Rod builds, repairs, rebuilds, refurbs

[Lee Kashan]

I am a fan of ebay used rods.. There you go I've said it! Lol

It helps that I did a rod building course and learnt a bit of confidence about them and how to adapt them to my own liking i.e rebuilds and restoration. I don't think there is anything wrong with it as an option for people without much cash. I'm low waged service industry. I could never afford flash rods, but was never happy with the really cheap ones either. The mid range gear about tends to be very good though..

People have some misconceptions about used rods, many have said that ''there might be hidden damage''

Well one thing my tutor taught me is that a) if a rod has hidden damage it will break, simple as that, so all you have to do is tie some braid through the setup and give it a good heave ho tied to a fix point, and if it doesn't break it is good to go.. (Of course there is some element of risk here with the sale and return etc.) I mean let's face it it is hard to get a refund on a snapped rod lol.. But it's also hugely rewarding to rebuild cheaper rods so that you can customise them.

Food for thought and big bucks can be saved. Of course there will always be people who prefer new box fresh stuff and I respect that too.

[Lee Kashan]

Cheaper rods can be reasonably easy to rebuild, the varnish used on the guides is sometimes quite brittle and plasticcy and peels off easily, you need to get some basic kit like a dryer (rotator, essential for drying thread finish neatly), and a hand wrapper (essential for getting even tension on the threads for wrapping), and a book to study, or do a course (they are thin on the ground but out there if you dig about).

If you read up about it and are interested and not willing to have the wool pulled over your eyes, spine building can transform bland, twisty and innacurate rods into high performing ones which are a treat to use.