FF@Wiki - User contributions [en]

User talk:Davelewis

2007-02-11T03:21:53Z

Davelewis:

I started in with the fly fish list back some time in 94. The only internet connection I had back then was with an account Mary Lu had through the county schools. My handle back then was Mary Lewis. I accessed the Internet only with email on an old then Mac SE30. The WWW was young then and I didn't get access to any kind of graphic capability till I joined AOL some time late in 1994, and even it didn't give access to the web till a couple years later. I still accessed the List with Mary Lu's edu account which allowed me one hour a day and everything had to be done real time. It was a good training for my typing skills.

My first real contacts with folks on the list came at the fly shows that first year. I met several long standing members then. I remember meeting Bob Petti at the Fly Tyers Symposium in New York, Blake came to the New Jersey show. Some time about then I met Clyde and Bob Hautila, Dave Murphy, Drew, Dale Bonney dozens and dozens of folks came along in time over the first several years, many during my Montana summers. Jim Teft and his wife stopped by for dinner on their way south a few years ago. I surely haven't kept count but I imagine I've have met in person over a hundred listers, most at the shows many have stopped by here at our Virginia home and several have spent time with us at our Montana home. The very first Lister I came to know was Elmer Meiler. He has visited with us here and in Montana several times. I've gotten to know a whole bunch of southern listers through the show we did in Charlotte every year year. Many of them have become long standing friends. Mike Ray has visited with us in Montana, Frank Paul has visited with us both here and in Montana. Joel fishes with me every year here in Virginia and spent a week off and on with us in Montana several years ago. All around the country, I've developed lasting friends. Bill Williams and John Lawrence have become some of our closest friends. John spent a day here with us back in the fall when he was back east looking after his home in West Virginia. Bill has become almost a brother to us. I've even run into Sue K more times than either she or I would reckon, mostly at the dealer show in Denver. Lots and lots of others I could list here have become long standing friends.

The Internet has been a wonderful social resource for me. Since I've lost much of my hearing it provides me with much of my communication.

[[image:Lewislewis.jpg]]

Dave Lewis

File:Lewislewis.jpg

2007-02-11T03:19:44Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

2007-02-09T15:07:38Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

Richard has been a long time friend to all of us on the Fly Fish List. He is no longer subscribed to the List but continues to correspond with many of us. Recently he contacted me about some differences in the reel seats I use on my rods and his thoughts on changing the seat on a cane rod he has to one that will work with an older Hardy St. George reel. Here is the first email he sent along:

Hi Dave,

Hope this email finds you & Mary Lu well and warm. The cold is
settling in around here...finally, and the hot tea is getting a
good workout these days. WY & MT seem ages ago, but the memories
are bright and my screensaver of Zander riding at the ranch is a
constant reminder of what a great time we had. You are very lucky
to have a return ticket every summer.

I'm writing you specifically to ask a technical question about the
Venneri reelseats you mounted on the last two rods you made for me. You used Bob's uplocking seat.

Do you typically use a full length spacer, or do you trim? I ask
because I recently purchased a 5wt cane rod with a long Struble
uplocking seat (U8). I'm fine with the long seat because I plan to
pair the rod with some vintage Hardy reels which I'm sure you know
have feet in a wide variety of sizes. The U8 is long enough for
any of them and the cupped band at the bottom is fine. The problem
is the shallow hooded gap at the top - the part under the cork
hood. My plan is to remove the seat and replace it. A D8 might
solve the problem, or it might just reverse it. :-) I checked all
my existing reelseats and the Venneri offers the most clearance -
even the uplocking version works with a stepped, brass hardy foot.
I guess the mortise makes a big difference. The only issue is
length. The seats on your rods are too short for some older reel
feet, so I'm curious if that is because you trimmed them, or if
that is the original spacer length? Bob doesn't provide specs on
length on his site, so I can't get the info there.

Thanks in advance for any info.

richard

Here is my response:

Great to hear from you, Richard. Glad you sound well and happy for
a warm winter turned cold at last. I was figuring on your coming
west again most years. You best fit it into your schedule.

