Purpose-built Rods -Part 2 Building a) The Butt end

[wazatherfisherman]

There are plenty of advantages in making your own rod other than building it for the exact purpose you want it for. Have you ever bought a rod that although works how you'd expect it to, just doesn't seem to feel 'right' when you hold it? The most likely causes of this can usually be attributed to things like: it's either top or bottom heavy, the grips are too long or short, there aren't enough guides, or the most common of all- the rod has been built at about 90 degrees off it's 'backbone'.

What is a backbone? A backbone (also called 'spine') is the invisible 'join-line' of the materials used in rod blank construction and all fibreglass and graphite rods have at least one which is dominant. They are pretty much a straight line that travels the entire length of the blank, from tip to butt. When the blank is put under even a minimal curve or load, the backbone naturally turns to be on the underside or ground-side. This natural turning occurrence remains true for the life of the blank, however, it does not change position from it's original location.

Why is this important?  There are several reasons this can be important

a) the blank will pull naturally to have the backbone underside and if the guides have been placed on the 'side' of the build it will be evident in the feel while holding it as there will always be a 'pull' back to the underside. This is more of a 'comfortability' and alignment feel than a flaw in the functionality of the finished rod.

b) it determines which side of the blank the runners go on- if building for spinning reels, centrepins, fly reels or side-cast reels the guides are set up on the underside of the blank- if building for bait-cast, overhead or spin-cast reels that are seated on the 'top' of the rod, the guides are placed on the opposite or top of the blank with the backbone on the underside.

c) the rod tip will naturally return/recover from it's casting flex to realign itself with the backbone, if for example the guides have been placed on the 'side' then the tip will recover sideways after casting which can cause 'line-slap' sideways -this might be of minimal concern, however as most casting is done with an 'up-down' trajectory, you will lose some distance as the friction caused by sideways movement is opposed to the 'up-down' movement.

d) rods built  on the backbone seem (in my opinion!) to retain their shape far longer and also last longer. Although I can't provide any hard evidence of this, trust me, rods built on the correct alignment spine-wise have always lasted longer- this statement is based upon comparison of a couple of 'shelf rods' I owned including a Butterworth 'Super Barra' with spinning reel mount and the same rod blank that I built myself for an Alvey only a couple of months later. The latter used far more often and caught 10 times more fish lasted years longer- the reason? The shelf rod had guides fixed at pretty much 90 degrees to the backbone, putting that extra bit of stress on it against the natural curve.

Most shelf rods were not built on the backbone, rather, wherever the mass-producing builder put them, with no regard to checking. As I haven't bought a shelf rod for many years, I can't attest to manufacturers now building on backbones or not- they certainly never used to. As @DerekD said in his great post about buying a new rod, when buying a built rod off the shelf/rack, the best advice is to handle a few carefully before choosing, to ascertain the individual feel of them, as there is often major 'feel' differences between the same rods- possibly attributed to not being built on the backbone. 

There has always been the argument that a rod will generally 'realign' itself after a reel has been seated in it's winch fitting. This is true to an extent, provided that the guides aren't affixed at too radical an angle, because the weight of the reel will negate the alignment somewhat. A simple test of gently bending the rod prior to reel being attached will provide the evidence by feel- try it! The backbone is not a moveable thing, but the 'realignment' with reel is about weight and not changing the invisible backbone.

BUILDING

OK, technical stuff aside, it really isn't that difficult to build yourself a nice rod, so let's go through the steps to do so.

What you'll need: Blank, Winch fitting (reel seat), 2 x Grips- or 3 for split-but, Butt Cap, Guides and Tip, Marking Pen/pencil, 25mm wide Masking Tape, Clear thin Sellotape about 10mm wide, Guide Binding thread, Rod Filler (thread sealer), 2 part rod epoxy, one sided razor blade, scissors, 5c coin, Araldite (24hr 2 part) small mixing containers for epoxy, piece of harder plastic/cardboard for mixing glue, 2 x small brushes for epoxy, a couple of small mixing sticks. 

The backbone is very easy to locate on a blank, simply put the butt against a solid surface at about 90 degrees (similar to 'fishing-position') and gently bend the tip over with one hand while holding the rod by placing your other hand almost flat on the underside, the pressure of the bend will 'roll' the blank to have the backbone on the underside. Mark it with either a non-permanent marker or a couple of thin strips of masking tape so you know where it is for later.

