Fly rod build...need input

[J55tyger88]

Hello all. Im looking at building my first fly rod and im throwing around the idea of making an all black one. Have the matte black blank and looking at an all black parts kit. The cork would be normal though. I cant find any pics online to see if id like it so I was wondering if you guys had any thoughts and or pics of one. Becker, thought i read in another thread, you had one but cant remember. Might be a shot in the dark but its worth a shot.

 

[MKern]

If I wanted all black I would black wraps with and tiny trim wrap of a color of choice and then a larger black trim wrap.

 

[J55tyger88]

Kern, i thought about doing wraps like that. The blank is matte so i thought a glossy thread would counter and give it a little funk but not to much to divert from the theme...

 

[Millsertime]

I've had the same idea for an 8' 4 weight this winter. I'm pretty sure I saw flat matte guides in the Mudhole catalog. I think they were Fuji.

Curious, what blank did you choose? I can't decide between MHX, North Forks Composites, and Rainshadow. I like the MHX but it doesn't have a dull finish.

 

[MKern]

I have an older mode st. Croix avid which is a matte finish and I used dark charcoal wraps with a couple wraps of red and then about six wraps of grey thread. Looks really good.

I think once you put finish on the wraps they are going to be shiny anyway. However, the charcoal wraps may help with this.

 

[J55tyger88]

Miller, there was a special at hookhack.com for a 9'5wt matte black blank, blank. It was like 40 bucks and they sell an all black components and glues, etc kit for 60 bucks. Im fine with the finished threads having a shine, like i said it would break up the matte finish but still keep to tge original ninja fly rod idea

 

[h0ll0whill]

kern, i love snake brand guides. They have them in black nickle. Not completely black. But well worth it for the performance of the rod.

Miller, out of the three choices of blanks. I would go with MHX. Can't beat it for the price, good taper, good action. North fork are very stiff. My 5wt feels like a 6wt. I am not a big fan of Rainshadow. they are cheap and not a good taper on the blank.

it also depends are you looking more for aesthetics or performance.

 

[Millsertime]

h0ll0whill wrote:

it also depends are you looking more for aesthetics or performance.

100% performance. Any aesthetics are simply bonuses. With that said, any other blanks you'd recommend to compare the MHX to with similar price, taper, weight...

 

[h0ll0whill]

Miller,
In my opinion, for graphite, i stick with MHX. I built a 3wt and a 7wt switch rod on their blanks. Feel you can't beat it for the price.

The 3 blanks you mentioned above i have built on. I didn't even finish the Rainshadow because i didn't like the feel.

You can go with a more known company like Sage or Winston. But i don't have any experience with them. I have heard that the taper and action are true on the Sage. But you are going to pay 2x to 3x for it.

 

[J55tyger88]

Kern, could you post a pic of the st croix with the charcoal guides? Id really like to see the look of it.

 

[MKern]

I hope this works.

 

[MKern]

I know the lighting is terrible but, I hope this at least gives you a good idea.

 

[J55tyger88]

Kern, nice! Looks great. I see the different wraps. I would stick with just black as this is my first build but the dark guides look great with the blank. Thanks for posting a pic.

 

[Cricket]

J55, the nice thing about building your own rod is that you can pick and choose the wrap colors that make you happy. If you want to test out what a wrap may look like, wrap it on the butt of the rod that will be covered up by the grip. That gives you a lot of test area, and you don't have to worry when it comes time to remove it, if you need to remove it.
All black would work just fine as well as a subdued trim wrap. Granted the epoxy will make shiny spots at the guides but a little rub with some very fine steel wool after everything has set up for a week or so will take that shine right off without doing any damage.
Sam

 

[MKern]

Just as a side note: I always add trim wraps on rod that I build for myself because that's what sets them apart from factory rods.

I just don't want you to regret down the road because it's your first rod.

My biggest tip is to make sure you take your time and compress the thread with a tool or you thumb nail every ten turns of the thread or so. There is no need to rush.
I wrap all on color first and then switch thread which does help with time. A lot of the time I will do the main color, stop for the day and start the next session refreshed and ultimately make less mistakes.

 

[gfen]

Obviously, its personal opinion, but you may find in the end that black on black is terribly boring. I know this because I have that is (almost) black-on-black, and I find it to be, visually speaking, terribly boring. As it was, using a black grip (burnt cork rings, turn your own handle, if you're that motivated) would be even more boring.

I hoped that the red twist spirals would be far more visible than they are, but the overwhelming amount of black ("none more black" - N. Tufnel) makes it more or less lost in the mix. Its boring in a way that it shouldn't be.

The only place it really shows up, and even then its muted, is at the hook keeper:

Except, it doesn't. When you look close, its very nice, but as a whole, its just lost. It may be because I opted to use red/black twist, which is obviously even MORE black, but this is my suggestion that the novelty of a none more black rod would be terminally boring in the end.

I can assure you despite the main thread appearing crimson, it is not. Black Pac Bay with CP. I don't remember who makes the red/black twist, but its likely either Pac Bay or Gudebrod.

Part of the fun (ymmv) is making something that stands out. Picking visually appealing colours should be a part of that. However, if black-on-black is what you want, then so be it.

There are two basic types of thread, regular and NCP (No Colour Preserver). When you use regular thread, without CP (Colour Preserver) it goes to a generally transluscent state.

Using a black blank, with black primary wrapping, and no CP will result in a rod that has no visible trim wraps, they'll just sort of vanish into the mix. The guide feet will, however, be visible across the blank. You'll see this taken to the next level with transparent wraps, which are silk thread, no CP, and a very thin finish. Its very popular (read: played out) on modern bamboo and boutique fiberglass rods.

If you plan to utilize trip wraps, or you don't want your feet to be visible, you will need to use CP on your thread or NCP thread.

Having used CP on that rod, I hope to never need to use it again. There is no NCP twist thread available, so I had no other choice. You, on the other hand, do.

 

[J55tyger88]

Gfen, thanks for the input! Im second guesding myself now (not that your black rod isnt nice) on tge ALL black build. Like you said it seems a lil boring. Maybe ill spice it up Steelers style and add some gold