Bob Venneri isn't doing any seats any more. I can't get him to
answer his emails or his phone but word has it he is having some
personal problems that are difficult for him. It puts me in a bind,
but I'm still living with a few of his seats left in my inventory
and filling the voids with Struble and Bellinger. The Bellinger
seats are the ones he used as suggestions in his designs. They are nicely
machined and finished, but nearly as hard to get as his since the
company changed hands a year ago.

Concerning lengths, I tell folks to pair a reel with the rod that fits. Kind of blind siding on my end
I guess. I like a small rod to have things small including a small
reel with a small foot. Hopefully you aren't terribly cramped with
that, though, and have just the perfect reel that won't work. On
screw lock seats, I like the retainer to not go up on the wood, so
I cut the wood short enough so the retainer will lock on most reels
with a bit of threads showing in front of it. I cut all the Struble
inserts to length too and they do indeed measure their stuff.

Nice to hear from you, Richard. Our best to all of you.

Richard tried altering the seat on his cane rod so it would allow the reel foot of the old Hardy to go in far enough to be secure, but he was unable to do much good with careful use of a small file, so he ordered a seat from REC and did the job on it.

Here is the final email he sent me the other day with some pictures of the final results:

Hi Dave,

Here are a few pics of the new REC reel seat on the Hoffhines cane rod. As you can see the seat securely grabs a stepped Hardy St. George reel foot. Ideally it could be a bit deeper, but the reel is snug. It's not going anywhere. Turning the recessed cork ring was fun. I made a short mandrel for my drill press and wedged the recessed ring between two solid rings. I sanded the three down until the recessed ring was about a millimeter larger than the bottom seat ring and completed the fit by hand sanding. Seems to have worked out reasonably well.

richard

[[image:RH_SG_grip.jpg]]

[[image:RH_REC.jpg]]

[[image:RH_SG3.jpg]]

Dave Lewis

----

I guess it's permitted to add or modify a Wiki entry, so I'll chime in to note that I've done about a dozen reel seats over a period of about a dozen years. My plan, if I live long enough, is to become a master rod builder. I'm working my way up from the butt end, mastering one component at a time. One advanttage of this approach is that I don't have to decide whether I will make graphite or cane rods until I finish my grip apprenticeship. That should take another dozen years. :-) Thanks for putting the pictures up Dave.

richard

----

That's good. At the rate you're going I'll be 96 by the time you're competition.

Dave

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

2007-02-09T05:39:50Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

2007-02-09T05:38:58Z

Davelewis: User:Davelewis moved to Talking Rods With Richard Frank

User:Davelewis

2007-02-09T05:38:58Z

Davelewis: User:Davelewis moved to Talking Rods With Richard Frank

#REDIRECT [[Talking Rods With Richard Frank]]

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

2007-02-09T05:36:06Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

2007-02-09T05:34:05Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

Richard has been a long time friend to all of us on the Fly Fish List. He is no longer subscribed to the List but continues to correspond with many of us. Recently he contacted me about some differences in the reel seats I use on my rods and his thoughts on changing the seat on a cane rod he has to one that will work with an older Hardy St. George reel. Here is the first email he sent along:

Hi Dave,

Hope this email finds you & Mary Lu well and warm. The cold is
settling in around here...finally, and the hot tea is getting a
good workout these days. WY & MT seem ages ago, but the memories
are bright and my screensaver of Zander riding at the ranch is a
constant reminder of what a great time we had. You are very lucky
to have a return ticket every summer.

I'm writing you specifically to ask a technical question about the
Venneri reelseats you mounted on the last two rods you made for me. You used Bob's uplocking seat.

Do you typically use a full length spacer, or do you trim? I ask
because I recently purchased a 5wt cane rod with a long Struble
uplocking seat (U8). I'm fine with the long seat because I plan to
pair the rod with some vintage Hardy reels which I'm sure you know
have feet in a wide variety of sizes. The U8 is long enough for
any of them and the cupped band at the bottom is fine. The problem
is the shallow hooded gap at the top - the part under the cork
hood. My plan is to remove the seat and replace it. A D8 might
solve the problem, or it might just reverse it. :-) I checked all
my existing reelseats and the Venneri offers the most clearance -
even the uplocking version works with a stepped, brass hardy foot.
I guess the mortise makes a big difference. The only issue is
length. The seats on your rods are too short for some older reel
feet, so I'm curious if that is because you trimmed them, or if
that is the original spacer length? Bob doesn't provide specs on
length on his site, so I can't get the info there.

