balancing the rod

[basshunter]

Balancing Your Rod
The following steps will show you how to find your balance point and find the weight that you need to add to obtain that point. These steps are how it is done by custom rod builders like myself. They will be illustrated with a rod that has a black plastic slip over cork butt cap. It will allow you to add the weight in such a manor as to not place any bulky caps (over your existing cap) or butt extensions on your rod. Plus it won't cost you an arm and a leg. Once completed you will be the only one who knows that your rod has added weight for balance.



Ok first off I need to have the following supplies.

• You need a Fulcrum tool you can make. Or some way to hang your rod/reel combo.
  ie: a wire shirt hanger bent into a hanger and stand.
  
• A roll of small dia. wire
  
• Some 1/2oz. - 1oz. carolina rig weights or split shot (used to find weight needed)
  
• A pair of small side cutters
  
• A sheet of 100 grit sand paper
  
• Fine Point X-acto Knife
  
• A pair of adjustable pliers (to help break the epoxy and grip the butt cap)
  
• The Rod Balancing Weight Kits Found HERE!

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Finding The Balance PointFor the following steps. I will be balancing a 6'6" MH fast action rod with a black plastic slip over cork butt cap. The request is to neutral balance the rod at the mid section of the reel seat. Approximately 1" from the nose of the reel. The owner of the rod likes to palm his worm rod/reel.
STEP 1:OK take your rod with reel (make sure your spool is full) mounted. Hold your reel in the area (if you palm your reel do that) that you like. Now take note of this point.
STEP 2:OK now lets make our weight hanger. Just use a long piece of wire, and twist it in the diameter of your butt cap. Leave enough to hang your weights from.
STEP 3:Now it is time to place the rod/reel into the strap on your fulcrum at the balance point you have chosen. You see here that I have my strap at about 1" from the nose of the reel. You notice the tip heavy angle.
STEP 4:Now here I have hung my weight hanger on the edge of the butt cap, and added my weight (this edge helps hold the weight hanger and when you have inserted the lead plugs they will be sitting in this area of the blank). Once you have obtained a neutral balance at the point you want, you know how much weight you need to have. NOTE: I used 1oz. carolina rig weights that I removed the brass loop from. This allows me to slide the weight onto the wire and just bend the end to hold the weight/s. This rod needs 2oz. of weight for a neutral balance at the customer's requested point.
You know how much weight you need to order to achieve your balance point.
Now it is time to remove your rod from the fulcrum, and, remove the reel from the rod for the rest of the steps.
STEP 5:OK it is time to remove the butt cap. First off take your adjustable pliers and grip the cap at the cork line. Now squeeze with just enough pressure to lightly break the epoxy. Do this around the whole butt cap. Now you will grip the cap again with enough pressure to hold the cap and turn it. If you haven't broken the epoxy you won't be able to turn the cap. If this happens just start squeezing around the cap again, until it is lose enough to twist off. At this point you might want to consider replaceing that old black poly butt cap with a new composite cork butt cap.

NOTE: If you don't feel secure in doing your butt cap this way. You can heat the butt cap with boiling water to loosen the epoxy. Submerge just the cap into the water for a couple of minutes and try turning with your pliers. If the cap does not come off first time repeat the process.I will be tackling the rubberized cork butt caps in a future update to this article.
STEP 6:You have the butt cap off and it is time to clean up the area that the lead weights will fit into. I'm using a fine point razor knife for this process. No need to take all of the old epoxy off. Just clean out the end of the rod blank.....
Finding The Inside DiameterOK time to get the diameter of the weights you need.
You know how much weight you need from the steps above.STEP 7:I'm using a cheap set of caliper's to find the inside diameter of this rod blank. The blank measured (7/16th" inside dia.) & (with my digital calipers 0.45 inside dia.) so I need (.45 dia. weights) 7/16" = .45"
If you don't have a caliper to use. It can be done with a ruler or some another type of measuring devise but you will have to convert your reading to decimal ie: ½" =.50 Without this size number you won't know what size diameter weight kit you need.
"OK you know how much and what size weight kit you need to get, to achieve your balance point. Time to gather up the weight/s you need."
STEP 8:Preping For The weightsIn this step we are going to lightly sand the inside of the blank where the weights will be glued. Take your piece of 100 grit paper and just roll it into a tube and lightly sand the inside of the rod blank. This will prepare the inside for good epoxy adhesion. The lead weights need no sanding they have a rough edge and the epoxy will flow into these ridges and setup with a tough hold, so that you never have to worry about the weights coming lose and sliding further into the blank.
STEP 9:Remember that my blank was measured at 7/16" = .45". Now I have my .45 dia. weights and I am checking to see that I have a good fit. I needed two weights

[basshunter]

NICE FIT!
All of the weight kits I used here are 1oz. in weight except one (for ultra light rods). The only thing that changes are the length and the diameter, to accommodate the different rod blank tapers and inside diameter's.

Installing The weight kitFor these final steps, I assume you have worked with 2 part 5 minuet epoxy. You will need a place (coffee can lid and foil) to fold (mix) your two parts, and some sort of applicator ie: popsicle stick, small hobby brush.
TIP: Keep some denatured or isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol handy for quick cleanups.
STEP 10:Working QuicklyI have mixed my pack of epoxy (note here used up a couple of minuets) and I have coated the inside of the rods blank with a heavy coat of epoxy. Now I have started to coat my weight. You see I'm brushing a good coat of the epoxy onto the edge (only) of the weight. Then I will slide it into the rod blank quickly.
NOTE: You may want to back up yourself by working with another longer working epoxy, I am use to working fast.
STEP 11:Ok I have my first weight in the blank. (Remember I needed two). Now I have coated the second weight and I am ready to slide it right up to the other one and then push it/them flush to the edge of the blank.
I will hold mine with the edge of a popsicle stick, until set starts.
NOTE: With the first weight installed you might get some reverse pressure trying to force the weight back out of the blank this is normal. Try to get it set as quickly as possible.
TIME Reminder
STEP 12:The Last Stepsthis step has me use a second epoxy (of your chosing) or super glue and regluing the butt cap and replacing it. I will place a quick coat on the butt of the rod and inside of the butt cap, then twist and slide it back on. You may have to twist and squeeze a few times as air will be trapped and the cap will try to slide off. Make sure you wipe any adhesive off immediately with your alcohol. Now I have completed my balancing act for this rod.
STEP 13:Last but not least.
Store the rod standing on the butt cap (vertical) for about 2 hrs. This will give the epoxy a good curing time (5 min is to start of set). It will also allow the weights to settle against the cap. This keeps the weight as far to the rear of the rod as possible.
The Final ProductI let the epoxy cure for the 2 hrs. Now I have placed the rod back into the fulcrum and checked the requested balance point. You'll notice that I have not changed the look of the rod or extended the length.As you can see in the image I have obtained the requested balance point. The rod will feel feather lite now, and be more sensitive in the anglers hand.


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