Travel Tip Top Repair Kit

How To Avoid The Broken Fly Top Blues

It always seems to happen on a fishing trip that is in a far away isolated place.

Yikes, my tip top is broken! Hey, did I remember to put my spare rod in my case? Is your buddy using your spare rod because his favorite rod is now a distant memory along with the ceiling fan that he tore off and threw out the back door? Did the car door or the very friendly Labrador eat your rod tip?
These are some of my favorite things that happen to rod tips on any trip.

Most of the time the tip top will get dinged enough that just the tip top itself is missing. The broken tip top accounts for maybe 90% of damage done to 'Favorite' rods. Even if the section is broken down to the first guide, you will still be able to 'Fix' your rod with our Travel Tip Top Repair Kit.

The kit contains four of the most common sizes for either freshwater or saltwater fly rods. Also included in the kit is the Flex Coat thermal tip top cement, so all you have to do is provide the lighter. Heat of bit of the thermal cement, coat the tip section (after dry fitting the right tip top) and slide onto the blank.

Voila! You most likely will never be able to feel any casting difference, until you start to get near the first running guide. This fix will get you up and running right away and you won't miss a beat or in our case, a cast.

Check them out at Custom Fly Rod Crafters Freshwater Fly Tip Top Travel Repair Kit. The cost of the kit in only $7.95 with Free Ground shipping in US.

FRESHWATER

SALTWATER

Super Light Carbon Fiber Rod Tube

2" Diameter - Carbon Fiber Rod Tube

This carbon fiber (graphite) rod tube is incredibly strong, in fact stronger that steel by the same weight factor. Carbon fiber is lighter than any metal tubing including titanium which would cost about the same as a new Cadillac Escalade.

Luckily we have found these carbon rod cases at a very reasonable price; starting at $47.00! The 9'0" 4pc case weighs less that 11 oz! The end set is made from aircraft grade aluminum and are brass color anodized. The carbon tube is a light gray olive color.

We offer lengths from 7'6" to 10'0"; all 2" diameter. Check them out!
We also offer a matching rod sock at a reduced price when purchasing a carbon fiber rod tube.

Rainforest Blanks Now Available

CFRC is now offering the Rainforest II IM7 fly blanks that had been reserved only for our Fly Rod Kits. Very affordable and available in 2 or 4pc models. Moderate/fast and very smooth. Deep forest green color.

4pc Rainforest II

Each Rainforest blank comes with a cloth rod sock. Starting price at $41.95 for the 2pc model and $57.95 for the 4pc models. Lifetime warranty through Pacific Bay.

X-Acto vs Surgical Scalpel

Xacto Blade versus Surgical Blade

Although both the X-Acto knife and the #10 Scalpel blade do the job of trimming thread ends, I prefer the surgical blade as the thinner blade makes the scalpel a bit more flexible than the X-Acto which results in a cleaner cut and less likely to damage surrounding thread wraps. My experience so far has shown the scalpel to be easier to use when making tight and detailed cuts. They also seem to last longer than X-Actos in similar applications.The classic #2 X-Acto blade has a thickness of 0.02” whereas the comparable #10 scalpel has a thickness of 0.015” making it easier to move though the material it has to cut. Which makes it even more dangerous than the utility knife as both are very good at removing your finger tips. Although the thickness difference is not really noticeable when trimming size A nylon or even silk, the scalpel does seem to work better with finer silks than either the X-Acto or the single sided razor blade which some rod builders advocate.

Shown below is about a 50 power microscope image of new and used blades:

New X-Acto Knife

New #10 Scalpel

Used X-Acto Knife

Used #10 Scalpel

You make the call. The X-Acto Utility knife is less expensive than the scalpel but under normal applications (less dropping on the floor), the scalpel blade will typically hold the edge longer than the utility knife. 

The knife shown above is the most common type, fitted with a "Number 1 or 2" blade. It is about 5-3⁄4 inches (146 mm) overall. The knurled collar loosens and tightens an aluminium collet, which holds the replaceable blade. There are numerous other knives on the market with very similar designs, and blades are typically interchangeable between different brands.