Thanks in advance for any info.

richard

Here is my response:

Great to hear from you, Richard. Glad you sound well and happy for
a warm winter turned cold at last. I was figuring on your coming
west again most years. You best fit it into your schedule.

Bob Venneri isn't doing any seats any more. I can't get him to
answer his emails or his phone but word has it he is having some
personal problems that are difficult for him. It puts me in a bind,
but I'm still living with a few of his seats left in my inventory
and filling the voids with Struble and Bellinger. The Bellinger
seats are the ones he used as suggestions in his designs. They are nicely
machined and finished, but nearly as hard to get as his since the
company changed hands a year ago.

Concerning lengths, I tell folks to pair a reel with the rod that fits. Kind of blind siding on my end
I guess. I like a small rod to have things small including a small
reel with a small foot. Hopefully you aren't terribly cramped with
that, though, and have just the perfect reel that won't work. On
screw lock seats, I like the retainer to not go up on the wood, so
I cut the wood short enough so the retainer will lock on most reels
with a bit of threads showing in front of it. I cut all the Struble
inserts to length too and they do indeed measure their stuff.

Nice to hear from you, Richard. Our best to all of you.

Richard tried altering the seat on his can rod so it would allow the reel foot of the old Hardy to go in far enough to be secure, but he was unable to do much good with careful use of a small file, so he ordered a seat from REC and did the job on it.

Here is the final email he sent me the other day with some pictures of the final results:

Hi Dave,

Here are a few pics of the new REC reel seat on the Hoffhines cane rod. As you can see the seat securely grabs a stepped Hardy St. George reel foot. Ideally it could be a bit deeper, but the reel is snug. It's not going anywhere. Turning the recessed cork ring was fun. I made a short mandrel for my drill press and wedged the recessed ring between two solid rings. I sanded the three down until the recessed ring was about a millimeter larger than the bottom seat ring and completed the fit by hand sanding. Seems to have worked out reasonably well.

richard

[[image:RH_SG_grip.jpg]]

[[image:RH_REC.jpg]]

[[image:RH_SG3.jpg]]

File:RH SG3.jpg

2007-02-09T05:32:08Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

2007-02-09T05:28:39Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

Richard has been a long time friend to all of us on the Fly Fish List. He is no longer subscribed to the List but continues to correspond with many of us. Recently he contacted me about some differences in the reel seats I use on my rods and his thoughts on changing the seat on a cane rod he has to one that will work with an older Hardy St. George reel. Here is the first email he sent along:

Hi Dave,

Hope this email finds you & Mary Lu well and warm. The cold is
settling in around here...finally, and the hot tea is getting a
good workout these days. WY & MT seem ages ago, but the memories
are bright and my screensaver of Zander riding at the ranch is a
constant reminder of what a great time we had. You are very lucky
to have a return ticket every summer.

I'm writing you specifically to ask a technical question about the
Venneri reelseats you mounted on the last two rods you made for me. You used Bob's uplocking seat.

Do you typically use a full length spacer, or do you trim? I ask
because I recently purchased a 5wt cane rod with a long Struble
uplocking seat (U8). I'm fine with the long seat because I plan to
pair the rod with some vintage Hardy reels which I'm sure you know
have feet in a wide variety of sizes. The U8 is long enough for
any of them and the cupped band at the bottom is fine. The problem
is the shallow hooded gap at the top - the part under the cork
hood. My plan is to remove the seat and replace it. A D8 might
solve the problem, or it might just reverse it. :-) I checked all
my existing reelseats and the Venneri offers the most clearance -
even the uplocking version works with a stepped, brass hardy foot.
I guess the mortise makes a big difference. The only issue is
length. The seats on your rods are too short for some older reel
feet, so I'm curious if that is because you trimmed them, or if
that is the original spacer length? Bob doesn't provide specs on
length on his site, so I can't get the info there.

