International Symbol for Custom Rod Building

If you’re new to custom rod building, you may have seen a symbol consisting of three rod tip silhouettes (fly, cast-spin and roller type) on a simple white background. Maybe you’ve  seen it on a rod building component manufacturer or dealer website. Perhaps you’ve seen it on another rod builder’s business card. Maybe it’s appeared on a car, truck or boat as it was moving down the highway. My guess is that you’ve wondered what the heck it represented and why these companies and rod builders are displaying it.

Well, if you’re a custom rod builder – it represents you!  That’s right. The symbol was designed and launched about 2 years ago with the intent of giving the custom rod building craft it’s own unique identification symbol.  Surely you’ve seen the “Diver Down” symbol that so many scuba divers display on the front of their cars. Or the “Thin Blue Line” that law enforcement folks display on the back glass of their personal vehicles.  While the general public doesn’t always recognize or understand what these symbols represent, those who are active and participating in these endeavors know exactly what they are. When they see another person displaying one they know they’ve run across one of their own. So too with the International Symbol for Custom Rod Building.  When you see it you know the company or person displaying it is involved in some way with custom rod building. And that’s the point – to encourage greater camaraderie and community among those who practice this worthwhile craft.

So if you’re new to custom rod building and you happen to see someone displaying the symbol, go on over and introduce yourself – you’re in good company.  Most likely, the person you’re approaching will be happy to talk a little rod building with you. That’s why they’re displaying the symbol!

More information on the symbol, it’s history and how to obtain a free decal featuring the symbol can be found at: http://www.intcustomrodsymbol.org

As of July 2010, over 40,000 decals featuring the symbol have been provided, free of charge, to those in the rod building craft and industry. You can get one too, and for nothing more than an envelope and a stamp.

By the way, if you decide to send for your free decal, and I hope you will, make sure to include a 5×7 inch SASE. The decal is too large to mail in a regular letter sized envelope. A single first class return stamp will mail two decals, so expect an extra when your envelope is returned to you.

Tom Kirkman

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