How to spine a 6ft Unlimited E-glass rod blank???

[JnM Fishing]

I recently got an 6ft E-glass unlimited class blank. However i am unsure how to spine the blank because it is extremely stiff... Any ideas?

[Bryan Young]

I recently got an 6ft E-glass unlimited class blank. However i am unsure how to spine the blank because it is extremely stiff... Any ideas?

Place the blank across two wooden or plastic horses and tie a 30# weight to a rope hanging from the center of the blank. The blank should role to the spline. Additional weight may be needed but I think 30# will do it.

[Swami805]

Mostly there's a little bend in the tip that lines up with the spline. I put it in the lathe and roll it to find when the tip is at the lowest point.After that I test it buy holding the tip and rolling it over my forearm while I'm putting the reel seat on. Both should be the same.
Bryan's way should work too if the blank is so stiff you can't see the tip dip.
I found on some graphite blanks that the 2 don't line up very well so I'll go with the dip since it wouldn't look right if it goes off to the side.

[sdlehr]

The rodbuilders I've consulted recently don't bother finding the spine anymore. They roll the blank on a flat surface and line the guides up with any slight bend present. I had been taught to find the spine as you have tried but am told by some pretty knowledgeable people that it isn't as important as we've been told. I'm still not sure I believe them, though....

[1badf350]

I learned something new today. Thanks guys!

[Alto Mare]

Place the blank across two wooden or plastic horses and tie a 30# weight to a rope hanging from the center of the blank. The blank should role to the spline. Additional weight may be needed but I think 30# will do it.

I could see you have a lot of tricks up your sleeve Bri-Bri .
Very good tip on the rope and weight.
When you came over the house, you showed me and Dan how to find it by positioning the rod in a slight angle and apply pressure on the tip without squeezing .The rod would then flip. I remember you finding my Fenwicks to be on, but one or two newer ones weren't
You know your stuff buddy

Sal

[Rivverrat]

The rodbuilders I've consulted recently don't bother finding the spine anymore. They roll the blank on a flat surface and line the guides up with any slight bend present. I had been taught to find the spine as you have tried but am told by some pretty knowledgeable people that it isn't as important as we've been told. I'm still not sure I believe them, though....

This is / has been an on going debate among some rod builders. However I know of none of the US blank makers that agree. Randy Penny, Gary loomis, St. Croix agree that locating the spine of a rod blank is an important issue for best performance.

I believe it always will be. Until some one starts producing blanks by another method that differs from the present use of wrapping blank material on mandrels.... Jeff

[Bryan Young]

Finding the spline and wrapping on or 180 degrees from the spline is the way to go. Many overseas mfgs are splewing propaganda about how it's not important. Probably because it takes time to properly locate, glue up and wrap rods accordingly. Not what mass production wants.

[Swami805]

All that is true but I've seen blanks were the bend in the blank is not on the spline. Try telling a client that it's built on the spline but the guides curve off in the wrong direction. One west coast blank builder was sending out blanks that had sort of a knuckle in the tip of the light rods. Best you could do was get all the guides straight to the eyeball spline or no spline. Very few people will buy a rod with guides that look cocked to one side. These were very popular blanks and I'd see whole batches like that. I still use their blanks and don't see that anymore thankfully.
Bryan's method sounds best for those thick heavy blanks.

[JnM Fishing]

I recently got an 6ft E-glass unlimited class blank. However i am unsure how to spine the blank because it is extremely stiff... Any ideas?

Place the blank across two wooden or plastic horses and tie a 30# weight to a rope hanging from the center of the blank. The blank should role to the spline. Additional weight may be needed but I think 30# will do it.

tried your suggestion.... no dice.. any other suggestions on spining an unlimited class rod?

[Bryan Young]

You may need to add a little more weight or you may already be on the spline.

[Swami805]

Is it hollow or solid? Roll in on something flat like you would to check a pool cue on a pool table. If it's straight may not have a spline.

[JnM Fishing]

Is it hollow or solid? Roll in on something flat like you would to check a pool cue on a pool table. If it's straight may not have a spline.

It is hollow. It is EXTREMELY stiff Gator glass blank from Mudhole. I tied a 20 & 10 pound dumbell to dangle from the center and the loop just rotated around the rod... no dice..

[SoCalAngler]

Butt of blank on the ground/floor, your hand on the tip top. Hold the rod at slight to moderate angle and apply a bit of pressure with your hand at the tip top to get a slight bend, with a unlimited rod the bend will be almost unnoticeable then roll the blank with your other hand. You may need to place your foot close to or touching the the butt of the rod when rolling it to keep it from sliding out on the floor. When you roll the blank you should not have a even feeling of smoothness around the whole blank, you should notice as you roll the blank that there is a bit of a sticking point, meaning that it rolls easier/smoother through most of the blank but is a bit harder to roll at some point. Mark that point with a pen, chalk or a piece of tape. Repeat the process a second time and if the sticking point is at the same place on the blank then you have found the spline. With a bend in the blank the sticking point should be at the opposite side of the curve/bend and that will be the spline/spine of the rod.

[sdlehr]

It is hollow. It is EXTREMELY stiff Gator glass blank from Mudhole. I tied a 20 & 10 pound dumbell to dangle from the center and the loop just rotated around the rod... no dice..

If the blank is that stiff it probably won't matter much if you don't find a spine. You're surely not going to be casting with it, so that is out of the equation.

I've heard guys use the word "spline" instead of "spine". My understanding is a "spline" is a single strip of a 6-strip bamboo rod, and the "spine" is what we are talking about in this discussion. It's about how the rod bends, like your spine bends more in one direction (fore and back) than another (side to side).....