Thanks in advance for any info.

richard

Here is my response:

Great to hear from you, Richard. Glad you sound well and happy for
a warm winter turned cold at last. I was figuring on your coming
west again most years. You best fit it into your schedule.

Bob Venneri isn't doing any seats any more. I can't get him to
answer his emails or his phone but word has it he is having some
personal problems that are difficult for him. It puts me in a bind,
but I'm still living with a few of his seats left in my inventory
and filling the voids with Struble and Bellinger. The Bellinger
seats are the ones he used as suggestions in his designs. They are nicely
machined and finished, but nearly as hard to get as his since the
company changed hands a year ago.

Concerning lengths, I tell folks to pair a reel with the rod that fits. Kind of blind siding on my end
I guess. I like a small rod to have things small including a small
reel with a small foot. Hopefully you aren't terribly cramped with
that, though, and have just the perfect reel that won't work. On
screw lock seats, I like the retainer to not go up on the wood, so
I cut the wood short enough so the retainer will lock on most reels
with a bit of threads showing in front of it. I cut all the Struble
inserts to length too and they do indeed measure their stuff.

Nice to hear from you, Richard. Our best to all of you.

Richard tried altering the seat on his can rod so it would allow the reel foot of the old Hardy to go in far enough to be secure, but he was unable to do much good with careful use of a small file, so he ordered a seat from REC and did the job on it.

Here is the final email he sent me the other day with some pictures of the final results:

Hi Dave,

Here are a few pics of the new REC reel seat on the Hoffhines cane rod. As you can see the seat securely grabs a stepped Hardy St. George reel foot. Ideally it could be a bit deeper, but the reel is snug. It's not going anywhere. Turning the recessed cork ring was fun. I made a short mandrel for my drill press and wedged the recessed ring between two solid rings. I sanded the three down until the recessed ring was about a millimeter larger than the bottom seat ring and completed the fit by hand sanding. Seems to have worked out reasonably well.

richard

[[RH_SG_grip.jpg]]

[[RH_REC.jpg]]

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

2007-02-09T05:26:42Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

Richard has been a long time friend to all of us on the Fly Fish List. He is no longer subscribed to the List but continues to correspond with many of us. Recently he contacted me about some differences in the reel seats I use on my rods and his thoughts on changing the seat on a cane rod he has to one that will work with an older Hardy St. George reel. Here is the first email he sent along:

Hi Dave,

Hope this email finds you & Mary Lu well and warm. The cold is
settling in around here...finally, and the hot tea is getting a
good workout these days. WY & MT seem ages ago, but the memories
are bright and my screensaver of Zander riding at the ranch is a
constant reminder of what a great time we had. You are very lucky
to have a return ticket every summer.

I'm writing you specifically to ask a technical question about the
Venneri reelseats you mounted on the last two rods you made for me. You used Bob's uplocking seat.

Do you typically use a full length spacer, or do you trim? I ask
because I recently purchased a 5wt cane rod with a long Struble
uplocking seat (U8). I'm fine with the long seat because I plan to
pair the rod with some vintage Hardy reels which I'm sure you know
have feet in a wide variety of sizes. The U8 is long enough for
any of them and the cupped band at the bottom is fine. The problem
is the shallow hooded gap at the top - the part under the cork
hood. My plan is to remove the seat and replace it. A D8 might
solve the problem, or it might just reverse it. :-) I checked all
my existing reelseats and the Venneri offers the most clearance -
even the uplocking version works with a stepped, brass hardy foot.
I guess the mortise makes a big difference. The only issue is
length. The seats on your rods are too short for some older reel
feet, so I'm curious if that is because you trimmed them, or if
that is the original spacer length? Bob doesn't provide specs on
length on his site, so I can't get the info there.

Thanks in advance for any info.

richard

Here is my response:

Great to hear from you, Richard. Glad you sound well and happy for
a warm winter turned cold at last. I was figuring on your coming
west again most years. You best fit it into your schedule.

Bob Venneri isn't doing any seats any more. I can't get him to
answer his emails or his phone but word has it he is having some
personal problems that are difficult for him. It puts me in a bind,
but I'm still living with a few of his seats left in my inventory
and filling the voids with Struble and Bellinger. The Bellinger
seats are the ones he used as suggestions in his designs. They are nicely
machined and finished, but nearly as hard to get as his since the
company changed hands a year ago.