After choosing a blank and finding and marking the backbone, you need to decide where you want the reel to sit, this will determine what grip configuration options are available to you and provide an idea of guide positioning. Things to consider with reel location and grips are:

a) reel type you are intending to use most frequently/or always use

b) is the rod to be used as a 'single-handed' or 'double-handed' rod casting wise? If single handed the distance between reel seat and butt of rod will be quite short- usually under 35cm. If double handed generally between 35-55cm. By placing your hands where they are comfortable in the position you like to cast from determines where/how long this needs to be.

c) do you want a single-piece rear grip or split configuration? For rods being continually placed in rod holders (eg for 'set' bait fishing) using a single piece rear grip provides complete cushioning of the blank and more protection from possible rod holder damage/marking, whereas for rods used primarily for casting (eg lure fishing) a split grip might be a better option due to slightly reduced weight (with less actual grip material) and no real use for an entire length grip. 

d) blank's taper and power eg if medium-fast taper, your guide position in relation to the point that is the most powerful/where the blank ceases bending

e) you may just prefer the look/feel/weight/ of one style over the other. 

Once you've decided on what configuration you want and the components you've decided on, lay everything out beside the blank to get a 'visual' of what it will look like once finished. This is the time to make any decisions about possible changes or alterations. If you're happy with where your reel will sit and the position/s of the grips either side of it you are almost right to begin assembly. If building a split rear grip, a piece of masking tape around the blank where each grip begins and ends is a good visual aid and makes for easy reference when preparing to glue your parts on this end.

As you're always building from butt end towards tip, the first thing placed is the end cap/butt cap. Most end caps go over the outside of the blank (there are some that fit on the inside but for descriptive purposes we're using an 'outside' type) so in order for a great fit try to buy a cap that is only marginally larger internal diameter than the external diameter of the blank. Personally, I like to have at least a few revolutions of masking tape on the blank under the cap to act as a buffer between the cap and blank because this is the area that is constantly in use- either at rest or when out fishing, this is the ground contact point. Use the masking tape to build the blank up to have the cap fit snugly- in some instances you may need to trim the width of the masking tape to match the fit. Using equal parts of the Araldite mixed to a 'creamy' consistency, coat the tape all over and push the cap on.

Next thing is to glue the bottom grip on. As the most common grip material these days is EVA it's necessary to buy grips that have only marginally smaller internal diameters than the blank, there is a small amount of stretch in EVA allowing for a tight fit (which is ideal) but it isn't as pliable as the old Hypalon we used to use. For a snug fit with Hypalon we used to immerse the grips in solvent for a minute or two prior to sliding them onto the glue covered section of blank and this made them really stretchy for a few minutes before they regained their solidity, this process didn't affect the Araldite either and you got a tight bond. If your grip is hard to slide on the last few inches then a small amount of lubrication such as soapy water or detergent can be used to help slide.

Some builders maintain that the Araldite itself will be sufficient as a 'sliding aid' and there are a few other tricks like soaking the grips in really hot water (even microwaving them!) that work, but measuring properly when buying components is the best practice. Make sure to lightly coat the entire section of blank that the grip will sit on so no part of it will be able to move once the glue has set. By pre-marking with masking tape you know where all the grips and winch-fitting are going to sit. This is important because if you have had to pressure/compress your grip to slide it into position, when it slowly 'decompresses' it may have moved slightly from where you want it to be. The masking tape 'markers' indicate this accurately.

Next is the winch: the most common (and economical) type of winch is the graphite type and they are available in a large range of internal diameter sizes. When looking at winch internal diameters, best practice is to choose a size which is slightly smaller external diameter than your grips, but with enough room internally to leave space for some packing for it to sit on. For packing, the easiest and most economical way is to use the masking tape.

Starting at the grip end, wrap a ring of masking tape neatly over itself and continue until you can only just slide the end of the winch over the ring (which should be at least 2mm or more in thickness) then slide the winch back off and repeat the process so you have a bed of about 4 rings of tape that you can slide the winch over. There's no need to do a solid bed of tape, if you measure out the distance that four rings of tape will need, there will be space in between, as most winches are about 125-140mm long and four rings of your 25mm tape equal 100mm. Just space the tape fairly evenly WITHOUT going even a tiny bit past the length of your winch -or you'll have to muck around cutting any protruding tape off so you can fit the next grip snug against the winch.

Coat the tape rings and their edges with Araldite and prepare to slide the winch on, it should go on really firmly but will slide over the glue. BEFORE pushing the winch on CHECK THE MARKINGS YOU MADE FOR THE BACKBONE! If the build is for an overhead type reel- the winch needs to sit on the top of the backbone with hoods up on top, if for other types of reel then the backbone is aligned for the bottom and the hoods (that the reel foot sits in) face directly down. Once the winch has been aligned with the backbone and pushed into place on the glued tape, excess glue will be pushed into the cavities between tape rings. No more need to be concerned about the backbone now as the winch hoods will indicate where it is.

One thing to keep in mind when choosing winch location is which side of the tightening nut do you want the reel to sit on? If you have the nut-thread at the top then obviously your reel sits just above the bottom grip, if the other way around, the reel sits just below the foregrip. In years past there was a trend to have the thread on the underside because the natural pressure of 'gravity' from top downwards helped maintain the lock of the nut and often winches were supplied with 'double locking nuts', however, with todays winches, this is less of a consideration due to well grooved and attached hoods and better tightness tolerances. 

