200804 - Issue 31 Description

April 2008
Issue 31

Power Fibers is published in Adobe Acrobat format. To view the magazine, you must download the Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can get it here.

To get this issue, order the 2008 Issue CD on the “Backissue CDs” page.

The April, 2008 issue of Power Fibers contains:

“A Champion of Rodmaking”

On the morning of February 21, 2008, our fraternity of anglers lost a close friend, as George Maurer passed from this world to the next. At the age of 58, a massive heart attack ended his life much too soon. Surviving him are his two daughters, Yahna Maurer Fiscarelli and Yarrow Maurer, and their mother Karle Maurer. George will be remembered...

Easy and Efficient Scraper

This is an easy and efficient scraper that can be made from a block of wood, a screw and Stanley Utility Knife blades. These blades are thicker than a lot of other brands.

A piece of hardwood, 6 X 2 3/4 X 3/4" works fine (Photos 1 & 2). A relief for the blade...

Video Review:
The Graphite Fly Rod: How to Build a Modern Classic

In this video, Russ Gooding walks you through the process of building a graphite fly rod. If any of you have seen his series on making bamboo fly rods, you’ll be pleased to see that he takes the same approach to building the graphite fly rod. He walks you through every step...

Back from Patagonia...

Yesterday, we arrived back from Patagonia.. I'm missing it right now, 18 hours ago I was fishing there, imagine...

We arranged a "scouting trip" to fish two Northern rivers, the Pulmarí and the Malalco. I had never seen more trout before this trip. Over 30” fish taking dry flies....

Pinning Ferrules

Why pin?

That's a question you will have answered for yourself after customers return three or four rods because the ferrules pulled off. Pinning is easy, inexpensive insurance. No special skill or tooling beyond 7th grade metal class is involved, and anyone who cares to learn can.

Pinning will NOT make a poor decision on your choice of ferrule glue into a good choice. It will simply keep the ferrule from pulling off....

Product Review: WorkSharp WS3000

Through my many years of gun making, rod repair and rod making I have tried several different ways to sharpen my plane irons and carving knives. Some have worked better than others. I started out with the typical wet stone using either water, spit or oil to wet the stone for sharpening. I moved on to the use of water stones and then to different grits of sandpaper cares...

Book Review: Rolf Baginski’s Split-Cane Rods - Bamboo Treasures

David and I were casting at a Livingston rodmakers’ gathering when Troy Miller pulled out a rocket of a rod. It was expertly made, cast great, and looked really good. We checked the rodmaker’s signature, a solid hexagon containing an H: Günter Henseler, a German. Never heard of him. In our defense, most Americans...

Turn Your Own Reel Seats Drill Press Method

Blanks of many types of burl wood can be found quite easily - for about $3-$5 you can get almost any burl out there, stabilized resin blanks run from $5 to $20. You can also buy large pieces of wood and cut them into blanks.

Starting with a blank, mark the center of the blank end and clamp it to a squaring jig (in this picture a simple fence post squaring tool...

Reel Seats with Birch Bark Inserts

When talking about making a reel seat, the first requirement is a lathe. Expand this to the concept of making a reel seat with an insert and you must first drill or bore out the reel seat blank before turning. I use a 1/2" brad point drill bit to drill out the reel seat blank. Ideally, using stabilized impregnated wood would...

10 Questions with Jeff Hatton

Adam Trahan: Hello Jeff, nice to talk with you again. I enjoyed your presentation at CRR 07 on mortised handle technique (see Power Fibers, Volume 22) and the wonderful History of Rod Crafting Display. Can you tell me how you came to know so much about fishing?

Jeff Hatton: Adam, thanks for having this talk with me. The knowledge I have at this point is the result of a life long passion with fishing. From my earliest memories...

April 2008Issue 31