Rod Building??

[James Mully]

In two minds whether to attempt two full rebuilds on my greys apollos MK2. There is nothing wrong with them but I just fancey a challenge and updating them as they are cracking rods but just have a couple of scuffs. I've never rebuilt a rod so I wll start on a old rod to get some practice and learn the trade before stripping back my apollos. Couple of quiestions.
I want to re colour the blank to gloss black similar to zippys how do i go about this? Seen a guy on the internet work his way through various gradings of wet and dry then recoat with clear wood varnish mixed with acrylic paint is this the right process. For the whippings I want to go with Grade D purple fuji similar to the tronix blastrons. For the guides I will go for Fuji alconites. Lastly i don't want to fork out loads for a rod dryer whats the best way to make a homemade one? Microwave motors on two wooden Vs with carpet in the grooves? Lot to ask I know

Thanks James

[liphook]

You want a synchronous motor of less than 20rpm if you're looking at making your own rotary drier. I used a mirror ball motor for mine. A suitably sized cardboard box can be v notched to support the rod whilst wrapping/drying. To reglaze a rod use BondaSeal. You can tint it with pigments. Alconites are good guides but quite fragile when it comes to knocks etc. Also the black versions loose their paint quite quickly. Give me a shout if you need any components, resin etc. I've been building rods since the 80s and have amassed a fair bit of stock

[James Mully]

Cheers for the reply Liphook much appreciated I'll keep my eyes open regarding a disco ball motor. To paint/tint the blank black obviously sand it with numerous grades of wet and dry and wipe dow with meths should I apply some sort of color to the initial varnish for the firtst coat a guy on youtube adds some sort of acrylic paint out of a tube and mixes well then applies it what sort of paint should I be looking for?? Then whip the guides and then clear coat? And good shout about the alconites I may look into others as the black on the current alconites has started to wear. And thanks for your generous offer I'll give you a shout nearer the time as this might be a winter project whilst I switch over to pike fishing.

Many thanks James

[codman]

Microwave motor good for a Turner/dryer for the highbuild I do some rod building need any tips give me a shout pal .

[James Mully]

Nice one codman cheers for the advice

[codman]

Not a problem buddy anytime.

[James Mully]

Tried my hand at whipping tonight for the first time with some household cotton. Looking forward to attempting a rebuild now.

Ta James