Thursday, November 7, 2013

Lamiglas Demo Build Complete

The T.F.M. Fly Rod Loan Program recently grew by one with the addition of the Woronoco Custom Fly Rods built Lamiglas 7'6" four weight which recently arrived and is ready for demo by those interested.

John Pretola sent along a few more photographs of this build coming to completion which are shared below.  Thanks again to John for donating the Lamiglas four weight to the program and appreciate his time in putting these tutorials together.


Here is the cork grip inlet prepared for the up-locking seat hood.  This is done after the cork has been reamed to fit on the blank.  Various sanding tools are used starting with a dremel and finishing with sandpaper curled around a dowel or a finger.


The grip and reel seat spacer and hood have been glued to the blank, and each other.  The mark on the spacer is aligned with the guide plane on the blank.   Now the soul of the rod is beginning to emerge.


The guides are prepared by grinding the feet to ensure the wrapping nylon will climb smoothly onto the foot.  Guide spacing was determined by a formula originally developed by Dale Clemens, who popularized rod building for the masses, based upon algebraic calculations created for bamboo rods by Everret Garrison, one of the most meticulous rod builders who ever lived.  Because each blank is individually rolled, I tested the calculated placement with a static test to make sure the line inscribed a smooth curve mimicking the blank's curvature.


Guide spacing may require engineering math, but guide wrapping is not rocket science.  Thread holds the guides in place using a simple whip knot developed long-ago to secure the ends of ropes.  The thread is simply tucked under the preceding wraps using a pull thread.  Epoxy thread finish will protect the threads from fraying and keep the knot from failing.   I used two coats of low-build epoxy, with the rod turned on a rotisserie for two hours to level the epoxy, and then cured for 48 hours to harden.


It is finished rod test cast day.  The rod bag is a soft green flannel that is custom made by the Mrs.  The reel is an old Meisselbach Rainbow with a WF4F line that I use on my personal 7'6" Lamiglas.


Just a little fancy, the stripper spiral wrap incorporates three wrap colors: candy apple red NCP, sunburst NCP, and black.  This is my standard color package, unless the client has a preference.


An heroic picture.  I use waterslide decals because I have not passed a penmanship test since the 4th grade.


Another heroic picture (obverse) of the Lamiglas logo was a peel-and-stick decal supplied with the blank.

To read more information about this build coming together check out these posts.

WORONOCO CUSTOM FLY RODS BUILD BEGINS
STEP BY STEP ON BUILDING A CORK GRIP

There are already a couple people lined up to use this demo but if you would like to get on the list please send an email to thefiberglassmanifesto@gmail.com.

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