Well as I'm gonna have some time on my hands due to the foot and mouth, I might try a bit of rod building. Does anyone still do this or is it a dying art (And I dont want ANYONE to come out with "Yeah Daiwa build loads of rods'!!)Where do you go for blanks etc..
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 Yep, i build probably 80% of my own rods. I used to do it a side line for a shop here in Aberdeen, mainly fly and spinning rods, but I have built 3 Amourphouses, 6 North Westerns, Several Fibatubes, 2 Harrisons and too many other ones to mention, including split cane.
I tend to get blanks via my dealer (Fibatube, North Westen) or via the Tackle Box in Kent. Have a look at the Greys of Alnwick site http://www.greysrods.co.uk/
Century http://www.century.uk.co/
Carbotec http://www.carbotec.co.uk/
I can't find North Westen, but they are fantastic rods.
I would reccommend any of the above.
There are others, but I am not sure what u are after.
Components such as rings, reel seats, handles etc can be got throught the Tackle box or many other shops.
Hope this helps...any questions, just ask
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The standars Carbon range of rods from North Wesren have never let me down. They are cracking value, I think I paie £54 for a 12 foot 2 and a quater test carp rod blank. I have put a 3 oz bomb a measures 111 yards with it, its landed carp, pike, bass, wrasse, pollack...anything u can mention, and its still as good today as it was when i made it up.
I have about 9 rods on NW blanks...all brillient.
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I used to build all my own rods and really enjoyed it but with less time I've gone back to shop bought ones. Maybe I'll have another go. The worst bit used to be varnishing. Can you get away with putting epoxy varnish on just the wippings these days?
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Chris. Yes you can. All rods have a coating on them as standard these days. Even the Matt black blanks I get from the States only need the whippings epoxied. Makes life a lot easier!!
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 I used to have a roller sustem connected to a small electric motor. all you had to do was put a blob of epoxy on the whipping and leave it to turn for about 5 hours in a clean atmosphere. You got the best of all finishes this way.
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Ron, yip, I had too, but now i just tuen the rod by hand for a few minutes, and its fine. Goos old modern 5 minute epoxy :o)
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When I used to build rods you ended up with exactly the rod you wanted and much cheaper than one off the peg. Having got interested again because of this thread it seems that you end up paying at least as much if not more than a commercially produced rod these days. I know you can get Sage fly rod blanks for half the rod price and therefore save money but this is not the case with coarse rod blanks. Do you end up with a better product?
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Chris, I bought 3 12 foot Amourphous blanks of of the Tackle Box in Kent, these cost me £375, rings cost £11 per rod (Fujis), reel seat, £7 per rod, full duplon handles, £14 each, blue thread, about £3 and epocy £10. Thats around £484 pounds in total. At that time, these rods were going for £275 each from Daiwa. Thats £825, therefore i saved £450. Geeeez..I never realised that!
That is an extreme example though. What i like is the fact that I can have my full duplon or cork handle on a carp rod, I can have normal ringing instead of bloody long range crap that, when playing a fish, destroys the action. I can have my royal blue with silver tipped whippings and my name on the rod etc.
I think that if you are looking at the better quality blanks, then u do save money, but at the lower end, I reckon I break even, but I have a better looking rod made my my own hand.
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Cut a long story short bought a Anyfish Anywhere six & Bait First trip rod pulled over 3 guide inserts broke Anyfish Any where not interested shop not interested, look on the bright side nice blank S--t guides, replace using proper Fuji guides under whipped Guides would look nice. theres the dilema conventioal no problem, underwhipped not so easy, any advice woul be appreciated
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If it's still in print, Len Head's book, Rod Building and Repair (Crowood) is worth getting.
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 I used to make a lot of my rods but that was because I couldn't buy the specialist rods that I needed; but nowerdays you are spoilt for choice. However this UK site may be useful to you. Guides n Blanks
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 Harry I've got a rod building book up in my loft that has a section on underwhipping, give me a couple of days and I'll dig it out
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 What's under whipping? In my mind's eye they would just fall off!
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I'm in the process of rebuiding a couple of rods....tryed that 5min epoxy stuff, it drys to quick!! Stripped em down again!! i won't be using it for whippings again!
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Thanks for the advice lads, Mat under whipping is a layer of whipping between the guide and the blank you then whip the guide to the section you have under whipped, when its done well it looks really nice ,its also stonger. and as i have found out a pain in the? to get right.
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 Sorry Harry can you elaberate? Why is it a pain to get right? I used to rebuild rods for people back in the 90s and i never had a problem. Where is it your struggling exactly?
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Why would anyone want to underwhip anyway? i have never ever had a ring foot damage a blank during it's fishing life........only marks i have ever found when removing rings for a rod rebuild are varnish marks. But as Bill said, i can't see why it would be a pain?
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Bill when you whip straight onto the blank the blank is smooth the thread buts up nicely as you turn. when you try this over a layer of whipping the thread has tendancy to follow the natural trough between the thread that you are whipping over, once its in this trough you cannot push it up flush as you could if it was sraight onto the blank. may be i need more practice its the first time i have tried it.
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