7ft Nitro blanks

Hi everybody!!!

I picked up 2 7ft Nitro blanks yesterday ( 1 for me, and 1 for my mate as a birthday prezzy) and I plan on building them up. They came with the grips and the reel seats. I have also got a dodgy rod spit roast that my old man fashioned up.

I have a couple of questions for those of you who have dabbled in rod building…

1. I am considering dying the cork red. Has anyone ever done this? Will it wear off after a wile?
2. I also want to balance the rod by putting weight in the but, what do you use for this?
3. Where do you guys by your guides from? Is there an on line shop that has better prices then the tackle shops?
4. Should I use the same guides that Nitro use, ie. size, type and spacing? Or can I toss it up a bit, wind knot resistant guides?
5. Is the Erskine resin the best stuff to use? Is there any brand of thread that is better than the others?
6. Any other little tips that you think a beginner should know 

Any help would be appreciated, thanks guys and girls!

[splashy]

Hi Brimia - welcome to the addictive world of rod building.
To answer your questions:
1: hmmmm, don't know, but being timber I'm sure it can be done. I prefer EVA on my light spin rods
2: There are two ways. Traditionally you use a heavier rubber rod butt. But this presumes you know what weight to use. If you want to be adjusting it, there are some specific weighting systems to use. Maybe Matagi have them. Check out the Matagi website (just do a search) and have a look at their catalogue. Otherwise, give Ross at The Rod Works a call - www.therodworks.com.au - he's a really helpful guy and may be able to order them in for you.
3: I source my gear from either www.therodworks.com.au or www.mudhole.com There are others around.
4:You can use whatever guides you want. One of the benefits of building your own rod is that you can customise/upgrade to whatever you want. I'd suggest start with the Nitro sizing and spacing. And then put a reel on, thread some line thru the tapped on guides and do a static load test. This means checking the look of the angle of the line at each guide. If it looks too sharp, adjust the spacings to even it out.
5: IMHO Erskine resin can be really touching with the measurements. Get a syringe and measure your amounts EXACTLY and you should be fine. Don't forget to heat up each bottle (soak in hot water for 5 mins) and you should be fine.
6: I was told by a rod builder to match the brand of thread colour preserver with the brand of the resin. Not sure if this is necessary.
See if you can find a copy of Australian Rod Crafter. Keep an eye on ebay as they usually pop up there from time to time. Has heaps of tips as well as a truck load of recipes.
Take your time and enjoy. Is very cool fun to spin up a rod and then to go and catch a fish and find out it ACTUALLY WORKS!!!!

[-Pivot-]

I would imagine that dying cork will end up with a un-controllable outcome. As in, Some places may have pure red blog's and may have some lighter and dark spots. Althoug, having neer done this I can't be certain.
Just my opinion.
Well good luck with it all mate.
cheers,

-Pivot-

[Brad Y]

Where can you get nitro blanks? I was only aware of nitro rods, not blanks.

Thanks guys for the feed back!

I got the blanks from complete angler they said they got it as a sample, they don’t usually sell them.

[Kevin Crawley]

Hi brimia,all the above advise is spot on ,I have found Gudebrod thread the best and if you check that mudhole site they do have reel seats that can be weighted to suit your need

[vlad da''lad]

you can get a red stain for timber and apply a little bot on a rag and whipe the rod butt over .do one coat at a time the more coats you put on the darker the stain will get i suggest no more than 2coats of stain and buy some clear one you have stained the rod butt put 2coats of clear over the rod but if your going to use stain use dulux .this should give you an even finish on your rod butt .

point to know cork is none poures so it does not absorb paint . i did this to my rod and im very happy .sand lightly in between coats with 240 grade +SANDPAPER

thanks fro that vlad, ill give that a go

[Shortlite]

Cork is peculiar for "wood" (it's actually bark) in that the cells are closed. It's won't absorb stain or any sort of finish appplied by normal means. Anything you put on it is only a surface treatment and will in time wear off.

[spoonta66]

Tuxan leather stains will penetrate the cork. yOU CAN GET THEM FROM ANY SHOE REPAIR OR KEY CUTTING BOOTH.

[janos]

Hi Brimia,

All good advice given. I've done the cork colouring but not with a stain. I've used model paint mixed with resin to cover the grips, let dry and then finish off with a couple of coats of epoxy. Goes nice and hard, stays light weight and you get to make up any grip with the colours you want. I've found flex coat to be the best epoxy to use. Gudebrod NCP A is a good thread to use but if you want to try different colours to standard, then Maderia Poly neon thread is the unbeatable as there are over 300+ colours to chose from. You just have to use thread sealer for it.

Cheers, Jan.

[bomb]

i think anything you coat the cork with will eventually crack and peel off due to the corks non-porous nature.
but a mate of mine coats his corks with bees wax.this is more flexible and tends to bind to the cork and does not crack or peel.very comfortable in the hand as well.
so ,if you can colour the bees wax somehow [food colouring?],it may just work.
not sure if that would be successful,just a suggestion.
cheers
bomb