I like solid carbon: it's ultra-thin, ultralight and consent to beyond the limits that conventional tube rods has. And it's even **** cheap.
These are the results of different solutions that I tried, and I find they are the more "clean".
I bought:
A) tip solid carbon 0,8mm tip, 2,4mm butt, long 70cm (4 euros);
B) tip 0,8/2,4 long 50cm (6 euros because I bought it in a different shop);
C) tip 0,9/4,5 long 90cm (5,5 euro);
D) rod solid carbon diameter 4mm long 1 meter (5,5 euro).
You can find the tips solid carbon everywhere, in Italy I found them in all the fishing shop of my town. Maybe everybody hasn't all the measures, but I didn't need buy them on internet.
But in case in Italy you find them here
http://www.tatfishing.com/nsct.htmlThe solid carbon rod is available in model shops: I found it in a model shop in my town, but in case on the net are easy to find
http://www.eolomodellismo.it/oscommerce ... =2a&page=2 I cut the C tip to obtain a second piece long 42cm and diameter of the tip 2,45mm, butt 4mm, to interconnect the tips with the rod, the butt.
To connect the tip to the second piece and the second piece to the butt I used as ferrules pieces of regular rods, refuses, that the fishing shopkeepers use to make repairs, that they donated me (I donated to one of them, the more patient and generous, a bottle of wine...).
And now some numbers:
I was looking for a short rod, 5 feet or a little more, for a line #2 and a pure 6,6 #1 and even a real rod for lines #0/#1.
I made some measures using the same configuration but simulating to cut the butt in different measures.
First configuration: Butt 0,4, second piece and tip A
full lenght 215cm, ern 0,65, AA 71;
195 cm, ern 0,8, AA 74;
170 cm, ern 0,8, AA 74;
150 cm, ern 0,8, AA 74.
As you can see with a tip very "soft" the influence of the tip in the different length doesn't change the action of the rod, who remains very fast, and neither the ern.
The weight of the blanks in the full length is 27 grams, then very light.
Second configuration: butt 0,4, second piece and tip B:
full lenght195cm, ern 1,15, AA 58;
170cm, ern 1,50, AA 60;
150 cm, ern 2,30, AA 63.
Here the tip is more rigid and influence a lot more the action of the rod, who is less fast. Then changing the length change both, action and ern.
But anyway I found this material very very interesting: for example if somebody wish make an ultralight long rod, 10 feet or even more, it's sufficient use a couple of rods and one tip to obtain an ultralight long rod for a really little investment.
The look is fantastic: ultra thin!
The more difficult operation is find the correct ferrule, bur after few attempts everybody can find it.
I think that for ultralight fly fishers this material is really the best and with a single butt and intermediate piece you can change different tips in different situations for really a little investment.
I can't wait to build a rod to try it, but for the moment enjoy
Roberto