MickD

My opinion is that there is little to gain by going smaller than 4 for running guides, and maybe, depending on your knot tying skills, a lot to lose. 4's are pretty darned small! But in direct answer to whether 3's will work, they will work with just about any reasonable combination of leaders/lines (braid, of course) if you can tie the FG knot. If you have no confidence in your FG, then go bigger on guides. All other knots are bigger than the FG and may be a problem with 3's. I use Fuji alconite 4's on spin, 5.5 on cast. The spin will pass a 15 pound braid/1 pound FC leader with an Alberto knot very well. Not quite so well with a double uni, but it will work.

For many companies I think their "customer service" should be called "customer frustration." One that I've found easy to contact and their reps are knowledgeable- Humminbird.

NRX, as in Loomis? I would ask them what to use. But in response to your question, "regular" (ceramic ring) guides are specified by the OD of the ring. I expect but do not know that Recoil specifies by the ID of the wire, so tough call. Maybe someone more knowledgeable will chime in. On thinking this over, I think that if you gave Mudhole the ID of the Recoil they could match it. But I still think that Loomis can and will answer the question.

Since you are moving on re the Black Max, you have little to lose. So take the drag apart, degrease all elements, then lube it with DRAG GREASE. Shimano offers it. On the roller clutch, take it out, degrease it, blow it dry with compressed air if you have it, and start over with new oil, like sewing machine oil, or even 3 in 1, reel butter is good, but not that red stuff from Quantum. It could be that that rusty appearance was not rust, but Quantum. I would not give up on it. It's great fun when you win one of these.

Go to a big box store that handles all brands and see which work for you. I have never had this problem so wonder if you are gripping the rod/reel differently than I do. Also, watch out for Shimanos if you like having an anti-reverse switch. It appears that they and many other brands are deleting them on their newer offerings. A BIG mistake, in my opinion.

Are Rapala DT's cheap or expensive? Depends not on them but on you. And your definition of cheap and expensive. Regardless of which group one puts them in, they work.

Stained water-use the Junebug color.

Old fashioned ice pick is a good tool for trying to expand the tube. Cutting the tip off a blank is not without its risk of ruining the blank through splintering of the tip. You need very high speed, very fine teeth (or better yet a fine abrasive wheel in a Dremel tool) and very slow progression through the blank with the blank wrapped tightly with tape. On the tip of a blank I think a hand saw of any type is a big mistake. The tip is very fragile.

If you're willing to cut it and you are sure of your dimensions, it should work. If you come close but the tiptop won't fit I would work on the tiptop and not the blank. You can sometimes expand a tiptop by forcing a bodkin, nail, something just a little bigger than the tube into them. Or something just a little smaller and work it around to expand the tube. You also can, if you can find a very fine file, file the ID a little. It shouldn't take much. If I'm not mistaken those blanks have no finish on them, so if you sand it you will be taking off blank material and not a finish coat. I would not recommend it.

Spine doesn't matter for either. Some builders still consider the spine, but most nowadays are building on the straightest axis. It's up to you. The rod will fish just fine either way. You want an easy slip fit. Cork doesn't like tension, so if it's stretched by not being reamed enough it can crack later if not right away. Also , too tight can scrub all the epoxy, or a lot of it, off, compromising the strength. So try to get it to slip on without a lot of resistance. You will push epoxy off the blank and onto the cork or EVA as you slide it, so have paper towels and alcohol ready to clean it off. Check it several times after the alcohol has vaporized to be sure you get it all off. I believe the core of the Winn grips is EVA. I have built a few rods with Winn grips and have used paste epoxy. I asked the Winn rep one time what will attack the grips and he said to watch out for Deet insect repellent.

First put the blank onto a table top and using your hand rotate it (roll it) to check for how straight it is. Notice the arc that the tip makes as it is rotated 360 degrees. It doesn't have to be perfect; all blanks will show some arc, but it should be small enough so that you can look down the blank in some position and not notice any lack of "straightness." Most likely it will be OK. I've only had one blank of many that I questioned. Build with the guide orientation that minimizes any notice of any "un-straightness." Cool words, right? Don't worry about the spine-it is inconsequential. Then hold it by the butt and put the tip down onto a carpeted floor and deflect the tip quite a ways, but don't exceed 90 degrees. Do it a few times. Look for obvious cosmetic problems that you cannot live with. Very rarely does this happen. If all is well, build it. Also look for any gouges or significant scratches. Just surface stuff is cosmetic and it's up to you what you are willing to live with. If it gets into the fibers, ask for a replacement. I've never had this happen.

While I haven't tried it, I think it would not be that hard to attach the maribou feathers by holding them against the worm and wrapping tightly, finish with a couple whip finish knots, then use UV curing epoxy (probably the flexible type used for fixing waders) on the wrap. Might not last a whole lot of fish, but who cares if it catches them. Put this on a long shank jig and it will be a killer. I have no doubts. This is clearly another of the many "Why didn't I think of that" experiences in my life.

