~ Rodmakers Findings ~

Latest News:

(3/13/03)Rimmed buttcap blanks are now available. The rimmed butt cap styling originates from the Classic Era of bamboo fly rods when stylish reel seat jewelry was common. See below for further information.

(2/1/03) Improvements to the tools for the pocketed buttcaps have been completed and tested and are now on line. The parts made by these tools will fit closer to the inserts and have a slightly wider and tapered pocket to accept nearly all reel feet.

Rodmakers Findings are economical un-finished blanks that may be finished by those with metals machining skills and equipment into their own unique reel seat hardware. Semi-finished pocketed buttcap and rimmed buttcap blanks are available to those who prefer them for their rod project.

The basis of these parts is a simple deep drawn cup. Depending on the size and type selected, this simple cup may be converted into a variety of parts including:

• grip checks.
• cork checks.
• butt caps for cap and ring reel seats.
• rimmed buttcaps and slide bands for rimmed cap and ring reel seats.
• slide bands for mortised cap and ring reel seats.
• slide bands for pocketed buttcap reel seats.
• slide bands for screw lock reel seats.
• pocketed or hooded buttcaps.
• hoods for uplocking reel seats.
• nickel silver base trim for inserts used on uplocking seats.

A sketch in PFD format describing some of the fly rod reel seat options that may be constructed with these cups may be found here.

(right) Drawn nickle silver cups.

Unlike an assembled or soldered butt cap, where a disk is soldered into the end of a portion of a tube; butt caps made from seamless drawn cups require less time to make and will never come apart. The process employed to form these cups is the same method used by the makers of the classic era rods. They are stamped, drawn and formed from flat strip material. The process permits a generous and stylish radius at the end of the cap not typical of soldered butt caps. Using these cups to make your own components personalizes your work, making it uniquely yours. Separating your work from that of those who simply assemble widely available commercial components onto the rods they build.

Other semi-finished parts, made from these cups are available including pocketed butt cap blanks and rimmed butt cap blanks. Rimmed slide band blanks are under development.

(left) Cups are formed from round blanks which are punched out of coils of nickle silver strip.

Cups are drawn from one of the following materials. Nickle silver blanks are made from UNS C75200 18% alloy. This is exactly the same material long used by rodmakers. It polishes to a brilliant white-blue color and will not tarnish or discolor as does the commonly available nickle silver barstock alloys. Parts may also be ordered made from jewelers bronze or "NU-GOLD" alloy. Long used in the jewelry industry, this metal permits the fabrication of parts having good mechanical strength and corrosion resistance along with the look of Gold. Nickle silver parts are generally held in stock. Parts made from aluminum and jewelers bronze are usually run to order.

Cups (blanks) are selected by size for different fly rod reel seat applications:

Drawn cup selection table
Reel seats having 21/32 in. diameter inserts			See the cups drawing here Cap and ring reel seat parts finished from our blanks cap and ring reel seat assembled from the above parts
Cap and ring (slideband) with mortised insert
Grip check use 21/32 cup	Slide Band use 21/32 cup	Buttcap use 21/32 cup
Slideband with pocketed buttcap & full round insert
Grip check use 21/32 cup	Slide Band use 23/32 cup	Buttcap use 21/32 pocketed buttcap blank
Reel seats having 11/16 in. diameter inserts
Cap and ring (slideband) with mortised insert
Grip check use 11/16 cup	Slide Band use 11/16 cup	Buttcap use 11/16 cup
Slideband with pocketed buttcap & full round insert
Grip check use 11/16 cup	Slide Band use 3/4 cup	Buttcap use 11/16 pocketed buttcap blank

Drawn metal cups Blank parts. Requires finish machining.
A group of drawn nickle silver cups. Drawn metal cups are available made from 18% nickle silver, aluminum and jewelers bronze. Nickle silver parts are generally held in stock. Parts made from aluminum and jewelers bronze are usually run to order. A drawing describing these parts is available in the links column to the left.
		Drawn metal cup material
		18% Nickel silver	Aluminum	NU-Gold
	cup inside diameter	price each 1-11 pieces	price each 1-11 pieces	price each 1-11 pieces
	5/8 in.	$5.45	$4.30	$6.50
	21/32 in.
	11/16 in.
	23/32 in.
	3/4 in.
	Volume pricing is available for quantities over 12 pieces. See the current volume price list here.

