get taken care of and that no debris lands on them while drying.

This is a different kind of finish I am using vs when I first started, and I'm liking it a lot!

 

[Buzzy]

What are you using for coating? Do you have a motor for turning or you followed the "rotate every XX minutes"?

 

[Elliott5400]

Very nice! Your thread work looks tight and clean, I like the single accent wrap. I have done a few builds and it is very rewarding.

@Elliott5400 Did you notice much of a cost savings building it yourself versus buying the same rod stock? I have built a few myself and was somewhat discouraged by the price of nice components, again, job well done

The cost of the build really depends how cheap of a blank you can find.

In this case the blank alone was about $100.

In general I'm building 4-6wt fly rods for myself and I've always been able to build them under $100.

Even with cheaper blanks I still find the rod performs fantastic. Plus you can add all kinds of finishing touches and nobody would ever know you used a "budget" blank.

 

[Elliott5400]

What are you using for coating? Do you have a motor for turning or you followed the "rotate every XX minutes"?

Coating I am currently using is U-40 duragloss LS supreme and I like it a lot.
I have a very early model (first 300 made judging by the serial number) Custom Power Rod Wrapper w/ heavy duty chuck capable of turning cork. It also has a drying motor built into it. I got this machine in excellent working condition on Craigslist a few years ago. I paid $150-200. The new models are over $2k to get setup with the HD chuck I believe.

While the wrapper is powered by foot pedal, I often find myself just turning the thread by hand while it is held in the wrapper stands. Wrapping clean wraps fast by power is another art of itself.

 

[JACKspASS]

The cost of the build really depends how cheap of a blank you can find.

In this case the blank alone was about $100.

In general I'm building 4-6wt fly rods for myself and I've always been able to build them under $100.

Even with cheaper blanks I still find the rod performs fantastic. Plus you can add all kinds of finishing touches and nobody would ever know you used a "budget" blank.

I think you nailed it, the blank drives most of the cost. I built a Sage 0 for a friend and it was spendy. My 50$ rainshadow 5wt was cheap but I was ultimately happy with it's performance

 

[Elliott5400]

I think you nailed it, the blank drives most of the cost. I built a Sage 0 for a friend and it was spendy. My 50$ rainshadow 5wt was cheap but I was ultimately happy with it's performance

Rainshadow is what I first built on, I like them a lot. Also a fan of Pacbay QuickLine fast action blanks.

I'm sure those Sage blanks are great, but the price of the blanks alone are really high.