Snowman Custom Rod Works

12/09/2025

Long story short…. There once was a hardware producer who did dark nickel plate. The hardware was “nice” not ideal for me and the company sucked. We won’t touch present day (by we, it won’t be a discussion on IG). I began to pursue plating. Unfortunately dark anything plating is a dark art. I’ve spent way more money than I wish to say. Base plating, base metals, temps, amps, volts, field volume, tank size. If I had hair I would have ripped it out by now. However it now feels worth it. Slick, glossy, hard, and thick. If you want something invest the time, effort, brain power, and capital to make it happen. Then nobody can take it away from you. Snowman was born because at the time I wanted a custom rod and dint have the cash flow at the time

12/01/2025

I started wearing reading glasses about a year and a half ago. It doesn’t make the terminal and union wraps much easier but it helps.

09/27/2021

Not sure if I’ll post the full photo set but here is a video of the McFarland 1wt.

...and I am BACK! Episode one of Show n Tell. In this episode join me as we explore a build carried out on a blank rolled by Mike McFarland. Here are the rel...

07/08/2021

So this happened. In case you’ve wondered where I’ve been hiding. The reason for the move is I want a more immersive platform.

Thanks for the share Cameron.

Over the years, we've seen Zeb Tonkavich of Snowman Custom Rod Works go through a few online transitions with how he's sharing the w...

02/05/2021

Another rod this week on the cheap. Orvis Superfine Glass 7’6” 4wt. Nickel silver everything, agate stripper, snake brand unis, ventilated handle. Why sell it off at half what a rod goes for today? It’s a small sig, it was signed in 2015, beyond that the work is fairly clean and a good example of my earlier work and what I was capable of at the time. I also lost track of this rod for years and here it is tube fresh. DM for additional details and price.

02/05/2021

I’ll be dropping another rod later tonight on the extreme cheap. Here’s a hit *cough* Orvis *cough* superfine *cough* 4wt *cough* it’s just a hint the cough isn’t more serious than that.

01/29/2021

Anyone looking for a screamin cheap Epic 888 CTS rolled. Details, the real seat is s**t, the cork is meh, the thread is awful (someone told me I’d love this silk and it’s garbage). The finish is plausible, but the ground coat up take was lousy. Why? Someone else told me “you just have to try this finish”. The machine work is janky, my lathe was spitting heading bearings like Mike Tyson’s opponents spit teeth. The accuracy was as low as .00025”. Is there any redeeming qualities? Yes, double agate stripping guides and snake brand unis. What else can I say positive about this you may ask? I’ll stick with what I know works well and someone gets an okay rod at a phenomenal price. DM for price and other actually relevant details and photos.

12/30/2020

Union tips saturate. Tip turns: 2/7/6/5

12/05/2020

That may be it for this insert. Needs a little buff work but it’s starting to show some fire and light up. Getting close to going live.

11/30/2020

W.T.F.

11/27/2020

Finishing up a couple gallery builds. Moving onto a couple more... if you can’t get excited over pairings I don’t know what does. Maybe small water high mod carbon?