Eol2014 Posted October 12, 2018 Report Share Posted October 12, 2018 Ive made up my mind to start rod building. At the moment all I know is what Ive learned by watching hours of you tube. I am looking at the MudHole FSB -5 package. Is this the right way to go? While my pockets aren't stupid deep, I don't like to take short cuts and wind up frustrated by sub par equipment. Any thoughts / insight is appreciated and thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Glenn Posted October 12, 2018 Report Share Posted October 12, 2018 Maybe someone with one of those kits will chime in, but I don't use one so I can't say how much easier it would be to build rods with one than without one. Have you built a few rods and see a need for one of those kits? I only build for my own enjoyment and don't see the need for that kit for me. The stands and turning motor would be nice but it can surely be done without. I would not have a use for the finish mixing bowl and the spline finding tool. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eol2014 Posted October 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2018 Ive never built a rod....i started making lure a year ago and figured this would be the next step in my angling addiction....it doesn't look to hard but choosing the correct components is a but confusing to me......i really want to avoid expensive mistakes.....thanks for the reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Glenn Posted October 13, 2018 Report Share Posted October 13, 2018 I would recommend you don't buy any tools until you build your first rod. Learn to pull NYLON thread through the pages of a heavy book to keep tension on the thread. Learn to secure the thread with the proper positioning of the ends of the thread. All this can be found on youtube videos. Get some 20-30 minute epoxy to use over your wrappings. If you have an old rod that needs work, strip the eyes off and rewrap it. This will let you know what tools you need and you can see where you need to improve. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Buck Posted November 2, 2018 Report Share Posted November 2, 2018 I have only built three rods, but I bought a turn-key rod kit from Mudhole that was on sale for $161.99. It came with all the parts for one rod and the FSB-2 kit. I am satisfied with what I purchased. If I were going to build professionally or do a lot of butt wraps, I might upgrade to a power wrapper on tracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eol2014 Posted December 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 Thanks Josh, I took advantage of all the black Friday deals and got some basic start up tools and a few low price rod kits to cut my teeth on. Man, they make this look easier on you tube than it seems to be. Merry Christmas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Buck Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 Awesome! There is a little learning curve but i enjoyed learning. Merry Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowFISH Posted January 9, 2019 Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 I started building (2) seasons ago.... you can do ALOT without the power wrapper... and you can make a rod turner for like 15 bucks which is the only "necessary" piece of equipment you'll need. My first "guide wrapping tool" was the cheapy wooden kit you can buy for 30 bucks off ebay - it works to start with - you could easily build one for less - it's nothing magical! I then bought (2) cheap spinning kits to "practice" on - which turned out to be rods for my kids. Learned a ton about the process on those. Then started stripping down rods I already had - some just to put micro guides on - some completely stripped to the blank and refinish, new handles, seats, guides, etc.... so you don't need to go buy new blanks with every build which can help the wallet if you already have rods you like but need some updating. Needless to say - I've now completely stripped and rebuilt nearly 10-15 rods and built another 5-6 from scratch. It's addictive..... couple suggestions... 1. Youtube is your friend... watch it alot to see how things are done!!! Rodbuilders forum to search out issues is invaluable as well. 2. Most difficult thing I found was applying the epoxy over labels/stickers. It's like anything else - the more you do it and get a process down - the better you get..... but even then it's challenging - I'm still working through it after a bunch of rods. Patience, practice and be willing to say - that sucks and strip it off is about the only suggestion I have.... I made the mistake 2x of saying "its good enough" and then a month later wind up going back and redoing it cause it just bothered the hell out of me to see a sloppy job. 3. Take your time and make sure to double check everything before the next step.... notably to make sure the guides are aligned perfectly.... J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leppy Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 If you can swing it, it's definitely worth taking the 2 day course that MudHole offers. You get everything that you need to build a rod, and over the two days they actually take you through building your own, so you get to walk away with your own, finished custom rod! A buddy and I just did one in January and it was a really great experience. You get as much (or as little) help as you need through the entire process. Also, the folks at MudHole have always been super helpful when I call with questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eol2014 Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Thanks to all that responded. Im starting my 3rd rod now...each one has gotten progressively better HA..... This is very enjoyable and addictive for sure. Special thanks to Mattew P and his most valuable mentorship. All my best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
