Rod Building

pretty new to the forums, however with extra time on my hand while away at school i have been thinking about getting into rod building.  any advice would be beneficial, because i dont even know where to start. 
thanks
tom 

Hey white, I suggest picking up a second hand blank off ebay or anywhere else you could find. When I started building rods years ago my father would buy lamiglas blanks from a local shop over in new york state. A basic cheap rod builders kit will do you just fine. Begin by spining your blank (google this term) Then fit your cork and your reel seat to slide down your butt section to a tight fit. Masking tape may need to be wrapped around blank to have real seat fit tight. Next is marking the guide placements with white out. Starting from the lowest guide you get masking tape around 1 side of the guide and then wrap the other 1. A loop of thread is needed to finish off the wrap when done. I suggest googling this to see exactly how its done. Its easier seen than explained. once done with all wraps I can set my cork and real seat to line up with my Guides. 5 minute epoxy works best for this; have nail polish remover on hand to clean up any mess On the rod. Next is to coat your guide wraps. Use a 2 part extended drying mix for this. I personally use a slow electronic rotary device when coating and drying my wraps. But there is nothing wrong with tying 2 pieces of string to the ceiling and slowly rotating your rod every 15 minutes until the apoxie begins to set up.

Ps... don't make your wraps too tight....

Pps.... my father started building rods by using a phone book to create the tension on the thread

thanks guys,
i've been doing a bit of research online and am starting to recognize what ill need to get to start my first project.  skip, i'm located in Pittsburgh, the only problem ive come across is that my local fly shop doesn't have any rod building supplies or anywhere for me to get a "hands on" or even look at what i will be getting into.  i've been fly fishing since i was 13 (20 now) have been tying my own flies for quite some time and have been thinking about rod building for the past year or so... anyone know of any used equipment? or anyone in a nearby area know of a shop to get supplies?

These guys are in Homestead http://www.hookhack.com/

ORIGINAL: Skip16503

These guys are in Homestead http://www.hookhack.com/

Hook & Hackle don't have a store front, just a wharehouse. If you call or email them and tell'em Mark Defrank referred you "this may or may not help you " and explain your situation, I'm sure they will tell you to stop buy...great guys.

Many times they will have some closeouts & not so mainstream blanks they will part with for a respective price, but most of all it's great to talk to someone in person that can help you make some choices in the right direction.

flytierwon,
i just checked out your website and fly tying videos.  exceptional information and work you do.  i will be contacting hook & hackle tomorrow. thanks for the insight i really appreciate it