St Croix magnum cranker question

[skeeter]

I am new to rod building and I am trying to build a St Croix 7-10 magnum cranker with the fuji new concept guides and i am having troluble spacing them properly. I have the guides extremely close togeather but the line still seems to touch the blank. I also have the same rod already built from St Croix and the line touches the blank in several places. I am useing 8 guides plus the top my question is do I use more and move them closer togeather or do I build it just like it came from the factory. Any info would be appreciated.

[walnutshoe]

On an 8' rod I would use 9 plus the tip. I wouldn't use several different guide sizes myself. Whatever butt or stripper guide the reel height needs and drop to a single size running guide from there. Don't worry too much about the line touching the blank. Space using a progressive static load (run the line from the reel thru the tip and add a minimal amount of weight to keep slight tension on the line. I normally use a 1/16 worm weight tied to the line and tension with the reel just enough to hold the worm weight centered in the tip. Next you need some means of hanging weight from the tip itself. Add small amounts of weight until the rods bends or loads about 1/3 the length. Space your running guides in this section to make the line follow the bend of the blank. Add more weight to load the rod back in the mid section and repeat guide spacing to make the line follow the blank. Reapeat once again to get some load back towards the butt end if possible.) As long as the line doesn't pass below the top side of the blank, you will be OK. Or Spiral Wrap it and never worry about line touching the blank.

[ReelDoc]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by walnutshoe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Or Spiral Wrap it and never worry about line touching the blank. </TD></TR></TABLE>
There's the answer right there!! All of my custom-by-me St. Croixs are spiral wrapped.

[Obed]

Since cranking rods are mostly used tip down, line touch should not be an issue on retrieval. Spiral wrapping could cause more line touch (by incident, not magnitude)If you are worried about line touch during the fight, you shouldn't, provided you have the right number of guides and the line is closely following the blank when flexed. If the line goes beneath the blank, then you have a spacing problem that could impede your ability to land the fish. That should be your focus, not necessarily the line touch.
Hope this helps

[Bassn81]

First, I would recommend you start with 9 guides plus a tip for an almost 8' blank. You should really consider the micro guides for weight reduction.

If you are determined to you as an all on top build here is what I do. I install the tip and fully load the blank. I then string the guides (all the same size) on the line and run that from the reel to the through the tip and secure it. I then space the guides far enough apart for the line to just touch the top of the blank between each guide. All you really need to prevent is the line from falling below the blank. I know many people are concerned with line rub causing friction on the line and possible failure. I can promise you there is no possibility of friction causing line failure. To test this I have chucked a section of blank in my lathe and turned it up to 1200rpm...I can hold 10lb. mono agaisnt the blank while spinning and it does NOT fail.

If you are spiral wrapping you will have no problems at all with line rub. I would personally spiral wrap it.

[skeeter]

Thanks for all the help guys I think im going to spiral wrap it. Any suggestions on the guide spacing? Any suggestions will help.

[dpage70]

Once you get to the running guides just get them to where you have a line path that is pretty similar to the blank when it's under load.

[skeeter]

On the spiral wrap do I need to use 9 guides or 8 I have 8 on it and it looks good to me just want to make sure its going to be ok.

[Bassn81]

8 would probably be ok. Just do a load test and make sure your line path follows the blank pretty good.