Progress has slowed on the rod build the last couple of days due to that scourge of the modern age.. the four letter word.. work! However.. I am now happily gluing things together :-) All 12 strips have now been hand planed to their correct tapers and can be seen in photos 1 to 4. The strips are taped together with a few turns of masking tape. Photo number 4 gives an idea of the size of the strips. The left hand group of strips in the fourth photo shows the very tip of the rod and the right hand group is where the ferrule will be fitted on the butt section. The 5 pence piece gives some idea of scale. The masking tape holding the strips together is then cut with a razor blade allowing the 6 strips to open up but remain held together, ready for gluing. Photo 5 is fairly self explanatory.. using a stiff disposable paint brush the strips are liberally covered in glue. I used weatherproof pva on my first two rods and havent had any problems whatsoever so Im using the same here.. Once the strips are covered in glue, the section is again bound tightly with cord. The bindings go up and then back down the blank and should be as tight as possible to ensure the strips are held together properly all along their length. This is a really messy job - hence no photos.. I was covered in glue! After binding (I simply trap the cord under my foot and wind the blank downwards under tension) the blank must be straightened.. By tweaking, bending, twisting and rolling the blank on a flat hard surface and sighting along its length, the blank can be straightened. I usually take ages over this step as attention to detail here can make all the difference in the completed rod.. Its far easier to straighten the blank before the glue has dried rather than after! The last two photos simply show the butt section hanging up to dry with the bindings firmly in place. Once everything has set I shall clean up the blank and remove the enamel from the outer surfaces...
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 21:46:33 +0000
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