Concerning lengths, I tell folks to pair a reel with the rod that fits. Kind of blind siding on my end
I guess. I like a small rod to have things small including a small
reel with a small foot. Hopefully you aren't terribly cramped with
that, though, and have just the perfect reel that won't work. On
screw lock seats, I like the retainer to not go up on the wood, so
I cut the wood short enough so the retainer will lock on most reels
with a bit of threads showing in front of it. I cut all the Struble
inserts to length too and they do indeed measure their stuff.

Nice to hear from you, Richard. Our best to all of you.

Richard tried altering the seat on his can rod so it would allow the reel foot of the old Hardy to go in far enough to be secure, but he was unable to do much good with careful use of a small file, so he ordered a seat from REC and did the job on it.

Here is the final email he sent me the other day with some pictures of the final results:

Hi Dave,

Here are a few pics of the new REC reel seat on the Hoffhines cane rod. As you can see the seat securely grabs a stepped Hardy St. George reel foot. Ideally it could be a bit deeper, but the reel is snug. It's not going anywhere. Turning the recessed cork ring was fun. I made a short mandrel for my drill press and wedged the recessed ring between two solid rings. I sanded the three down until the recessed ring was about a millimeter larger than the bottom seat ring and completed the fit by hand sanding. Seems to have worked out reasonably well.

richard

[[RH_SG_grip.jpg]]

File:RH REC.jpg

2007-02-09T05:22:40Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

2007-02-09T05:21:34Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

Richard has been a long time friend to all of us on the Fly Fish List. He is no longer subscribed to the List but continues to correspond with many of us. Recently he contacted me about some differences in the reel seats I use on my rods and his thoughts on changing the seat on a cane rod he has to one that will work with an older Hardy St. George reel. Here is the first email he sent along:

Hi Dave,

Hope this email finds you & Mary Lu well and warm. The cold is
settling in around here...finally, and the hot tea is getting a
good workout these days. WY & MT seem ages ago, but the memories
are bright and my screensaver of Zander riding at the ranch is a
constant reminder of what a great time we had. You are very lucky
to have a return ticket every summer.

I'm writing you specifically to ask a technical question about the
Venneri reelseats you mounted on the last two rods you made for me. You used Bob's uplocking seat.

Do you typically use a full length spacer, or do you trim? I ask
because I recently purchased a 5wt cane rod with a long Struble
uplocking seat (U8). I'm fine with the long seat because I plan to
pair the rod with some vintage Hardy reels which I'm sure you know
have feet in a wide variety of sizes. The U8 is long enough for
any of them and the cupped band at the bottom is fine. The problem
is the shallow hooded gap at the top - the part under the cork
hood. My plan is to remove the seat and replace it. A D8 might
solve the problem, or it might just reverse it. :-) I checked all
my existing reelseats and the Venneri offers the most clearance -
even the uplocking version works with a stepped, brass hardy foot.
I guess the mortise makes a big difference. The only issue is
length. The seats on your rods are too short for some older reel
feet, so I'm curious if that is because you trimmed them, or if
that is the original spacer length? Bob doesn't provide specs on
length on his site, so I can't get the info there.

Thanks in advance for any info.

richard

Here is my response:

Great to hear from you, Richard. Glad you sound well and happy for
a warm winter turned cold at last. I was figuring on your coming
west again most years. You best fit it into your schedule.

Bob Venneri isn't doing any seats any more. I can't get him to
answer his emails or his phone but word has it he is having some
personal problems that are difficult for him. It puts me in a bind,
but I'm still living with a few of his seats left in my inventory
and filling the voids with Struble and Bellinger. The Bellinger
seats are the ones he used as suggestions in his designs. They are nicely
machined and finished, but nearly as hard to get as his since the
company changed hands a year ago.

Concerning lengths, I tell folks to pair a reel with the rod that fits. Kind of blind siding on my end
I guess. I like a small rod to have things small including a small
reel with a small foot. Hopefully you aren't terribly cramped with
that, though, and have just the perfect reel that won't work. On
screw lock seats, I like the retainer to not go up on the wood, so
I cut the wood short enough so the retainer will lock on most reels
with a bit of threads showing in front of it. I cut all the Struble
inserts to length too and they do indeed measure their stuff.