Whereas a scalpel, or lancet, is a small and extremely sharp bladed instrument used for surgery, anatomical dissection, and various arts and crafts. Scalpels may be single-use disposable or re-usable. Re-usable scalpels can have attached, resharpen-able blades or, more commonly, non-attached, replaceable blades. Disposable scalpels usually have a plastic handle with an extensible blade (like a utility knife) and are used once, then the entire instrument discarded. Individual scalpel blades are usually individually packed in sterile pouches but are also offered non-sterile.

The original knife was invented in the 1930s by Sundel Doniger, a Polish immigrant to the United States. He had planned to sell it to surgeons as a scalpel but it was not acceptable, because it could not be cleaned. His brother-in-law, Daniel Glück (father of poet Louise Glück), suggested that it might be a good craft tool.

And there you are! The perfect rod wrapping thread trim tool!

Plugging Fiberglass Blanks

Plugging Fiberglass Blanks

Whether you decide that plugging a glass blank is right for you and you think that it doesn't matter, or that you've heard all sorts of things about fiberglass wall thickness integrity or moisture prevention. Me, I think it does all of those things plus it gives my rods a finished look. It's one of those details that I make sure we do on our custom builds.

Plugging a graphite blank is no big deal as the blank is not as transparent as fiberglass. We typically will use a dense rubber plug on our Sage builds but the rubber plugs show through glass blanks and just plain looks hideous. We had to come up with a solution that works and looks good.

We use epoxy adhesive to plug our glass builds. Here are the simple steps for making a very clear and transparent ferrule plug:

1. Make sure the ferrule is square and not cracked or jagged. Use a Q-tip with lacquer thinner to clean the inside of the ferrule. Blanks will typically have a waxy residue from the mandrel during the manufacturing process.

Glass blank ready for plugging

 2. Mix your epoxy adhesive and place into the ferrule, put about enough glue to fill        approximately 3/8" to 1/2". This really depends on the diameter and your particular likes.

Inverted ferrule on plastic while drying

3. Stand the glue filled ferrule upside down to let the epoxy level inside the ferrule. Place on a piece of plastic as not to glue the ferrule to your workbench. 

Cured epoxy waiting for sanding

 4. Let the epoxy cure completely before sanding and trimming. If you use 5-Minute glues, wait at least 60 minutes before working on the ferrule. Obviously, if you use slow set glue wait at least 8-12 hours. You want the glue to be hard, so don't rush it.

Sanding the ferrule

 5. Using an abrasive sanding disc or just a piece of sandpaper on your workbench, sand the end of the ferrule and don't forge to bevel the edge slightly. We don't want any glue to prohibit the proper fitting of the blank sections.

Voila! The clean transparent glass ferrule plug

We've been very pleased with this process and it's very simple to do with a little bit of preparation and patience. I like that it gives the ferrule a professional finished look.

Luggage for Traveling Fishermen

Luggage for Traveling Fishermen

Custom Fly Rod Crafters is now offering travel luggage for fishermen;
including the Temple Fork Outfitters Signature Series Luggage to bring
a great line of fishing luggage, designed by anglers, for anglers. These
functional gear bags from TFO feature innovative designs for the traveling
angler. The TFO luggage is manufactured with the highest quality material,
including 1000D rip-stop material, lockable oversize zippers, internal rod tubes,
visual ID storage and much more.

Large Rolling Cargo Bag

Rolling Carry On Bag

Rod/Reel Travel Case

We also offer the Sage Aluminum Multi-Rod Carrying Cases and the Sage Ballistic Cases.

Stacked Bamboo Reel Seat Inserts

Stacked Bamboo Reel Seat Inserts

CFRC now has received material to turn stacked bamboo inserts for reel seats. The bamboo is cut, glued and then turned to specific sizes for different reel seat hardware. Right now we have been turning specifically for the Lemke seats but we will begin to turn for other skeleton hardware as well.  As the bamboo is made of pieces and not a whole burl as the custom inserts are made, we can keep the cost moderate; $9.95

 We make two inserts as of this post, for the Lemke LC1 and the LC14.

These inserts will send your custom build over the top! If you have a specific reel seat skeleton that you would like us to make a stacked bamboo insert, drop us a line or give us a call.