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PeteSorensen · #1 02-27-2000, 10:35 PM

Had my first class with Smitty at the Rod Builders Workshop in Kingston. Changed my mind on the handle and the guides I was going to use. I made a handle out of burled cork yesterday. Looks better than the pre-formed white cork and it is way more durable. My friend George's dad gave me his old Renzetti Rod Builders Lathe and I have been having some great fun with it. Here are pictures of the wrapping lathe and the turning attachments. If anyone else out there has one of these, can you get in touch with me. I would like to talk about some techniques you may have acquired. <html>
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gregk · #2 03-01-2000, 10:00 AM

Pete,
No tips for that neat lathe but here is something to try;
order an extra stripper and put it ~ 4" after the first one, (if the first is size 20, then the "extra" stripper should be a 16) Make some quick wraps and try it out in the backyard. This is an old trick custom builders have been doing for a while, theory says that it extrudes the line after the first guide and drastically cuts down on line slap,(ie friction) It looks weird but it added 6-10' on my cast) I did this on my glx 10' 10 wt I built last year. If you fish SH's then this will not matter as much.
Good luck,
greg

kirkb · #3 03-01-2000, 10:59 PM

Pete- Glad to hear you are working on the rod and lathe. It is a great feeling to catch fish on rods you have built and with flies you have tied. I wish you all the best.

Greg is offering some great advice. I have been doing that for a while now on all rods over 7 weights, as it does not seem to be as beneficial on the lower weight rods. Probably has to do with the fact that we don't double haul as often with rods in that weight class and therefore are not creating a large "angle" between our line hand and the first guide. When that happens the line tends to move through the stripper guide at an angle and "out" the other side before it is gathered in by the second stripper. Someone who keeps their hands in tight while casting will not notice the difference as much as someone who is a little wilder with their line and rod hand. I love it and what is so nice about it is that if you like it you can retro-fit your current rods. From what I have gathered the process was started some years ago by a gentleman somewhere in Europe. It was first written up and shared as 100mm from the center of the first stripper guide which fits with the approx. 4 inches that Greg spoke of. ENJOY!!!
Kirk Brumels

PeteSorensen · #4 03-02-2000, 09:59 PM

I put on the cork handle and the reel seat on Monday. I shaped the cork (full wells)on Wednesday and took it over to Smitty tonight to have him check it out. I made the handle from cork rings instead of using the pre-formed grip I bought at the show and I am so glad I did. The burled cork handle is a thing of beauty. Smitty was very impressed with the finished product and believe me, he would tell me he didn't think much of it. The lathe & tool rest made it relatively easy to sand/shape the cork. I had the grip I bought and I measured it w/ vernier calipers and made mine slightly larger in all measurements since I have a large hand. I am going to get together with Smitty again on Saturday morning to put a butt wrap on and get started on the guides. I'll keep you posted. So far this is a real blast, I can't wait to fish this rod. {:-))

Rocky · #5 03-04-2000, 04:17 PM

Peety.....just finished wrapping the guides on my 7 wt. Wished I did something w/the preformed grip now that I see how nice the wrapping came out. I didn't have high expectations for my first attempt but Kirk taught us well. Anyway it's a lot of fun eh? Enjoy!
Rocky

TomDunlap · #6 03-04-2000, 09:17 PM

Greg, I have never heard of this one. I am building the same
rod as pete, can you clarify the other stripper for me? as it is say i have a sz 20 at 76inches and a sz 16 at 62 where would i put the other one? also i am in the middle of working on a 7 wt imx 9'6" for the salt, would you put one on this? and what size?

PeteSorensen · #7 03-05-2000, 09:51 PM

I am only using two strippers. A 20 at 78", a 16 at 68 1/4" and a #6 snake at 58 7/8. Most of the time I use a shooting head so I am going to pass on the modification mentioned by Kirk in a previous post. I will probably try it on my next 9wt. I finished my wicked awesome butt wrap today and I am going to start the guides tomorrow.

kirkb · #8 03-05-2000, 10:31 PM

Tom- Thought I would take the liberty to answer your question. The extra stripping guide would be the same as your second one (in your case a size 16) and is located 100mm toward the tip from your first stripper. It looks different, but if you can get past that I think you will like it. Tape it on and try it and then tape it onto any rod you already have and see if it makes a difference with them. That way you may notice more of a difference since you are more familiar with the rods you have owned already. I am glad Greg mentioned this in his post, because it is a great idea that I have found to help time and time again. Not a huge difference, but definitely one for the better. Good luck and let us know what you think.