|
|
| Rod
making |
|
|
|
Hand crafted
quality rods from a master rod maker
As a master cabinetmaker and maker of fly rods, quality is the heart
of both the materials I use and in the craftsmanship. Therefore, all materials
are hand selected and of the finest quality available - I even order parts
from the USA to ensure superior quality of my products. You can be assured
that your fly rod will be crafted meticulously and with great expertise.
In the following I will give you an overview in five steps of making
a split cane fly rod (this is an overview not a complete
or detailed description
of all process steps). The complete process takes between 40 and 60 hrs
depending on the
desired rod style:
Creating a rod/Tonkin-Blanks
I only use hand-selected culms of Tonkin bamboo (arundinaria amabilis)
for rods. First, I manually split the bamboo cane into strips to maintain
the stability of the fibers and then I straighten the nodes. I shape each
strip into an equilateral triangle and then temper them in the oven to
extract excess humidity and improve stability and action of the cane.
In the next step I meticulously shape the strips to perfect taper. The
taper determines the action and line weight for
the fly rod. Then I arrange
all strips in the same way as they were split out of the cane and using
a modern resin
adhesive bind them under pressure for a waterproof bond
that is more durable and harder than the cane itself.
|
|
|
|
Back
to Top 
|
|
Mounting
Ferrules
After the glue has dried and hardened and I have removed all glue residue,
I cut the blank to the desired length.
Then I mount a pair of nickel silver
ferrules and fit them by hand.
Adding the cork grip and the reel seat
I only use hand selected cork rings from the best quality available (Super
Flor Grade / A+), which I shape individually
to optimally suit your needs.
After that, I add the reel seat, which I build myself (Accessories).
Wrapping guides on to the rod
My rods are equipped with hard chrome snake guides, hard chrome tip top
and a Tungsten Carbide stripping guide.
Agate stripping guides can be
provided on request. I use pure silk thread with the finest denier available
(Pearsall's Gossamer Æ 6/0) in a color of your choice for wrapping
the guides to the rod. At your request, I will be happy to add decorative
wrappings too.
|
|
Back
to Top
|
|
Varnishing the rod
In the last process, I apply several coats of varnish by dipping the blank
for optimal surface protection and a flawless finish.
The description of the rod building process as illustrated here is only
an overview over the process steps necessary to build an exquisite and
handcrafted split cane fly rod.
Would you like to learn more about building rods or are you interested
in the history of building fishing rods? Please, contact me at this email
address at anytime.
Here is some selected literature on rod building and its history:
- Garrison, E. & Carmichael, H. B. A Master's Guide
To Building A Bamboo Fly Rod. Far Hills, NJ, 1999: Meadow Run Press
Inc
- Cattanach, W. Handcrafting bamboo fly rods. New York,
2000: Lyons Press
- Gierach, J. Fishing Bamboo. One Man's Love Affair with
Bamboo Fly Rods. New York, 1997: Lyons Press
|
|
|
|
|
Back
to previous Page
|
|
