NFC X-Ray

When production rods are not enough, it's time to go custom. Come share your experiences building and/or ordering a custom rod and tell us if you'll ever go back to off the shelf.
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Bbrotz
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NFC X-Ray

Post by Bbrotz » Tue Aug 10, 2021 5:03 pm

I just seen the NFC x-rays are available in a black mirror finish now. Has anyone tried them yet? I’m wondering if they are just sanded with a clear coat applied. I’m not a fan of unsanded blanks so I might be interested in picking one up

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Cal
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Re: NFC X-Ray

Post by Cal » Tue Aug 10, 2021 5:24 pm

They are sanded, and then buffed to achieve that finish... nothing is applied. At least that's what the initial literature stated.
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Hobie-Wan Kenobi
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Re: NFC X-Ray

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Tue Aug 10, 2021 6:25 pm

If using the same materials and manufacturing process with the addition to the sanding, should soften the actions a small bit. Will probably be hardly noticable side by side.
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jglenn21
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Re: NFC X-Ray

Post by jglenn21 » Sat Oct 02, 2021 1:39 pm

i don't recall them ever saying they were sanded.. buffed yes..

godshippy
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Re: NFC X-Ray

Post by godshippy » Mon Oct 11, 2021 2:31 pm

Isn't buffing essentially sanding? You're using a high grit abrasive to get the smooth finish?

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Cal
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Re: NFC X-Ray

Post by Cal » Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:13 pm

jglenn21 wrote:
Sat Oct 02, 2021 1:39 pm
i don't recall them ever saying they were sanded.. buffed yes..
It is Gary Loomis's philosophy to sand the blanks to remove the ridges created by the cellophane wrap used to hold the graphite together during the baking process. Those ridges offer no performance enhancing purpose and are simply a biproduct of making the blanks. By sanding the ridges off, you remove unnecessary weight, therefore increasing performance.

I shared this somewhere in our 2013 article on the new operation: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewedgefishing.html

If a blank is smooth, it's been sanded. If there are ridges, like in a lot of the popular JDM rods, it is unsanded.
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HobeyBaker
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Re: NFC X-Ray

Post by HobeyBaker » Fri Oct 22, 2021 7:48 am

I stopped by to pick up a couple of rods from a custom builder yesterday. He has a bunch of the sanded blanks that I was able to look at. They’re still a matte/unpainted finish, but the ridges are sanded off. I wonder if it had to do with some of the swirling that was found on blanks because these all looked perfect.

jglenn21
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Re: NFC X-Ray

Post by jglenn21 » Mon Nov 01, 2021 12:30 pm

actually when you sand the Xray blanks it makes them slower/softer... not as crisp.. also no cellophane used in a Xray blank.. all carbon .. not really sure you can feel the difference( sanding) but Gary documented this on the Xray page. for the current sale price of $85 it's the best thing going IMHO... quality has improved also.

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