I’m working on a new rod right now and thought I would shoot a short video showing how the bamboo strips are glued together. I use a binder from Bellingers to accomplish this. Check it out! Oh, and by the way, how about my nice wallpaper in my rod finishing room. This room in my house was used as a boy’s bedroom by the previous homeowners. I have never felt the need to take it down.
BambooPursuits
Dave Dozer – Custom Bamboo Fly Rods and Trout Nets – Crafted in Sisters, Oregon
Very interesting procedure and much cleaner than what I have been doing. Putting the glue on with a toothbrush may be fast, but it is messy and seems to get too much glue on. Painting it on with an artist flat brush appeals to me. I would like to see how you contrive the hanging attachments. I have been putting mine in my oven at about 150 degrees maximum. Getting the wet blanks in without putting a bend in the tips can be a challenge, so I would like to learn how to hang them.
Skip,
I like the artist flat brushes a lot to spread glue. I tend to buy the cheaper ones I find at craft stores…usually about $3 or 4$ each, and treat them as disposable. I’ve tried washing the glue off the brushes after I’m done but have only had limited success. I agree that getting the wet blanks into a drying cabinet without bending them can be challenging. When the blanks come out of the binder for the last time, I wrap a piece of binding thread about 12″ long around the tip and put a few half-hitches in it. I then make a simple overhand loop in the thread so I can hang them from hooks in my drying cabinet. Unlike a lot of builders, I don’t worry too much about the exact temperature of my drying cabinet. The glue I use, Unibond 800, sets up well at temperatures a little above room temp. I keep the door to my drying cabinet open and put a small space heater in front of it. After about 8 hours of overnight curing, I turn the heater off and let the blanks hang for another day. Then…take the thread off and they’re good-to-go.