Boo No. 5 tip section

Did some work on the bamboo over the weekend and completed the bamboo tip section.
This will be another integrated bamboo ferrule system bamboo rod.

NS ferrule is just to expensive. Guess I'll just have to stick with this integrated bamboo ferrule for awhile.

Next will be the butt section....

In the process.................

Just finish my 60º rough strips over the weekends.

There are quite abit of molds on the enamel layer and I decided to darken the strips by heat treatment. The mold and dark spots are now being camouflaged by the dark color of the strips.


 My toasted rough strips...

Next process....  planning!

A slow start in the middle of the year..

Things have been going pretty slow....
I have just finished straighten 15 bamboo strips for my up coming rod....
Hope things will pick up in July...

Tattoo-ed Sleeves

Just tested out a few samples of the tattooed sleeves which my friend produced. It looks very much like those tattooed sleeves found on eBay selling at dirt cheap of USD 2.50 a pair.

He showed me the one which he bought from eBay. It was the cheap China stuff.. it was like a spandex netting. Very thin material and the workmanship was terrible. Then he showed me his stuffs and it was totally of different material.

Although the material used is thicker but it is elastic and breathable. I would say it make a nice accessory for the arms for outdoor activity. It will prevent the sun from directly burning onto the skin..

 

Cool stuff....

Starting a new...

After completed 4 bamboo rods, I have ran out of bamboo strips.
I guess it's time to do some stripping, straightening and rough strips.

It is time consuming and pain staking, at least for me it is.
As the saying goes " I'll be back......" when I have done up enough bamboo strips to continue my bamboo rod making journey..

Completing my BF Bamboo rod #2

After completed this BF bamboo blank, I was out of ideas how to finish it off. Cork grips is getting boring.

I came across Miyuki's rod and his great looking wood grips, I said to myself... " I have to make one like that.." and I was also thinking of a simple wrapping just like Calviello's rod. After all, my BF bamboo rod were modeled after his BOBFS bamboo rods.

Anyway, I just put the 2 ideas together.

I do not know much about the types of trees available in Malaysia, so I just use any tree or wood available. It turned out to be okay, I guess.

I matched the wood insert with the wood grip.

Full wrapping on the bamboo ferrule part. I was not sure of the color of the Gudebrod nylon thread used as it was purchased quite some time ago and the color code was not stated on the 50 yard spool, but it look nice after a thin coat of epoxy was applied on it.

Normally for the bamboo rods I built, I will only apply a thin coat of epoxy on the wrapping then follow by several coats of varnish. I do not like to have high built on the wrapping for bamboo rods.

I found that single color wrappings are dull and decided to do black trimmings at the end of each wrappings.

 

Again, this is the end of another bamboo rod making journey of mine for the time being...

It was fun lathing the wood grip and the wood insert on my hand drill, not much difference from lathing cork rings. But I have to use more sand papers.

Lesson learnt during the process of making this rod was.... " DO NOT OVER DO THE HEAT TREATMENT ".  This bamboo blank almost caught fire in my DIY oven. I was trying to darken the blank by heating it longer, the blank got darken but it almost went up in smoke..

BF Bamboo rod #2

This will be my 4th built and the 2nd one for the year 2010. It was faster this time as the rough strip were done last year. This will be another integrated bamboo ferrule bamboo rod based on Sir "D"  7' 4wt taper.
I have to modify it slightly to incorporated the swell for the bamboo ferrule and swell at butt section.

 This blank was made from bamboo from Bernam river and the power fiber of this bamboo looks promising.

Construction of the bamboo ferrule was easier this time compared to my 1st BF bamboo rod after I understood the construction concept.

 Finally, the BF bamboo rod blank #2 is completed.