Menu
What's new
Find's Treasure Forums

Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!

You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.

Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.

Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.

Click here to register!

Need Support Help?

Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you

Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.

CTX 3030 lower rods, an update -- SUCCESS!!

sgoss66

sgoss66

Well-known member
Hi all!

Anyone who has seen my posts in my original "CTX lower rods thread" knows that over the past several weeks, my thoughts have morphed from asking about lower rod options, to considering the possibility of possibly being able to build my own (and getting some great suggestions), to pursuing those possibilities, to finally reaching a decision to try to see if I can't build some really nice, high-quality carbon-fiber lower rods for the CTX.

Well, I'm happy to say that it has worked! After many hours of researching materials, and adhesives, and suppliers/fabricators, and figuring out how and where to acquire all the parts and pieces and such, I now have my first working prototype completed and functional, with parts on the way to build one more for myself, and several for friends who also are interested and want some. One thing I am really happy with, is the opening for the coil wire. Instead of having to insert the coil wire "underneath" the rod, as on the Minelab rods, on this design the coil wire runs into the SIDE of that lower "clevis/yoke." This puts less strain/bend in the coil wire, which should be better for coil life, in the long run.

I have found that it's less expensive than I thought it might be to make a really high-quality, nice-looking rod that I am really pleased with, and so my initial objective has been satisfied -- which was to find a way to have extra rods for my extra coils, without paying $175 per, for Minelab-brand rods. Now, the next step will be to produce several, for my interested friends.

Here are some pictures; the parts I have on the way to build additional rods are from the same suppliers which produced the parts for the "prototype" rod, so I am confident that I have all the "kinks" worked out. This has been fun, and I'm looking forward to building more of them.

Thanks everyone, for the ideas, suggestions, help, and inspiration!!

Steve

[attachment 354645 prototypeRodUprightFM.JPG]

[attachment 354646 prototypeRodhorizontalFM.JPG]

[attachment 354647 prototypeRodcloseupFM.JPG]

[attachment 354648 prototypeRodendFM.JPG]

[attachment 354649 prototypeRodCamtopviewFM.JPG]
 
Amazing work, really impressed. I'm available if you need another tester.

Tom
Reno Prospecting and Detecting Club
 
Thats awesome! Great work. I see you are making good use of this lousy weather.
 
Some people complain, some people DO something about it. VERY nice work and workmanship.
 
Jason --

Thanks. Yep -- can't hunt? Find a project! ;)

Champ --

I gotta do something to keep me away from the forums a bit; it's insufferable over there on that "sub-forum that shall remain nameless!"

Thanks for the kind words!

trojdor --

Thank you, sir!

Steve
 
Steve- I’m in for one. Let me know how much.

Also, while on the subject of improving lower rods, I finally got around to padding the edge of my factory rod.

I used an auto door edge guard that slips over the edge and is held on by a glue strip as well. I got this one from Amazon:
71vJX%2B4y41L._SX425_.jpg


Basically I measured roughly and cut a piece. You get several feet of it and all you need is a few inches.
Then I fit it in place, adjusted length and position, and pulled up one end enough to start pulling the paper off the glue.
With it still in place I was able to pull the tape off without it shifting. Lastly I put a hair drier to it to help it conform to the corners permanently.
This is what it looks like completed. Note the inside edge that is not visible is longer than the edge you see, so it offers plenty of protection for the coil cable.
[attachment 354679 IMG_0315.JPG]
 
Awesome job Steve well done.:clapping: It looks like it came right from the factory.:thumbup:
 
Nice job Eavila, that looks really slick.
 
In my over 5 years of the CTX use, I have worn off that little 'alignment' knob on the end of the factory shaft on my small coil. But, without a knob it sure makes it easier to swap shafts! I suppose it is on there originally to keep the shaft from being extended too far and somehow splitting the larger shaft from pressure.
 
jas415,

You raise a good point. I had considered making my rods without that little "knob" or "key" or "cam" at the end of the rod. So far, I haven't decided if it's more of a "nuisance" having it on there, or not...

I might make one WITHOUT it, and see how I like it...

As you say, my thought was that it would sure make swapping out shafts a simpler process.

Steve
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top