NFC RODS

_{There are three principal types of natural graphite, each occurring in different types of ore deposit, crystalline flake graphite, and amorphous graphite: very fine flake graphite is sometimes called amorphous in the trade and Lump graphite and none of these are used for fishing rods. Man Made Graphite is used for every fishing rod on the market, spinning, and casting, inshore, offshore and any component used to build a fishing rod that is labeled Graphite. A process to make synthetic graphite was invented by Edward Goodrich Acheson (1856–1931). Acheson discovered that overheating carbon, which he is also credited with discovering, produced almost pure graphite. Little history but the facts are this; heat and pressure dictate the process in making a Graphite fishing rod and Graphite (carbon) fiber and carbon nanotubes are also used in carbon fiber reinforced plastics, and in heat-resistant composites such as reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC). Commercial structures made from carbon fiber graphite composites include fishing rods, golf club shafts, bicycle frames, sports car body panels, the fuselage of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and pool cue sticks and has been successfully employed in reinforced concrete, The mechanical properties of carbon fiber graphite-reinforced plastic composites and grey cast iron are strongly influenced by the role of graphite in these materials. In this context, the term "(100%) graphite" is often loosely used to refer to a pure mixture of carbon reinforcement and resin, while the term "composite" is used for composite materials with additional ingredients.}

_{Gary Loomis Spent his entire life taking the small bit of information above and with some help and a lot of trial and error learned the exact processes for using graphite, carbon, and composites to make the lightest and strongest fishing rods made in the world. That is where G.Loomis comes in who we all know is now Shimano who makes Bikes and other products that the Loomis technology was a benefit when they bought G.Loomis from Gary a few years back. G.Loomis makes a great fishing rod and nothing here is to take away from that, however our money is on the Master the Real Loomis Rod North Fork Composites. So now that we understand that lets define what a rod customer needs to know.}

1. _{IM 5.6.7.8.9 is not a term that describes anything relevant about a fishing rod it was actual created as a marketing term to try and mark one rod as higher quality than another, IM should mean Intermediate Modulus. This does have meaning and can only be measured one way for us the angler. Intermediate Modules is better than standard Modulus and not as good as High Modulus.}
2. _{Standard Modulus:    The fibers use in fishing rods provide stiffness, while the resins used hold the rod together allowing infinite design capability. Graphite composites have a high tolerance to bending.  The higher the modulus, the higher its tolerance to bending. Graphite is resistant to fatigue, and can handle harsh temperature fluctuations. Fishing rod saying it is higher modulus is stiffer and will bend less than a rod in lower modulus rating. However only a few have figured out how to design and engineer rods that will do both.   That means marketing can make claims that are unlimited in talking about modulus. There is no fishing industry standards and really no way to compare one rod to another, So  IM6 to one manufacturer will not be the same as the modulus of IM6 used by another manufacturer and it is just marketing. The Original Loomis Rod recipe for Standard Modulus is defined as}
3. _{Intermediate Modulus/High Modulus:     To any angler modulus a buzz word in marketing clearly stated is the $ value of the raw material meaning Carbon Fiber, used to make the rod. Simply put it is the stress vs the strain of the fishing rod and the impact when bending.  Higher modulus rods from NFC are manufactured correctly and are lighter, more sensitive rods that return to the straight unbent state faster. These are lighter rods because less material is needed to attain the same strength of lower modulus graphite rods. Standard Modulus rods typically tend to be slower and slightly heavier due to more material needed to attain wanted level of flex. Many anglers use higher modulus graphite because you can feel vibration better or the future we call it, there are anglers that prefer the action and feel of the lower modulus rods. There are a lot of things that are as important as modulus of the material. Tapers or the amount of the graphite along the length of the rod are as critical that creates the rod action. Other factors like thickness, ferrules, scrim or no scrim, epoxy resins, and manufacturing processes all impact how a rod performs. The market in the Bass world is crazy over modulus fibers to use in rod manufacturing, all wanting strength, durability and sensitivity in ever rod.}

_{All of this is just information what really matters to an angler is the performance and the rod performing and doing what it is they want it to do. The best way to look at this is simple, if you have the guy on the boat that designed and started the best fishing rod company on the Planet at that time and has continued after years of time in front of others who got into the business of making high quality fishing rods, would it not make since to take a close look at those rods. We are proud to have custom rods made and designed by Cajun Custom rods that use North Fork Composite Rods exclusively and also offer rods ready to purchase that are built on North Fork Composite Blanks. Many Companies claim to have Gary Loomis blanks and they are labeled made in China, Gary Loomis does not or does North Fork Composite make rod blanks in China. So be Careful with the marketing as there are some pretty reputable Bass and Inshore products that claim to be Gary Loomis Blanks and they may be made in Washington but unless they are Original Recipe and not changed to reduce the quality and the cost of the blank so they can market something that is not 100% true then is it not a North Fork Composite Blank. You will see NFC Logo and Original Recipe as well and SM, IM, or HM on the decal of the blank of the rods we sell and that’s not marketing, well maybe a little but it is the Rod truth!}

 _{This is from North Fork Composite}

_{North Fork currently offers blanks in three levels of “next-generation” graphite: SM (Standard}

_{Modulus), IM (Intermediate Modulus) and HM (High Modulus). We are also working on}

_{Reviving the classic IM6 material. Each graphite offers unique properties, and all of them make great}

_{finished rods. We have a few more modulus tricks up our sleeve, too, but we’ll talk about those when}

_{The time is right...}

_{40 years ago, Gary sat outside the Boeing employee entrance asking everyone if they}

_{Knew anything about this “new” material called graphite. When Gary found one of}

_{Only four graphite composite engineers in the world, he offered to buy him dinner. And}

_{Breakfast. And lunch. And dinner again.}

_{After a few more feedings, Gary convinced that engineer to help him build what was to be Gary’s}

_{First graphite fishing rod. T e material used was the original, “standard modulus” graphite. It’s been}

_{Employed throughout the rod industry ever since. And while we love a classic, it’s time to take that}

_{Next evolutionary jump.}

_{Our “Next SM” (as in Next-Generation SM) blanks represent that jump, a standard base of 33-}

_{Modulus material with a perfect balance of resin and scrim meticulously crafted into our core blank  models. When you layout that first cast, we’re pretty sure you’ll have a smile on your face. We remember the feel of IM6 rods. Whether it was a drift, fly y or fly oat rod, there is just}

_{Something about IM6 that creates a great fishing sticks. We know that we are not the}

_{Only ones who think so, because we have had a (large) number of requests for IM6 rod}

_{Blanks. No promises, but let’s just say that we’re working on bringing IM6 back to you.}

_{You just can’t say “intermediate” without people thinking “average.” That’s okay, as long}

_{As average means, “a ten pound rainbow is about average for me.” The thing is, when you}

_{Fish with a Next IM rod, a ten pound rainbow may become just an average fish for you.}

_{After all, our mid-modulus rod makes a darn fine tool for targeting your average trophy.}

_{Not that long ago, mid modulus was the “hot stuff.” All this made it difficult for us to figure out what to call Next IM, so we just consider Next IM blanks high performance, without the high price.}

_{If you are the angler that spends 200 days a year on the water, who spends more time}

_{Holding your rod than your significant other, this is the graphite for you. Next HM—The}

_{Top of the line. With its Paper Carbon Scrim (PCS) and high-modulus fiber (just how}

_{High is our little secret), our Next HM graphite produces what is currently our lightest}

_{Available blank. Sweet stuff}