WannabeeFishing

I just had Nutter redo a 1964 model Penn 114H. Great price and they had the few parts needed in stock. Here's their website: Nutter Rod & Reel Service | Welcome. Never would have guessed huh? Be patient, the site can be really slow. Drop them an email on what you need and they'll get back within a few days.

I have a similar question... I have a couple of old rods that are in good shape other than the cork handles are falling apart. Outer covering peeling off, mainly. Is it worth shaping a new cork handle (although I'm sure that would be more satisfying!) or should I use a handle wrap material? Can anyone recommend a brand of wrap? I would mostly be using these for my kids/grandkids.Thanks.

Both boats (v-hull and jon) can be very stable. I'd suggest you decide on a style depending on the type water you will most likely use. If you plan to fish primarily small lakes and ponds such as pay-to-fish and electric-only, the jon boat will do fine. A good 12 volt hand controlled electic motor with a deep cycle battery or a small gas motor will suffice. If you are going to use larger lakes where you might encounter large boat wakes and wind-blown waves you would be better served using a v-hull. These also tend to have higher sidewalls that will contain the child better. And they will probably take a little higher power engine. Don't overlook the foam-filled plastic coated boats available at big box sports stores like Bass Pro, Academy & Cabelas. Walmart and Dick's Sports may also carry them. They are light weight and fit the back of a truck or SUV/Van. Jon boats might lend themselves better for modification due to the flat floors and bench seats. Clamp on seats and some coolers will make comfortable seating in most any of the small boats. Good luck.

The biggest issue I had with the Harbour Freight unit was getting it to pick up the paint from the jar. When it would pick up it would actually spray pretty good. The variable spray feature was really nice. I'm out of town so I can't sent a picture, but here is the link Paasche Airbrush Company - Airbrushes - Compressors - Airbrush Tanning - Airbrush Tattoos - Spray Booths - Spray Guns - Airbrush Tanning Spray Guns - Spray Booths - Spray Gun Kits - Airbrush Tanning I got the H model. It was normally about $80, but Hobby Lobby had a 25% sale going on. Hope this helps.

I picked up my Paasche "M" single action brush when HL was having a 30% off sale on all airbrushes. Ended up being just over $50 for the kit that includes the hose, three tips, 3 jars (mixed small and medium) and a spray cup. That was pretty competitive considering shipping and the sometimes difficulty in making a return.

Check out this post for a Lowrance 520c w/GPS for sale from the crappie.com forum. Price looks to be about $100 under retail and apparently includes shipping. I have no connection with the post. I just noticed it and recalled this thread. Lowrance 520-C with GPS - Crappie.com Happy shopping.

I tinkered around with the air pressure and the Paasche's flow rate and got a very good spray pattern. I have the 'hobby' acrylic thinned by the mfg's recommendation, which is about the consistency of milk as suggested. When the airbrush is off, the compressor is stable at 30 psi and it drops to 23 psi when spraying. Thanks for the recommendations.

That looks like a Harbor Freight airbrush in the picture. I bought one similar but have issues getting it to pick up 30% thinned acrylic paint from the bottle. It is OK from the cup. I was running at 30 psi. I bought a Paasche single action on sale at Hobby Town. It seems to work better at 30psi but stops altogether at 40psi. Has anyone else used these units? Can you give me any suggetions?

I took the Harbor Freight stuff back and picked up a Paasche kit at Hobby Lobby. Really nice with extra jars and included the hose. I'm looking foward to seeing how it work out. Thanks for the encouragement.

Thanks. I was by Hobby Lobby today and they are running a 30% off sale on their airbrushes. I'm going to check them out tomorrow.

I picked up a 1964 Penn 114H (6/0) reel mounted on a 7ft standup rod in, of all places, an antique store in North GA. I got the reel cleaned and refurbished by a local repair shop. I"m fairly sure the rod was built during the same timeframe. It has a thru-blank lathe turned wooden handle with some of the finish worn off. I'd like to redo it also. My first thought was just to lightly sand it and refinish it with some satin varnish or maybe some spar varnish. Is this the best approach or will something work better?

I completed my first repaint today. I had some issues with my $20 airbrush from Harbor Freight Tools. The scales on one side ran a bit and he's a little cross-eyed, but maybe that will make him look more vunerable to the fish I hope to catch with him. I just used three basic colors in acrylic paint and painted the eyes and spot on the side with a Q-tip. I used the net from a Walmart goldfish net for the scales and finished it off with two coats of Devcon Two Ton. I'm really amazed how well the DTT levels out. My thanks for all the information available on this site. For my next trick, I ordered some clear plastic unpainted crankbaits from NetCraft. I'm a little concerned about the slick finish they have. Should I sand them a bit before the base coat, or just go for it?

I'm a Lowrance guy all the way. Look at the Eagle models. Same basic design and functions as their Lowrance big brothers, but they leave out some advanced features and have really good price points. The unit on my console is a Lowrance LCX 26c HD with GPS, so it was considerably over your budget ($1400). I run an Eagle 320c on my bow and really like the performance for $200.

I went with the Harbor Freight equipment. I tried a really cheap one and it wouldn't spray. But they had a all metal model for $20 that works pretty good for a newbie. I already had a small sprayer compressor so I picked up a filter and hose and I'm in business. To make it easier, I got a foot pedal to turn the compressor on/off. I'm practicing on a repaint, but I ordered some crankbait blanks from NetCraft. I've really enjoyed the photos for reference and the tutorials in this forum. Really got me jumpstarted.