Pocketed Butt Caps; as-drawn. Blank parts. Requires finish machining of height.
As-drawn pocketed buttcap blanks. As-drawn pocketed butt cap blanks are available made from 18% nickle silver, aluminum and jewelers bronze. Nickle silver parts are generally held in stock. Parts made from aluminum and jewelers bronze are usually run to order.
		Drawn metal cup material
		18% Nickel silver	Aluminum	NU-Gold
	butt cap inside diameter	price each 1-11 pieces	price each 1-11 pieces	price each 1-11 pieces
	21/32 in.	$11.50	$9.50	$14.00
	11/16 in.
	Volume pricing is available for quantities over 12 pieces. See the current volume price list here.

Pocketed Butt Caps; machined. Blank parts. Requires polishing and buffing before use.
Machined pocketed buttcap blanks. Machined pocketed butt cap blanks are available made from 18% nickle silver, aluminum and jewelers bronze. Nickle silver parts are generally held in stock. Parts made from aluminum and jewelers bronze are usually run to order.
		Drawn metal cup material
		18% Nickel silver	Aluminum	NU-Gold
	butt cap inside diameter	price each 1-11 pieces	price each 1-11 pieces	price each 1-11 pieces
	21/32 in.	$13.50	$11.50	$16.00
	11/16 in.
	Volume pricing is available for quantities over 12 pieces. See the current volume price list here.

New! Rimmed Butt cap blanks

The styling of the rimmed butt cap comes from the Classic Era of bamboo fly rods when stylish reel seat jewelry was common. Made by radially expanding and then compressing the base of the formed cup, These parts are supplied as-formed and annealed and require the builder to polish and buff all over and if desired, to trim the cup mouth with either an inscribed line or a knurled decoration. A part drawing in pdf format is available for further description.

Some enterprising rod makers have bored out the bottom of the cup and narrowed the width of the remaining ring in order to fabricate a ring or slide band mirroring the shape of the rimmed butt cap. This ring may also be tensioned against a reel foot by a threaded band as on a screw lock reel seat. One may also shorten the height of the cup and employ the result on the butt end of up-locking slide band reel seats to retain the ring.

Rimmed Butt Caps Requires machining of knurl or inscribed line, polishing and buffing before use.
Rimmed butt cap blanks. Rimmed butt cap blanks are available made from 18% nickle silver or jewelers bronze. Nickle silver parts are generally held in stock. Parts made from jewelers bronze are usually run to order.
		Drawn metal cup material
		18% Nickel silver	NU-Gold
	butt cap inside diameter	price each 1-11 pieces	price each 1-11 pieces
	21/32 in.	$12.95	$15.95
	11/16 in.
	Volume pricing is available for quantities over 12 pieces. See the current volume price list here.

Other sizes under development. Inquire with your needs.

Shipping: Please add $4.00 to each order for Priority Mail shipping for up to four kits to most destinations in the continental U.S. Orders for five or more kits or to some other U.S. and to offshore destinations will require my shipping quotation before your total cost is known.

Ordering: Orders may be placed via U. S. mail, email or directly thru PayPal. Payment may be made by U. S. Mail with money orders or personal checks (which are held to clear before product is shipped) or with your credit card or personal check through PayPal. Paypal may be accessed by clicking the logo below.

Rod Craftsmen & Dealers: Unfinished cups and pocketed butt caps are available in bulk at a volume price structure. Active rod craftsman will find it economical to purchase quantities as few as twelve pieces.

Dealers of rod building components will find attactive pricing for both bulk and retail packaged product. Made to order or contract manufacturing of special related product is available upon quotation. A modest tooling cost is necessary for such projects.

A link to a finishing guide is located above and to the left. It describes some typical methods of finishing grip checks, butt caps and slide bands from the drawn nickle silver cups available here. A copy of this guide is provided with each kit.

Always use safety glasses when operating any kind of power equipment.