Crookedneck Posted June 27, 2012 Posted June 27, 2012 This is a recent rod I built up for on of this forums members. The blank is a 6'6" medium fast action rod in a Mag Bass Taper. MHX-MB782. I used a Pac Bay Minima reel seat. The split grip was turned out of Spalted Hackberry with a super glue finish on the grip. I used American Tackle guides. Alot of work went into this rod in a short amount of time. It was a fun build, with alot of little details thrown in. The checkering on this build was a first for me. Anyways, thoughts and opinions are always welcome. Mike Quote
M-D Posted June 27, 2012 Posted June 27, 2012 Looks awesome!! Obviously a bird hunting theme, what bird? What is a super glue finish? What makes the very slim dark rings in the handle and what is Spalted Hackberry? Is it a form of cork? I'm just getting started with lure building and no funds for rod building right now but I will be jumping into rod building this winter. Hope you don't mind the questions! Quote
Crookedneck Posted June 27, 2012 Author Posted June 27, 2012 Looks awesome!! Obviously a bird hunting theme, what bird? What is a super glue finish? What makes the very slim dark rings in the handle and what is Spalted Hackberry? Is it a form of cork? I'm just getting started with lure building and no funds for rod building right now but I will be jumping into rod building this winter. Hope you don't mind the questions! Yes this is a bird hunting theme and a University of Tennessee Color theme. The feather on the top of the rod is an Oscillated Turkey feather. The feathers on the bottom of the rod are Grizzly hackle that I form in the shape of a turkey foot print. (or least that is what I attempt for it to look like) The grip is Spalted Hackberry which is a form of wood. The super glue finish is actually super glue that I apply on my wood lathe and then polish to a clear very durable finish. The thin black rings I burn into the grip with a guitar string as the grip spins on my lathe. If you want to get into rod building on a budget. Order some wrapping thread and re-wrap a few old rods. It will give you some practice and spruce up some old rods too. If you need some help or advice feel free to ask. Thanks, Mike Quote
M-D Posted June 27, 2012 Posted June 27, 2012 Thanks for the details! I feel silly that I didn't realize it was a Turkey theme...well done! Do you have to "seal" the Hackberry? Does the Hackberry have similar characteristics as cork? It is a beautiful wood. Love the thin black rings, adds a nice touch to that beautiful wood. I have several rods sitting around and that is a great idea...think I will do just that. Should I get new guides or just reinstall the old ones for practice? I need to build my wrapper 1st though, I want to make a nice one maybe from Oak. Quote
Mumpy Posted June 27, 2012 Posted June 27, 2012 I can't explain how much my Dad enjoyed that gift. He was very touched as well as I. Thank you Mike for making it for me. 3 Quote
Crookedneck Posted June 28, 2012 Author Posted June 28, 2012 I can't explain how much my Dad enjoyed that gift. He was very touched as well as I. Thank you Mike for making it for me. You are welcome my friend! It is funny how small this world is. Mumpy and I live 1500 miles away from each other, but several years ago he and I chewed some of the same dirt in a far away land around the same time. Good luck fishing this summer! I hope your father out fishes every one with that rod! It was a blast too build. Thank you for your service brother! Mike 1 Quote
Scorcher214 Posted June 29, 2012 Posted June 29, 2012 Those feathers really give it a special and unique look. Quote
smr913 Posted June 30, 2012 Posted June 30, 2012 I am loving the orange and white checkerboard. Go Vols! Quote
comescrashing Posted July 4, 2012 Posted July 4, 2012 Mike I was wondering how you liked the mhx brand of blanks? when I can finally start building i waslooking at there musky/saltwater series? thanks for any input Quote
Crookedneck Posted July 6, 2012 Author Posted July 6, 2012 Mike I was wondering how you liked the mhx brand of blanks? when I can finally start building i waslooking at there musky/saltwater series? thanks for any input Crashing, When it comes to casting and spinning rods, 90% of my builds are on MHX blanks. For the $$ they are hard to beat. I fish MXH exclusively myself. I have only had 1 issue out dozens of MHX blanks, and Mudhole stood by thier product. So you can't ask for more when it comes to quality issues. I have not used the High Modulus blanks, nor have I use the musky or saltwater blanks. If you end up using one let me know how they work. I have toyed with building a musky rod. Mike Quote
comescrashing Posted July 7, 2012 Posted July 7, 2012 If I end up with the opportunity to build my own I will let you know how I feel about those blanks. It will be a long time from now though unfortunately Quote
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