~ Rodmakers Findings ^TM ~

Contact Information:

Gary P. Dabrowski
The Brookside Rod Co.
37 Brook Street
Naugatuck, CT, 06770-3101
(203) 729-1503

email:
gdabrowski@yahoo.com

Contents copyright 2004
by G. P. Dabrowski
d.b.a. The Brookside Rod Co.
all rights reserved.

This page last revised 01/02/2004

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Links to drawings
in pdf format
and finishing guide

Cups drawing
Reel seat insert drawing
Butt cap finishing drawing
Slide ring finishing drawing
Cork check finishing drawing
Butt cap turning mandrill drawing
Cups finishing guide (HTML)
Pocketed buttcap drawing
Rimmed buttcap drawing

Pocketed buttcap blanks
finishing guide

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Links to construction
articles courtesy of
Powerfibers
Online Magazine
(pdf format)

Making reel seat inserts
Making drawn metal components

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Links to other articles

Catskill gathering 2003
drawn parts making discussion

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G. P. Dabrowski
Bamboo Flyrods
homepage

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Latest News:

(01/15/04) Our new site is online! This site has beed re-designed to permit ordering your favorite Rodmakers Findings^TM directly from this page. Your orders and payments will now be securely processed by PayPal.

See the catalog index; left, to navigate the page.

Rodmakers Findings ^TM 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, rimmed buttcap and domed buttcap blanks are available to those who prefer not to machine these parts before using them in their rod project.

Group packages offer discounts on the individual part price.

The basis of these parts is a simple deep drawn cup. Depending on the size and type selected and using an engine lathe, 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, rimmed cup blanks and domed buttcap blanks.

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

Cups are drawn from nickle silver 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 special ordered made from jewelers bronze or "NU-GOLD" alloy or aluminum. Long used in the jewelry industry, jewelers bronze permits the fabrication of parts having good mechanical strength and corrosion resistance along with the look of real gold.

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 nickel silver cups

Drawn metal cups Blank parts. Requires finish machining. Nickel silver material.
A group of drawn nickle silver cups. Drawn metal cups are made from 18% nickle silver. Select from 21/32, 11/16, 25/32 or 3/4 inch inside diameter. A drawing describing these parts is available in the links column to the left. Drawn cups require machining in the lathe before they can be used on a reel seat.	Individual as-drawn cup. $5.45 each. Inside diameter: 21/32 inch11/16 inch25/32 inch3/4 inch
	Group of six as-drawn cups $46.59 package of 6. Inside diameter: 21/32 inch11/16 inch25/32 inch3/4 inch
	Group of twelve as-drawn cups. $58.86 package of 12. Inside diameter: 21/32 inch11/16 inch25/32 inch3/4 inch

Nickel silver pocketed buttcaps

Pocketed butt caps; nickel silver. Machined. Blank parts. Requires polishing and buffing before use.
Nickel silver pocketed buttcap blanks after polishing. Machined nickel silver pocketed butt cap blanks are available in two sizes, 21/32 inch I.D. and 11/16 inch I.D. Pocketed buttcaps are annealed during the process of manufacture. This causes the surface of the part to be dulled. Pocketed buttcaps must be polished and buffed before use to remove this dullness and any scratches that may have occurred during manufacture.	Individual nickel silver pocketed buttcap $17.50 each. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch
	Group of six nickel silver pocketed buttcaps $89.00 per package of 6. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch
	Group of twelve nickel silver pocketed buttcaps $144.00 per package of 12. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch

Aluminum pocketed buttcaps

Pocketed butt caps; aluminum. Machined. Blank parts. Requires polishing and buffing before use.
Aluminum pocketed buttcap blanks after polishing. Machined aluminum pocketed butt cap blanks are available in two sizes, 21/32 inch I.D. and 11/16 inch I.D. Pocketed buttcaps are annealed during the process of manufacture. This causes the surface of the part to be dulled. Pocketed buttcaps must be polished and buffed before use to remove this dullness and any scratches that may have occurred during manufacture.	Individual aluminum pocketed buttcap $14.00 each. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch
	Group of six aluminum pocketed buttcaps $69.00 per package of 6. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch
	Group of twelve aluminum pocketed buttcaps $117.00 per package of 12. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch

Domed butt cap blanks

The Domed buttcap blank styling originates in examples found in the Classic Era of bamboo fly rods. Machined to height and domed by radially expanding and then forming 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.

