How to Build a Custom Altenkirch Spinning Rod

STEP 1

Step 1:

After the cork pieces have been hand selected and bored to match the taper of the blank they are epoxied and assembled onto the rod blank along with the reel seat and exotic hardwood pieces and pressed together and allowed to cure for at least 24 hours before beginning the process to shape the rod. Hardwoods are milled to fit under the reel seat and the reel seat epoxied in place along with the hardwood bushing used to attach the butt cap. There is NO tape or filler material used in the construction of these handmade fishing rods—Once Hank Altenkirch puts this rod together—It’s never coming apart!

Step 2:

The rod in this early stage is setup in the lathe and the meticulous procedure of turning, cutting, measuring and shaping begins. This process of hand crafting a custom fishing rod benefits from the expertise of a craftsman with 45 years rod building experience. In this photo, the hosel is being shaped from an exotic hardwood to give this rod the “classic Altenkirch” look— a beautiful taper from the foregrip to the rod blank.

Step 3:

After the hosel has been shaped, the imported Indonesian cork will gradually take shape with sandpaper while the rod is spinning in the lathe at a very high rpm. (Caution: Do not try this at home)


Step 4: At this stage, the front half of the rod has been shaped (foregrip and hosel) and the work will begin to shape the butt grip portion.	Step 5: This photo illustrates how the hardwood on the rod butt is milled with micrometer precision to fit the butt cap. Here again, there’s no need for masking tape to make any component fit perfectly.

Step 6: :

At this stage, the rod is in the finishing stages—it’s now ready to have the high-end Fuji “Concept” guides installed and wrapped with nylon thread before the final epoxy coats are applied. Guide placement on the blank is different for each type of rod and critical for proper performance. Knowing how many guides and positioning of the guides on the blank is an Altenkirch trade secret—guaranteeing an Altenkirch custom rod exceeds the owner’s expectations every time...

Steps 7 & 8:

These photos show the guides being wrapped onto the rod blank by Janis Altenkirch, 4th generation rod builder. After the rods are wrapped, the finish stage begins with several coats of a special epoxy being applied while the rod slowly turns in a jig allowing the epoxy to distribute evenly as it dries. It is a time consuming process applying thin coats of epoxy and allowing them to dry between coats. A careful inspection is required between each coat—ensuring a perfect finish. The finished rod is then allowed to dry for at least 2 days before being shipped to it’s new owner.

Custom design your own Altenkirch Spinning Rod...