BFS Blanks for T Rig?

[voopvoop]

Howdy! So I’m obviously new to the forum but not new to fishing or building stuff. I’m a machinist/mold maker that works in the firearm industry. When I’m not designing an injection mold, tweaking product design, or making chips I’m probably fishing.

I think I have decided that my latest hobby is going to be rod building. I tend to go a little all in on hobbies and I tend to be a little wild when it comes to designs and materials so I’m excited to step into this world.

Anyways I’ll probably start out by making some simple rods to get my feet wet and figure out the basics but after that my main goal is making a true American Made BFS rod.

I’m thinking something I can sling a 3” senko weightless T Rigged with enough backbone to actually set the hook.

I am currently using one of those Kuying Teton rods with an ASC and it’s fun but I have been targeting smallmouth and really the hookset could use some meat behind it.

So any suggestions on true BFS profile blanks that are available stateside? I don’t care about origin of manufacture.

Thanks!

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

North Fork Composites makes some good blanks. Their X-Ray series has a light blank that may fit your needs. The St Croix Legend Elite 7' Lite is a nice finesse smallmouth rod too. Has a soft tip with a decent backbone to set the hook.

[Hogsticker2]

NFC X Ray SJ732 makes a great bfs stick. Often on sale too. The Phenix K2 light powered blanks are excellent as well, though I'm not sure you're wanting or willing to drop that much coin for your 1st build. You can also find some blanks in the Rainshadow Revelation lineup that will work. Price is right, and they are very serviceable blanks. Personal opinion, but I'd tell you to stay away from the MHX stuff, as well as the entry level St Croix blanks. Over priced for what you're getting imo. RodGeeks would probably serve you better, though I've never built on them.
You can find the Rainshadow and K2 blanks at getbitoutdoors.com. The X Ray at North Fork Composites.

[dennis_rf]

Looking forward to see your builds, sounds promising!

Instead of a simple recommendation, I’d like to introduce you to the rodhouse.fr website. A French Shop (English version available) that has built a tool to show and compare the deflection of any blank in their inventory with different loads. (All the NFC r-ray Models are there, too)

If you go ahead and check how much your Teton deflects under which weight, you can have a rough feeling about how a blank compares.

My favorite blanks for the last year are Point Blank ones. They’re light, crisp, have a strong backbone, moderately priced but the best about them is there’s basically no weight needed for them to balance. Some rods are balanced but you can feel the mass you’re moving on both ends. My 7’ML Point blank feels as if it hadn’t any mass to it while it still takes 400g to flex down 1/3 of its length. If you go for a L power, it will probably float off your hand

[voopvoop]

Awesome replies! Super excited to get started with this. Probably will take me a couple of months, I am going to design and build a winding station, although honestly the prices online on stations don’t seem that bad.

I’ve looked around and I can’t seem to find any data on how winding effects the deflection/power of the rod.

My mechanical knowledge tells me that the winding HAS to effect the deflection depending on location/thickness/type of material used for winding but I can’t find any technical data on that.

Any thoughts there? I have some serious product/design ideas but I kind of feel like I have to build a couple thousand rods before I have the inherent data needed.

[hoohoorjoo]

If you go with single-foot micros, the wraps are so small as to mitigate any changes in deflection characteristics. I do know that double foot guides stiffen a rod up. A couple of my customs have doubles up to where the blank really begins to flex, then singles on out. This gives a light tip for casting the lighter baits and more backbone down low to drive home a hook.

[voopvoop]

I expected something like that. Makes sense.

Anyone ever experimented with other types of wrapping instead of thread? Wire? Plastic? Composites?

They make some pretty cool wire now a days that has a “memory” to it that can be turned on and off by an electric current. I wonder if something like that could be used to make a rod that has two “modes”.

That’s a little wilder than I want to go but it’s an interesting thought experiment.

[Hogsticker2]

I expected something like that. Makes sense.

Anyone ever experimented with other types of wrapping instead of thread? Wire? Plastic? Composites?

They make some pretty cool wire now a days that has a “memory” to it that can be turned on and off by an electric current. I wonder if something like that could be used to make a rod that has two “modes”.

That’s a little wilder than I want to go but it’s an interesting thought experiment.

You're gonna have to explain this electric 2 mode thing you have in mind . Wouldn't using those other materials for wrapping guides add additional weight? I recommend 1 double foot stripper guide for a freshwater rod, and I'd also suggest doing some research on spiral wrapping.

[voopvoop]

I don’t know that the memory wire is one of the ideas I’ll pursue, just something I was thinking about the other day.

Here is a link that explains the concept. The wire is a Titanium/nickel mix and when you run a current through it it contracts and takes a shape. When it’s unpowered it relaxes... or maybe it’s vice versa

https://www.jameco.com/Jameco/workshop ... ewire.html

Something like that would probably require someone with better electrical engineering skills than me so it probably won’t be a project I’ll take on. I have some other ideas that are a bit more in the physical space where I have more experience.


Edit-

Now that my brain is firing on it you wouldn’t need to wrap the guides with it. A few strands in key points along the rod would probably do interesting things. In addition it might be interesting to see if you could actually use something like this for minute twitches of the tip for imparting action on a drop shot lure or something.

[Hogsticker2]

Not too sure that would be good for the high modules graphite.

[dv1]

Just to clarify on guides, adding guides will not stiffen a rod in anyway. The bare blank is a crisp and stiff as it will ever be and adding weight of any kind decreases those things.

Tom Kirkman: “Action is where the rod initially flexes, so no, adding more or less guides will not affect the action. Speed, which is reaction and recovery time, will be affected by an addition of weight, particularly in the upper half of the rod. You might think a longer, stiffer guide will stiffen the rod, but the overall effect of the additional weight will actually make it feel softer. “

[white84z]

I just had a custom done on a Phenix Elixir blank and its perfect for 3" senkos and small texas rigs. Using 4lb CXX and its pretty dang sensitive.

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

NFC X Ray SJ732 makes a great bfs stick. Often on sale too. The Phenix K2 light powered blanks are excellent as well, though I'm not sure you're wanting or willing to drop that much coin for your 1st build. You can also find some blanks in the Rainshadow Revelation lineup that will work. Price is right, and they are very serviceable blanks. Personal opinion, but I'd tell you to stay away from the MHX stuff, as well as the entry level St Croix blanks. Over priced for what you're getting imo. RodGeeks would probably serve you better, though I've never built on them.
You can find the Rainshadow and K2 blanks at getbitoutdoors.com. The X Ray at North Fork Composites.

How ia the taper on the lower powered X Ray? I built 3 heavier ones and like the material.

[Hogsticker2]

NFC X Ray SJ732 makes a great bfs stick. Often on sale too. The Phenix K2 light powered blanks are excellent as well, though I'm not sure you're wanting or willing to drop that much coin for your 1st build. You can also find some blanks in the Rainshadow Revelation lineup that will work. Price is right, and they are very serviceable blanks. Personal opinion, but I'd tell you to stay away from the MHX stuff, as well as the entry level St Croix blanks. Over priced for what you're getting imo. RodGeeks would probably serve you better, though I've never built on them.
You can find the Rainshadow and K2 blanks at getbitoutdoors.com. The X Ray at North Fork Composites.

How ia the taper on the lower powered X Ray? I built 3 heavier ones and like the material.

The 732 is soft and whippy, with a deep flex under load. Loads up with ease.

[dennis_rf]

How ia the taper on the lower powered X Ray? I built 3 heavier ones and like the material.

Pick your blanks here

https://www.rodhouse.fr/en/shop/rod-bla ... ites/x-ray




Press on this French Button on the product page

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