Assemble then finish?

[Larry (Omaha)]

That is quite a piece of wood Larry, I am a bit jealous of that one!

And some people say there is no God. I did the shaping but He made the wood!
Larry

 

[Nav]

Stock is drinking the tung oil. I put coat after coat, and still dry to the touch after every 10 minutes. Switched to an ultra thin application of straight oil, and it’s still soaking it up.

 

[Spillikins]

Slather it on. Wait 15 minutes. Wipe off. Let dry. Repeat.

 

[Tumbledown]

I suppose to some degree it depends on the finish. Oil can easily be wiped off metal. Hard to do with poly, especially without messing up the poly.

POLY???

 

[GriscomRun]

I have a drying cabinet for the bamboo fly rods I

You make bamboo fly rods ? Nice to discover another who appreciates all that the fine rod has to offer. I now only have 5 left. And my hand tied leaders are ages old and still fine. Bought an Orvis BAttenkill while onboard the USS Cleveland heading into Cambodia. Used the hell outta that rod. Had my local Orvis store (now defunct) send it back for a re-do after 30 years of service. This folks had the gall to charge me 37.50 to do the whole thing !! They were true to their word then and made it like new. Thanks Don Owens ! I was expecting something like a couple hundred. That rod is still in use.

Now, if it were hard maple I might try iron nitrate and permalyn after reading all these posts and watching Kiblers videos endlessly.
Speaking of which; I will post something about that soon. My Woodsrunner is something special. Thanks to you.
Semper Fi
Paul

 

[ZUG]

You make bamboo fly rods ? Nice to discover another who appreciates all that the fine rod has to offer. I now only have 5 left. And my hand tied leaders are ages old and still fine. Bought an Orvis BAttenkill while onboard the USS Cleveland heading into Cambodia. Used the hell outta that rod. Had my local Orvis store (now defunct) send it back for a re-do after 30 years of service. This folks had the gall to charge me 37.50 to do the whole thing !! They were true to their word then and made it like new. Thanks Don Owens ! I was expecting something like a couple hundred. That rod is still in use.

Now, if it were hard maple I might try iron nitrate and permalyn after reading all these posts and watching Kiblers videos endlessly.
Speaking of which; I will post something about that soon. My Woodsrunner is something special. Thanks to you.
Semper Fi
Paul

A GOOD bamboo flyrod is something to behold - to use and cherish like a good woman - treat her right and she will treat you right

 

[Dale Lilly]

I have two Bamboo fly rods; one is eleven foot long, made for Alaska [salmon]. The other just 7 + feet and fine condition. Both are on display, along with some ML guns, in our computer room/office/TV room. Dale

 

[ZUG]

I have two Bamboo fly rods; one is eleven foot long, made for Alaska [salmon]. The other just 7 + feet and fine condition. Both are on display, along with some ML guns, in our computer room/office/TV room. Dale

Here is a picture of me with my dad's bamboo flyrod trying it out in the stream in our back yard woods in NJ. I think I am about 12 years old at the time. I have a LOT to learn about using a flyrod! Got one on!

 

[Nav]

These are just phone pictures. I need to get my slr and take some good ones. So, mine are made of good components. I use burl reel seats, I layer and hand turn my grips, Japanese agate stripper eyes, snake guides, and I wrap in only silk. It sucks and is hard to work with, but the effect is worth it. I epoxy every eye, and then varnish the full rod. I’ve done some dipped only rods, and they take longer and I don’t think they’ll last as long.
I think mine are “good”, though, not because everything that goes into them is a quality component, but because I dress every guide, do inlays near the fly keepers, and you just can’t buy a rod with that level of attention to detail unless you go fully bespoke and are ready to shell out as much as a car costs.
To be completely honest, making a bamboo rod is incredibly tedious, there’s no way to hide a mistake, the thread breaks often and you have to start over, and unlike a glass or carbon rod you have to make two tips, which is double the work. When you’re dressing every eye and have to do everything twice it really grates on you. I honestly don’t like doing it. I have to make time for them, and I end up taking three months or so to put one together.
What I love about it is when I give it to someone who would never in a million years plunk $5K down for a handmade bamboo rod. I’ve only made one for a guy who already owns one (and he has a bunch of them), but that guy owns a marsh full of ducks 45 minutes from my house! I normally don’t make them for someone who can afford them. I make them for people who love fly fishing and don‘t have a big bank account. I would never sell one. It’s just too much work for a guy who isn’t a known name in the business. There is a doctor who sells one about every three months at my local fly shop for about $1000, and his rods are good, but really plain. I’ve never seen one with an inlay or more than one color of silk. He uses pretty pedestrian components. His are in reach of more fishermen than a Winston would be, but mine are something you can’t buy. That’s what I like about it. That’s why I keep doing it. I’m on my 36th rod, and am currently making my 12th Bamboo.
I buy the Tonkin cane directly from China. I’ll order and then get a PVC tube about three months later. I don’t know why it takes so long, but that’s just the way it is.