Domed butt caps; nickel silver. Blank parts. Requires polishing and buffing before use.
Domed nickel silver buttcap blanks after polishing. Domed nickel silver butt cap blanks are available in two sizes, 21/32 inch I.D. and 11/16 inch I.D. Used on cap and ring style reel seats. Domed buttcaps are annealed during the process of manufacture. This causes the surface of the part to be dulled. Domed buttcaps must be polished and buffed before use to remove this dullness and any scratches that may have occurred during manufacture.	Individual domed nickel silver buttcap $15.95 each. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch
	Group of six domed nickel silver buttcaps $88.00 per package of 6. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch
	Group of twelve domed nickel silver buttcaps $142.40 per package of 12. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch

Rimmed buttcap blanks

The styling of the rimmed buttcap comes from the Classic Era of bamboo fly rods when stylish reel seat jewelry was common. Rimmed caps are semi-finished parts. Machined to height and flanged or rimmed 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; nickel silver. Blank parts. Requires polishing and buffing before use.
Rimmed nickel silver buttcap blanks after polishing. Rimmed nickel silver butt cap blanks are available in two sizes, 21/32 inch I.D. and 11/16 inch I.D. Rimmed buttcaps are annealed during the process of manufacture. This causes the surface of the part to be dulled. Rimmed buttcaps must be polished and buffed before use to remove this dullness and any scratches that may have occurred during manufacture.	Individual rimmed nickel silver buttcap $15.95 each. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch
	Group of six rimmed nickel silver buttcaps $88.00 per package of 6. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch
	Group of twelve rimmed nickel silver buttcaps $142.40 per package of 12. Inside diameter: 11/16 inch21/32 inch

Shipping: Most orders are shipped via Priority Mail. Shipping costs for up to fifty cups or parts to most destinations in the continental U.S. will be $4.00 and will be added upon checkout. Orders for more than fifty pieces and to offshore destinations will require my shipping quotation before your total cost is known. If you are ordering from offshore or plan to have your order shipped offshore, please contact me directly on the matter of shipping before you make your order.

Rod Craftsmen: Rodmakers Findings^TM are available bulk packed at special pricing for professional rod builders based on quantity. Interested rod builders should mail a copy of your state tax certificate and a request for a copy of the professional rod builders pricelist. Further information is available via email.

Dealers: Rodmakers Findings^TM are available in retail packaging at wholesale pricing to dealers and distributers. Please mail a copy of your state tax certificate and a request for a copy of the dealer information package. Further information is available via email.

Made to order or contract manufacturing of special related product is available upon quotation. Drawn cups and buttcaps may be had made from jewelers bronze or aluminum via special order. Minimum order quantites apply. Email for further information.

Retail site sales terms and conditions; Return policy. It is implicit with your order that you understand the nature of these parts, the materials they are made from and the methods required to finish them. It is also implicit with your order that you have read, understand and subscribe to the danger statement below. You are responsible to know what you are buying before you buy. Rodmakers findings that are deemed in my opinion not to be in compliance with stated standards will be replaced upon return. Such a return may occur only with prior authorization by myself. All returns are subject to a $10.00 processing fee in addition to any bank, paypal or other financial fees including packaging and shipping fees and any other fees and will be paid by the customer. No claim or returns will be accepted after 30 days from invoice date. All returns not for exchange are for credit, there are no cash refunds.

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. While skilled rodmaker-machinists may be able to use nearly any size of engine lathe to finish these rodmakers findings ^TM, customer feedback suggest that beginning machinists or those with little experience and having mini or micro lathes for equipment may not be able to successfully machine these parts.

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