Nice to hear from you, Richard. Our best to all of you.

Richard tried altering the seat on his can rod so it would allow the reel foot of the old Hardy to go in far enough to be secure, but he was unable to do much good with careful use of a small file, so he ordered a seat from REC and did the job on it.

Here is the final email he sent me the other day with some pictures of the final results:

Hi Dave,

Here are a few pics of the new REC reel seat on the Hoffhines cane rod. As you can see the seat securely grabs a stepped Hardy St. George reel foot. Ideally it could be a bit deeper, but the reel is snug. It's not going anywhere. Turning the recessed cork ring was fun. I made a short mandrel for my drill press and wedged the recessed ring between two solid rings. I sanded the three down until the recessed ring was about a millimeter larger than the bottom seat ring and completed the fit by hand sanding. Seems to have worked out reasonably well.

richard

RH_SG_grip.jpg (99KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

2007-02-09T05:11:14Z

Davelewis:

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

Richard has been a long time friend to all of us on the Fly Fish List. He is no longer subscribed to the List but continues to correspond with many of us. Recently he contacted me about some differences in the reel seats I use on my rods and his thoughts on changing the seat on a cane rod he has to one that will work with an older Hardy St. George reel. Here is the first email he sent along:

Hi Dave,

Hope this email finds you & Mary Lu well and warm. The cold is
settling in around here...finally, and the hot tea is getting a
good workout these days. WY & MT seem ages ago, but the memories
are bright and my screensaver of Zander riding at the ranch is a
constant reminder of what a great time we had. You are very lucky
to have a return ticket every summer.

I'm writing you specifically to ask a technical question about the
Venneri reelseats you mounted on the last two rods you made for me. You used Bob's uplocking seat.

Do you typically use a full length spacer, or do you trim? I ask
because I recently purchased a 5wt cane rod with a long Struble
uplocking seat (U8). I'm fine with the long seat because I plan to
pair the rod with some vintage Hardy reels which I'm sure you know
have feet in a wide variety of sizes. The U8 is long enough for
any of them and the cupped band at the bottom is fine. The problem
is the shallow hooded gap at the top - the part under the cork
hood. My plan is to remove the seat and replace it. A D8 might
solve the problem, or it might just reverse it. :-) I checked all
my existing reelseats and the Venneri offers the most clearance -
even the uplocking version works with a stepped, brass hardy foot.
I guess the mortise makes a big difference. The only issue is
length. The seats on your rods are too short for some older reel
feet, so I'm curious if that is because you trimmed them, or if
that is the original spacer length? Bob doesn't provide specs on
length on his site, so I can't get the info there.

Thanks in advance for any info.

richard

Here is my response:

Great to hear from you, Richard. Glad you sound well and happy for
a warm winter turned cold at last. I was figuring on your coming
west again most years. You best fit it into your schedule.

Bob Venneri isn't doing any seats any more. I can't get him to
answer his emails or his phone but word has it he is having some
personal problems that are difficult for him. It puts me in a bind,
but I'm still living with a few of his seats left in my inventory
and filling the voids with Struble and Bellinger. The Bellinger
seats are the ones he used as suggestions in his designs. They are nicely
machined and finished, but nearly as hard to get as his since the
company changed hands a year ago.

Concerning lengths, I tell folks to pair a reel with the rod that fits. Kind of blind siding on my end
I guess. I like a small rod to have things small including a small
reel with a small foot. Hopefully you aren't terribly cramped with
that, though, and have just the perfect reel that won't work. On
screw lock seats, I like the retainer to not go up on the wood, so
I cut the wood short enough so the retainer will lock on most reels
with a bit of threads showing in front of it. I cut all the Struble
inserts to length too and they do indeed measure their stuff.

Nice to hear from you, Richard. Our best to all of you.

Richard tried altering the seat on his can rod so it would allow the reel foot of the old Hardy to go in far enough to be secure, but he was unable to do much good with careful use of a small file, so he ordered a seat from REC and did the job on it.

