[ckalanik]

ive been reading a lot about rod building and im about to start my first rod. ive seen directions saying to put the reel seat on at the beginning, and directions saying wait till the end. which way is best?

[ikewalton]

Hey CK. I 've been building for a few years, and have found that by putting the reel seat on last the last few inches of the butt that are exposed can more easily put into the rod turner when wrapping/epoxying/drying. Otherwise, you've got to get the butt into the holder and sometimes it doesn't hold securely and falls out while the epoxy is drying. That can be a real mess. I also remember how frustrating it could be holding the guides in place. I use pieces of very small round elastic I get at the local fabric shop. Just tie 2 pieces onto the rod where the guide will go and slip the loops over the feet. Cut em off when done. Works much better than tape, rubber bands or hot glue. You can put em all on, line em all up and wind away.

Good Luck. Ike

[ckalanik]

thanx ike!
ill be sure to check out those elastic bands before i start wrapping. my only question is, by putting the reel seat on last, you cant get that tappered affect on the inside like with the grip. doesnt that make it a poor glueing surface?

[mojo]

Originally Posted by ckalanik

thanx ike!
ill be sure to check out those elastic bands before i start wrapping. my only question is, by putting the reel seat on last, you cant get that tappered affect on the inside like with the grip. doesnt that make it a poor glueing surface?

What exactly do you mean by "tappered affect on the inside like with the grip"?
Are you talking about tapering the inside of the wooden insert (if you use wood)?
If that's what you mean, most reel seat inserts don't fit the blank anyway.
You have to take up the "space"- the difference between the O.D. of the blank and the inside diameter of the seat insert. It's called an arbor. Some people use masking tape, some use fiberglass drywall tape. I wrap cotton string around the blank. Build up the string and use an epoxy that takes a few hours to dry (and it usually only takes one wrap of string). The section of the blank from the grip on down to the end of the butt section gets Scotchbrited to take the gloss off-that way the cork gets a good adhering surface, the epoxy soaks thru the cotton string and the reel seat get slid on. Never had one come apart and if makes for a good fit.
On the glass rods I build, the butt section is a lot larger than the reel seat inserts i.d.'s I use.
I cut off 3 ½"- usually the length of the insert, off the butt section, epoxy in an old piece of rod I have laying around- it goes just about up to where the front of the grip will be-and then I'm able to use a nicer wooden reelseat. I've used wrapping thread on that to build up before. Sometimes I have the grip epoxied on, epoxy the reel seat on with a few inches sticking out the end, wrap the butt section, cut off the glass or graphite insert even with the end of the reel seat. Then I epoxy the butt cap on.
Simple.