After the winch is on, apply the same procedure as earlier to put the foregrip on- Araldite the entire surface the grip will sit on and immediately remove any excess that accumulates after pushing the grip down. A good idea is to place a couple of rings of tape on the winch end to prevent any soiling from the Araldite then remove it and dispose of the tape and excess glue. Leave the rod for about 24 hours while the glue hardens properly.

PART 3 G 

Examples of different grip configurations from top down: Full length double-handed, long single-handed, split grip overhead mount with winding check trim, double-handed spinning reel mount with screw thread above reel- has bottom spacer tube and top of split is a bind-on trim, same style with thread below reel and bound trim, double-handed with lower spacer tube reinforcement, single handed split butt with spacer tube, bottom one I haven't decided yet but probably short butt.

These are just some examples of different looking butt styles, they are really up to the individual's choice- the beauty of building yourself gives a huge variety of options, from basic like the top two or with 'rod-bling' bits to complement the build.

PART 3 -GUIDES, PLACEMENT, WRAPPING and FINISHING to follow shortly

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by wazatherfisherman

[noelm]

Great description, having done this process myself hundreds of times, I doubt I could explain the process like you have, top marks.....

[noelm]

Remember back in the "old days" when coloured Hypalon grips hit the scene? I built my wife a white JS980 with green grips and yellow and green binding, very flash looking, turning the grips down in a home made "lathe" to shape them nice and neat? I still have a white JS980 that I built sometime in the '80s with black and silver binding, then rebuilt it later in Maroon binding for my grandson as a "keepsake"

[wazatherfisherman]

21 minutes ago, noelm said:

Remember back in the "old days" when coloured Hypalon grips hit the scene? I built my wife a white JS980 with green grips and yellow and green binding, very flash looking, turning the grips down in a home made "lathe" to shape them nice and neat? I still have a white JS980 that I built sometime in the '80s with black and silver binding, then rebuilt it later in Maroon binding for my grandson as a "keepsake"

Hi Noel I remember when coloured Hypalon came out and it was the 'thing' I have some EVA in orange that I got to put on a purple blank- looked too weird so I put black on. My rod lathe is over 20 years old and I wouldn't risk the motor sanding EVA on it now. Still have 3 x JS980's - 1 each spin and o/h and 1 half done to be finished 'one of these days' LOL

[Green Hornet]

Good stuff Waza and very well explained. I still have a couple of books on rod building by Dale Clemens that went into great detail on the subject, but the best publication for a rod building "newby" was the magazine style "Rod Crafter" by Ian Miller, which I also still have. Not only did this magazine clearly explain the process, it had some great "recipes" for builds as well.

There were so many ways of fixing hypalon/duralon/EVA grips to the blank. I used to swish a bit of metho around in my grips before sliding them down over the epoxy. I even used PVA glue once on the grips of rod that I own to this day and they're still solid as a rock.

[wazatherfisherman]

30 minutes ago, Green Hornet said:

Good stuff Waza and very well explained. I still have a couple of books on rod building by Dale Clemens that went into great detail on the subject, but the best publication for a rod building "newby" was the magazine style "Rod Crafter" by Ian Miller, which I also still have. Not only did this magazine clearly explain the process, it had some great "recipes" for builds as well.

There were so many ways of fixing hypalon/duralon/EVA grips to the blank. I used to swish a bit of metho around in my grips before sliding them down over the epoxy. I even used PVA glue once on the grips of rod that I own to this day and they're still solid as a rock.

Hi Pete I still have Dale Clemens book Custom Rod Thread Art which is a great book on binding. I've written down my recipes in a note pad for easy reference also, so no mucking around with guide spacings any more I thought -until Microwave guides arrived and changed all that!

I also used metho as well as solvent but found the latest EVA from the USA doesn't seem to stretch very much, which I suppose is good for longevity but heaps harder to slide over larger diameters.

I once slid a new rear grip Hypalon on from the butt so as to avoid taking the runners off a 9108 -it was a mighty stretch but a few minutes in the solvent and it stretched like a rubber band and went on easily, would never attempt that with the new stuff.

I bought a bulk-buy of tapered EVA grips a few years ago and although real nice 'solid' quality, I've had a few problems pushing them on over larger diameters and had to ream them out a fair bit for easier application, which is time consuming.

[Green Hornet]

Waza, I have an old, 10 foot, Shimano Tiralejo which is a great blank with top quality guides, but originally had this horrible, sliding reel seat which would slip when pushed hard on a good fish.

I rebuilt the butt end on that rod as well from the back with EVA grips and a Fuji pipe style reel seat. Luckily there wasn't too much taper down low and like you, used thinner ID grips than normal and plenty of epoxy to get the job done. 

It turned a average rod into one of my all time favourites. 

[Rebel]

Super story.

Great Info.

Thank you.