rod pics

[drowned minnow]

some rods I twisted up for the girls

cork handles and some marbling

[upnorth]

Pretty cool stuff. Is that paint on your butt wraps? If so what are you using?

I also like the details in the cork handles. Did you buy or make the jigs for cutting the cork?

[Scupper]

Very nice.

Thanks for sharing and please give some hints as to your technics for marbling.

[drowned minnow]

Yaw have some jigs for slicing the cork to make checker pieces

( pie type ) and also for making thin accent rings, miter/compound saw for different angles ( cut-glue and cut-glue

for the pattern you want ) shape the handles on a drill press as I don't have a lathe, the plugs for the handles I used some small

diameter brass tubing ( sharped the ends with a file & sand paper while chucked up in drill press ) then just cut some plugs

from different colored cork for the look/pattern you want.

Size "A" thread at the butt wraps with added accent thread then some Testors paint mixed with rod finish and glitter dust for the flames above the wraps.

Lots of info out there, if you have any questions send me a PM and I will try to answer them.

[Scupper]

Thank you drowned minnow...

[frogtosser]

wow I would hate to get those dirty, very nice work.

[harvey lee]

Seems to me they might be a wall piece as they look sooo nice.

Great job.

[drowned minnow]

Thank You all for your kind words.

The recipients also said they where going to use them for there decor. Guess I won't know how they fish.

[crazyice]

I've built some very nice rods for myself and others that five years ago I would have been scared to fish with due to the looks and the price of them. But I soon learned that these custom rods, while expensive and "shiny" looking, definately fish better than any rod you could buy in the store. That is as long as they are built properly.

[CNY Tim]

drowned minnow - Your an artist plain and simple. Hey nice shadow box in the background there, prior service?

[drowned minnow]

crazyice - I agreezz, spine um then set up on new guide concept.

CNY - Thank You

[Mike Wallace]

Here is the 8'6" Split Grip Muskie Rod project I have drying. Only thing missing is signature.

My buddy wanted something unique. Here is what we ended up with:

Components are a 24mm Fuji Reel Seat, Heavy Duty Boat Guides, and Syncork Grip:

Next I shaped the Syncork (Neat stuff to work with):

Fit and epoxied to the rod (7/8" outside diameter on the blank, 6" rear grip, 4" seat grip, and 5" foregrip):

Started the split grip wrap - fade from silver to orange and back to silver (I learned a lot trying to get this to look okay):

Finished, the split grip looks like this (the colors actually kind of grew on me):

Guide wraps had the same theme:

Finished with the hook keeper inserted into the stipper wrap itself (I like the hook keeper up by the first guide):

Hardest part for me will be the signature - I can't ever seem to do an decent job on that.

Mike Wallace

[upnorth]

Nicely done! One thing that is nice when working with the heavier rods you can get away with putting some extra stuff on the guide wraps and not have to worry about adding weight to the tip end of the rod and ruin the action and deaden the sensitivity.

[crazyice]

Very cool. Do you use the silver as an underwrap on the fading then?

[Scupper]

Mike Wallace,

Have you incorporated "Mouse Traps" as a thread tensioning device?

Nice looking wrap...

[Mike Wallace]

crazyice,

The wraps are actually over and under one another. Both the orange and silver are still on the spool. When it is time to lay orange down, I brought it from underneath the silver and then buried the silver for a few turns and then bring silver back on top.

Scupper,

Why yes I do have a couple mousetraps. I like them for the metallics because I can't put as much tension on them. I also have two 1/4" threaded rods mounted horizontal between them for the nylon.

[Scupper]

Brilliant, Mike Wallace.

[FXDI35er]

drowned, where did you get the monster agates?

ps nice rod too!

[drowned minnow]

FXD135er thanks for the compliment agates, sorry I keep locations quiet as it's gotten harder to find places to go or get permission from land owners, but what I could suggest is to look for a tilled field that looks like it mite have agates and ask for permission, the fewer the people the better your chances of getting on, Good Luck and remember to Thank them.