Very interesting. Regarding weights, are you weighing lure bodies and trying to compare with published weights of complete lures, with hooks?

I use that 90 % isopropyl all the time. Lots of folks use denatured. I see no difference in performance. I couldn't remember the word "isopropyl" when I wrote the post. :-)

I won't confuse with more rod comments, think it's pretty well handled. But on the reel, the Daiwa Fuego and Tatula SX 103's that I've experienced are great reels, especially for a newbie. I started my granddaughter (17 current age) on a Fuego two years ago and she had no trouble catching on. If going braid, go up to about 40 pound test, and go with a premium like Suffix Prem Braid. I know it is good, but I also know that some of the cheapies I've bought don't cast as well. The absolute best line for learning would be about a 15 pound test limp mono. NOT FC! You might get a bunch of recommendations for premium FC's, but trust me, your dad will get backlashes and FC's are very susceptible to breaking when clearing backlashes. He could ruin a pretty expensive line in the first few minutes.

If I do especially well on a day, I'll try to remember to wear the same hat the next time out. I can't say that it's all that effective.

My cleaning rod is a sectional one and I use just the last section. Yes, I would do that. There is not much taper in that short distance and if it is a little tight it would be easy to ream. You don't want a press fit, and you don't want a line to line fit, and you don't want a sloppy fit. Big help, right? If you tell the supplier where you will place the front piece they can select it for you. When you glue it on you will push epoxy out in front of the pieces so be prepared with paper towels and denatured alcohol. Make sure you dry fit and understand the order you're going to do things in before you start mixing your epoxy. I like Rod Bond paste epoxy (ten minute Quick Bond) because it stays put well, gives adequate time to work. I have used light build Flex Coat wrap epoxy for years, but many builders are really raving about a new one on the market called Gen 4. I have tried it on one rod and it seems OK, but others say it levels better and bubbles burst more with it than others. I like light build since I usually have a thread nib sticking out after the first coat and I can get a second coat on without the "football" shape forming. I personally like my wraps to be cylindrically shaped, not shaped like footballs. These nibs can be simply cut off with a sharp razor blade.

Many casting reel seats come with specific ID's that will fit nicely onto your blank. Pick the one just over the OD of the blank, or let the source pick it as suggested above. If it's slightly too tight you can ream it. Review this article to ensure best epoxy bond. To prepare the bores of seats I put a strip of foam abrasive into the patch slot of a shotgun cleaning rod and spin it with a drill driver. https://www.rodbuilding.org/library/waterfree.html Note especially the section on solvents. And consider that the author is one of the most respected authorities on rodbuilding and epoxies. He has formulated epoxies and knows what he is talking about.

.527 is 13.4 mm. But you are not placing the seat at the butt. You probably need about a 12.5 mm seat, but ask the source where you buy the blank and the seat what size you need if you put the reel level wind guide about 14 inches (or your planned dimension-if you have a rod you like use that dimension) from the butt. That will get you the seat. If it's a little small, better than a little big. You can ream it out. With checks, if you need them, if you use the flexible "rubber/vinyl" checks, they will stretch. I prefer them to the gaudy metal ones which look to my like too much make-up on a woman. No gender insult intended, a bad toupee on a male is the same thing. Order a bunch of them in the range you need. Lure parts online has them for $.34 each. If you choose to use metal, estimate their size; they will be a little smaller than the butt diameter. Better to go bigger rather than smaller because you don't want them tight to the blank which can scratch the blank and even may fail it if the deflection of the blank under load gets back into the grip area. If they are too large, wrap thread under them to make the diameter on which they are mounted a little larger. Hope this helps, feel free to ask further questions.

With experience you'll get this down better than it is now. Separating orders is bad because shipping costs much more than it will with a single order, in most cases. You can ask the people you are ordering from to help, most are very good. Or ask right here, give a lot of detail on what you're trying to accomplish. Cast or spin? Specific components planned? etc. Or you can message me if you think I can help, i will be glad to. If spin, IMHO, don't even consider reel seats smaller than a 17. Bad ergonomics. I don't even use 16's on ultra lights.

For spin rods larger diameters help a lot. That's the value of "palm swell" reel seats. I have a pretty easy design for adding a cork palm swell to the straight pipe style reel seats. When I first started building I didn't realize that size 16 seats are just too small for good ergonomics.

You are talking power when you are talking about lure weights and "lighter in action." Action is described as slow, fast, Xfast, etc. It's easy to do , but best to try to get it right before it becomes a habit not easily broken, and it can be confusing to others. Please don't shoot the messenger, just trying to help.

No, Puglosi stuff is just the opposite, clears of water easily.

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