201110 - Issue 45 Description

October 2011
Issue 45

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 2011 Issue CD on the “Backissue CDs” page.

The October, 2011 issue of Power Fibers contains:

The Italian Job: Living the Bamboo New Age

In this brief article I would like to share some thoughts regarding how the Italian casting approach can bring influence on the design of “modern” action bamboo rods. I’ll clarify better what “modern” means to me in the following parts of the article.

Before I go any further, I need to clarify something...

Shop Musings

A short time ago, I was asked by the editor of Bloodknot Magazine (www.bloodknot.net) to write something for an ezine issue of his magazine. I came up with the following.

I was just in my shop and started thinking, “Why bamboo rods?” What is it about bamboo rods that cause me to want to spend the 40 to 60 hours involved...

Do the Twist

I always want to do something different, so one day I decided to do a twist on a rod. If you can take a twist out with heat, why not put a twist in with heat. To accentuate the twist, light and flamed strips are alternated in the blank. To twist a rod section, put the guides in place with dental rubber bands that are used for teeth braces. Space the guides as you would...

Father and Son Reunion

Edwards rods were made by three generations of dedicated craftsmen. Eustis W., the scion of the family, was a restless perfectionist whose ramblings took him from his home state of Maine to New York to California, back to New York and finally to Connecticut. He was, in addition to being a rod maker, a studio photographer. His original rodmaking associates are the recognized as the founders of the American rodmaking business. I am going to tell the tale....

Fantastic Finish

I have had some very positive comments and at least a few inquiries about finishing STABILIZED MAPLE BURL WOOD INSERTS with Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil Gunstock Finish and a small variety of micromesh grits.

I have modified and experimented with the process for about three months now and am getting fairly consistent results.

The process involves a wooden box incubator, a 40 watt bulb trouble light (for heat), Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil Gunstock Finish, a 5" long...

Lapping and Stropping

People often report better results after stropping their tools. They use a variety of stropping compounds and stropping surfaces. The Lee Valley green compound on leather is a popular choice.

I decided to look at the surfaces left by stropping to get an idea of why stropping was helping. To my surprise, in all cases stropping left a worse edge...

The Next Generation of Planing Forms

I have been a hobbyist wood worker all my life and became interested in making fly rods. I signed up for a rod making class with Doug Hall (no relation) to get my feet wet. I decided that I wanted to take my own set of planing forms to the class and after three months of working in my spare time I completed my first set of six foot forms. Doug and I became friends and as he would have students needing to buy forms, I would make and deliver them to his class and help Doug with the students if needed. At the classes I noticed that the students...

October 2011Issue 45