BFS Work in Progress

Started by J.W., October 05, 2023, 07:45:23 PM

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J.W.

Finally getting one put together. Seems like forever since I got the notion to do this. I ordered a couple of blanks way back in June, but they were back-ordered, then my son had the TBF Junior World Championship in July, then work started back up (I teach) in August. Trying to get these knocked out before deer season.

This one is on the NFC SJ 703-1 X-ray blank. It's a 7' medium light extra fast blank. FD helped me out a lot with the blank selection process. NFC's website isn't the easiest to navigate.

So far I've got the reel seat and rear grip installed, and a decorative wrap where the epoxy ramp next to the reel seat threads will go. I left the fighting butt loose so that I can still get the butt-end of the blank to fit in the dryer. I'm going to put a KastKing Zephyr on there.

I guess next will be guides and hook keeper.

Pics so far:
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I can't decide if I did a good enough job on that wrap. I might take it off and do it over. This blank is unsanded, kind of like the Dobyns Kaden rods, which I think is making it a little more difficult to get clean even thread wraps.

I'm learning a lot.

More to come.


Smallie_Stalker

That's looking really good so far. You did a great job matching that thread to the reel colors

You're going to love that X-ray blank. I'm pretty sure it's the same one FD used to build my jekbait rod.

Keep up the great work. Looking forward to seeing how this build progresses.

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Capt. BassinLou

 ~c~  very nice so far! Thank you for sharing that build with us. You're going to love that blank.

Donald Garner

It's looking good so far.  Tks for sharing the posting with us.  Looking forward to the finished product.
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J.W.

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Got the hook keeper wrapped on, zip-tied the guides on and did some static load testing to see if they were in the right place.

I started with CRB's LZR guide spacing chart for a 7' rod, but when I tested it, line was touching the blank in multiple places under load. I had to add two more guides to stop it from happening.

That's 13 guides total. That sounds high to me. Maybe I ought to do a spiral wrap instead?

J.W.

Guides got wrapped tonight while watching the Braves and the Phillies. If you didn't see it, it was one heck of a ballgame.

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Went with a spiral wrap on this one, so I am firmly into uncharted territory. I've never even seen a spiral wrapped rod before.

Watched some of FD's videos and did some reading before attempting it. Also did some static load testing. I think I have the guides in the right place, and ended up only needing ten guides plus the tip-top. I haven't epoxied any of them yet. I'll do some test casts tomorrow and see how it does.

J.W.

Epoxy going on right now.

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J.W.

Thought I had posted this already, but I guess not.

Label went on today. The blank has a corrugated texture that I don't think the label would've stuck to, so I laid down a coat of epoxy where I planned on putting it beforehand.

This is where I have to tell on myself. I did something kind of bone-headed. I watched FD's video on labels, so I knew good and well that these factory labels that come with the blanks have two backings that peel off. One on the front, one on the back. I laid some Scotch tape over the front of the label, peeled the rear backing off, and placed the label. Then I peeled the Scotch tape, and I presumed, the front backing off. After I brushed some epoxy over it I noticed one edge kept lifting up out of the epoxy pretty badly and looked horrible. I kept trying to get it to lay down without success, so I got fed up with it and decided it'd look better with no label at all if that's the best it would do. So I lifted that edge of the label out of the wet epoxy with a pick... and it was the front backing. lo  It lifted out and left a perfectly flat label underneath. I felt pretty dumb, but I'd have felt a lot dumber if I'd have left it in and let it set up like that. I smoothed out the epoxy over it, let it get almost set, and went over it again.

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All I need to do now is balance it and glue on the butt cap. 

J.W.

Done with this one! I don't think the next one will take nearly as long. I learned a lot building it. Works great. I can throw a weightless trick worm just as far as I can with a spinning rod, and it's not as hard on my shoulder.

Even got a little fish slime on it today.




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Capt. BassinLou

Congratulations on that build.  ~c~  Looks good! Come back and let us know how you liked the bare carbon fiber grip. It's really cool that you broke it in already.  ~c~  That's a great blank for bfs fishing. Enjoy!!

J.W.

Quote from: Capt. BassinLou on October 14, 2023, 05:59:46 AMCongratulations on that build.  ~c~  Looks good! Come back and let us know how you liked the bare carbon fiber grip. It's really cool that you broke it in already.  ~c~  That's a great blank for bfs fishing. Enjoy!!

Thanks Lou.

I'm liking those grips. They're really light, I'd say about the same weight as cork, they don't get slippery if your hands are wet, and don't noticeably deaden the blank.

Only thing I don't like about those grips is that on the shoulder of the fighting butt, where the contour makes a 90 to meet the blank, the CF weave is a little sharp or rough, not sure the best way to describe it. It won't hurt your hands or anything, but it puts snags in my fishing shirts' sleeves sometimes if it rubs it just right. I'm debating putting some thread finish epoxy from the blank to just over that shoulder on the fighting butt.

Capt. BassinLou

Quote from: J.W. on October 14, 2023, 07:38:52 AM
Quote from: Capt. BassinLou on October 14, 2023, 05:59:46 AMCongratulations on that build.  ~c~  Looks good! Come back and let us know how you liked the bare carbon fiber grip. It's really cool that you broke it in already.  ~c~  That's a great blank for bfs fishing. Enjoy!!

Thanks Lou.

I'm liking those grips. They're really light, I'd say about the same weight as cork, they don't get slippery if your hands are wet, and don't noticeably deaden the blank.

Only thing I don't like about those grips is that on the shoulder of the fighting butt, where the contour makes a 90 to meet the blank, the CF weave is a little sharp or rough, not sure the best way to describe it. It won't hurt your hands or anything, but it puts snags in my fishing shirts' sleeves sometimes if it rubs it just right. I'm debating putting some thread finish epoxy from the blank to just over that shoulder on the fighting butt.

Appreciate that info with regards to the bare CF grips. Some time ago, FD and I discussed what we thought the pro's and con's would be with having bare carbon fiber grips. I prefer my CF grips to be either, matted or epoxied.

J.W.

No problem. I really do like the texture in general. The rear grip right behind the reel seat feels great. It's just that one spot on the butt. It's almost like the weave might've gotten too saturated with epoxy during the manufacturing process in that one spot and now it's a little "snaggy." Actually, if you look in that picture where I'm holding the rod out, you can see where it snagged my sleeve  lo

Smallie_Stalker

#13
Congrats on finishing the build AND for getting some fish slime on it already. It looks great!

I can't tell from the pictures so I'll ask did you end up going with the spiral wrap for the guides?



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J.W.

Quote from: Smallie_Stalker on October 14, 2023, 12:27:23 PMCongrats on finishing the build AND for getting some fish slime on it already. It looks great!

I can't tell from the pictures so I'll ask did you end up going with the spiral wrap for the guides?



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Thanks Smallie. My kids were camping with my parents at Grand Bayou in Coushatta, so my wife and I met them out there with the boat yesterday evening and fished some hydrilla and pads. We were probably out there a couple hours and caught about six or so. No big ones, all about a pound and a half, but I did catch a huge crappie on a rattle trap.

And yes, I ended up doing a spiral wrap. I reel with my left, so it transitions on the left side. I was kind of worried about doing one at first, but it turned out just fine I think.