Evening! I've got an old Ron Thompson 14 ft power carp waggler type rod - the blank is very good, responsive but with shedloads of power through the blank. The only problem is the eyes which are the feeble single leg type and general naff. Does anyone know of any articles on FM or the web about rod building? Also does anyone know where I can get some three legged eyes for the rod?

Cheers

Hopkins and Holloway would be a good starting point: http://www.hopkinsholloway.co.uk/.

If anyone fancies doing some rod building, I was once dead keen myself, and I'd happily do an guide to how to do it. The problem is a general lack of good blanks and fittings at sensible prices in the UK.

Clearly when you can buy the finished article from China for £5 why would you bother getting anyone to build them? I can only assume all the current rod builders buy abroad in bulk, 'cos I'm damned if I can find anyone selling the gear.

Mark, you can buy Harrison blanks easily enough,good blanks but the cost is still astronomical.
I recently bought a fully built 2.1/4 TC rod from a certain well established popular company with what I call a "Skinny" handle, I.E nothing but a silly bit of Duplon on the butt. Crap in my opinion...I bought some corks from E-Bay, and put a full handle on the rod.... the same company sells the same rod with a full cork handle for £95.00, the skinny butt rod cost me £28.00, The corks cost £6.00 inc postage... total cost including Araldite... £38.00 give or take a few pence.....whos making the profit there, taking into account that everything I bought was retail as well...
I suppose that 40 years building everything from 4wt Fly rods to full blown Tarpon rods does help a bit though!

That's precisely what I discovered when I looked around for the kit to build a rod. It doesn't look as if anyone is importing blanks from China, and all those you can buy were built on £8-an-hour north-eastern England labour.

But look in Cabelas and there's plenty to choose from - there were some 10ft steelhead blanks at $24.99, hi-mod carbon, etc. If it weren't for the excessive 40% international shipping costs plus the chance of being stung again by customs I would have had them.