Here is the final email he sent me the other day with some pictures of the final results:

Hi Dave,

Here are a few pics of the new REC reel seat on the Hoffhines cane rod. As you can see the seat securely grabs a stepped Hardy St. George reel foot. Ideally it could be a bit deeper, but the reel is snug. It's not going anywhere. Turning the recessed cork ring was fun. I made a short mandrel for my drill press and wedged the recessed ring between two solid rings. I sanded the three down until the recessed ring was about a millimeter larger than the bottom seat ring and completed the fit by hand sanding. Seems to have worked out reasonably well.

richard

RH_SG_grip.jpg

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

2007-02-09T05:09:08Z

Davelewis: Talking Rods With Richard Frank

Talking Rods With Richard Frank

Richard has been a long time friend to all of us on the Fly Fish List. He is no longer subscribed to the List but continues to correspond with many of us. Recently he contacted me about some differences in the reel seats I use on my rods and his thoughts on changing the seat on a cane rod he has to one that will work with an older Hardy St. George reel. Here is the first email he sent along:

Hi Dave,

Hope this email finds you & Mary Lu well and warm. The cold is
settling in around here...finally, and the hot tea is getting a
good workout these days. WY & MT seem ages ago, but the memories
are bright and my screensaver of Zander riding at the ranch is a
constant reminder of what a great time we had. You are very lucky
to have a return ticket every summer.

I'm writing you specifically to ask a technical question about the
Venneri reelseats you mounted on the last two rods you made for me.
You used Bob's uplocking seat.

Do you typically use a full length spacer, or do you trim? I ask
because I recently purchased a 5wt cane rod with a long Struble
uplocking seat (U8). I'm fine with the long seat because I plan to
pair the rod with some vintage Hardy reels which I'm sure you know
have feet in a wide variety of sizes. The U8 is long enough for
any of them and the cupped band at the bottom is fine. The problem
is the shallow hooded gap at the top - the part under the cork
hood. My plan is to remove the seat and replace it. A D8 might
solve the problem, or it might just reverse it. :-) I checked all
my existing reelseats and the Venneri offers the most clearance -
even the uplocking version works with a stepped, brass hardy foot.
I guess the mortise makes a big difference. The only issue is
length. The seats on your rods are too short for some older reel
feet, so I'm curious if that is because you trimmed them, or if
that is the original spacer length? Bob doesn't provide specs on
length on his site, so I can't get the info there.

Thanks in advance for any info.

richard

Here is my response:

Great to hear from you, Richard. Glad you sound well and happy for
a warm winter turned cold at last. I was figuring on your coming
west again most years. You best fit it into your schedule.

Bob Venneri isn't doing any seats any more. I can't get him to
answer his emails or his phone but word has it he is having some
personal problems that are difficult for him. It puts me in a bind,
but I'm still living with a few of his seats left in my inventory
and filling the voids with Struble and Bellinger. The Bellinger
seats are the ones he used as suggestions in his designs. They are nicely
machined and finished, but nearly as hard to get as his since the
company changed hands a year ago.

Concerning lengths, I tell folks to pair a reel with the rod that fits. Kind of blind siding on my end
I guess. I like a small rod to have things small including a small
reel with a small foot. Hopefully you aren't terribly cramped with
that, though, and have just the perfect reel that won't work. On
screw lock seats, I like the retainer to not go up on the wood, so
I cut the wood short enough so the retainer will lock on most reels
with a bit of threads showing in front of it. I cut all the Struble
inserts to length too and they do indeed measure their stuff.

Nice to hear from you, Richard. Our best to all of you.

Richard tried altering the seat on his can rod so it would allow the reel foot of the old Hardy to go in far enough to be secure, but he was unable to do much good with careful use of a small file, so he ordered a seat from REC and did the job on it.

Here is the final email he sent me the other day with some pictures of the final results:

Hi Dave,

Here are a few pics of the new REC reel seat on the Hoffhines cane rod. As you can see the seat securely grabs a stepped Hardy St. George reel foot. Ideally it could be a bit deeper, but the reel is snug. It's not going anywhere. Turning the recessed cork ring was fun. I made a short mandrel for my drill press and wedged the recessed ring between two solid rings. I sanded the three down until the recessed ring was about a millimeter larger than the bottom seat ring and completed the fit by hand sanding. Seems to have worked out reasonably well.

richard

File:RH SG grip.jpg

2007-02-09T05:06:45Z

Davelewis:

Rod Building Instructions

2007-01-23T01:39:48Z

Davelewis: Newpage moved to Rod Building Instructions: Ought to have a real title, not "New Page"

It seems like folks are always asking rod building questions on the List. I put together a one page set of rod building instructions to include with the rod kits I sold at shows several years ago and decided to include them on my web site. I'll cut and paste them here for anyone to use or make comments or additions to. If you make additions please note them with your name. Here is the instruction sheet:

Rod Assembly Simplified

1. Put the blank together and check for straightness. I like to put tape around the blank above and below the ferrules and draw a line across them to keep the alignment the same through the whole building process. Draw a line across the top of the tape wraps to locate the straight side of the rod. You can check for the spine if you like by pushing down on the middle of the blank with your hand while resting the butt end on a table top and the tip end in your hand. The blank will rotate to the softest side. I like to put the guides on the inside of the bend.

2. Glue on the tip top with epoxy. Use only high strength, slow drying epoxy. You might have to file the opening of the tip top just a little to get it to go onto the tip section. Some times you have to scrape the paint from the surface of the blank at that point, too. Inexpensive blanks some times need a little beveling on the upper ends of the sections to get them to go together smoothly too.

3. Glue the parts of the reel seat together with epoxy, then measure the length of the reel seat and grip and mark the blank where that length ends. Sand the blank with rough sandpaper to that point, so the glue holds well to its surface.

4. Wrap two bands of tape at either ends of the reel seat around the bottom end of the butt section to bush it and make the reel seat fit nicely. Fill the remaining part with epoxy to glue the seat in place. Make sure you have it perfectly aligned with the tip top.

5. Using a rat tail file, open and taper the hole in the grip to snugly fit the blank. Work epoxy into the grip hole and coat the blank with a nice smooth coat too. Then slide the grip down to fit nicely over the upper end of the reel seat. You can clean up the epoxy with a paper towel and alcohol.

6. Slide the winding check down against the front of the grip with the flat end against the grip.

7. Position the butt guide and snake guides on the blank according to the guide spacing chart for the rod length. Here are charts for the various kits I sell: (measurements from the tip top)

7' 6" - 4 1/2"---10"---16 1/4"---23 1/4"---31"---39 1/2"---49 1/2"---60 1/2"

7' 9" - 4 1/2"---10"---16 3/8"---23 3/4"---32 1/8"---41 3/8"---51 5/8"---63"

8' - 4 1/2"---9 5/8"---15 5/8"---22"---29"---36 3/8"---44 5/8"---53 7/8"---64 1/4"

8' 6" - 5"---11 1/4"---18 1/2"---26 1/4"---34 1/4"---42 1/2"---51"---61"--- 72 1/2"

9' - 4 1/2"---9 5/8"---15 5/8"---22"---29"---36 3/8"---44 5/8"---53 7/8"---64 3/4"---76 1/4"

You might have to juggle the positions of some of the guides a bit to accommodate the ferrules on three and four piece rods. Tape one end of the guide with 1/4” masking tape and do the thread wrap on the other end. Wrap from the end of the guide foot toward the guide loop. The thread will stack nicely on the tapered guide foot that way. Pull the tag end of the thread back under the wrap with a loop of tippet material, that you have wrapped several turns of thread over. Cut the tag end with a razor blade. Check guide alignment and wiggle the guides into aligmnent before varnishing. Be sure and do a 1/2” reinforcing wrap at the bottom of each section to protect the ferrule from splitting.

8. Coat the wraps with four coats of polyurethane varnish. I suggest high gloss Minwax brand. I use it for the writing area of my rods and find it to be very durable. Be sure and let the wraps dry over night between coats.

9. You’re done. Get on the phone right away and order another kit, since this one was so much fun. Take the rod out and go fishing.

Dave Lewis

Rod Building Instructions

2007-01-23T01:32:16Z

Davelewis: Rod Building Instructions