Little things

Well, after yesterday's tragedy, having the wind taken out of one's sail's takes a toll. I get depressed and have a hard time moving on. I have to actually have a stupid conversation to buck meself up and move on. A "pep talk" if that makes any sense to you. I have these with my self quite often. I mutter, swear, ask, complain, plead, and apparently there still is no god.
Yes I have little gods on the bench to help the process, but often they do NOT earn their keep. Still, there they are.

So yesterday, after a dismal failure at bluing, I pondered (again) the idea of making my own solution for oxidizing.

Now I've tried a bunch of oxidizers. I mean really.
I have never found, and expect to NEVER find anything that works as well as the product Dave LeClair made and sold. In fact, I love it so much that I drove a total of 4,000 miles to buy three ounces of this magic juice. 2000 miles round trip to northern California for one ounce and 2000 miles round trip to Denver for two ounces. Both trips quite enjoyable. It probably cost me $2000.00 after fuel (when it was five bucks a gallon driving an F-150 with the big motor,) motel bills, food, etc.

Anyway...I'm currently on a quest to find out just what the hell this juice is and how I can make it for myself.
The stuff last nights dreams were made of...and rats. I had rat dreams too. Don't ask.

So this mornings stuff was pretty much at a stand still. I have a blank that needs to go to a brother in Hawaii. The blank (a Dickerson 8013) is finished, bag made, and I needed to make the tube up for it.
Done. Now to obsess over the secret formula...enough obsessing for now and I get back to work.


Day before yesterday I think, I made up the bag and tube for the brother in NY.

I'm really finicky I guess about the fit of a rod, bag, tube. I never thought I was until someone pointed out that I seemed to go to a lot of trouble to make things fit properly. This was brought home by another rodmaking brother, Harry Boyd. Apparently Harry is as finicky as I am.
A few years back I actually had the pleasure of finally shaking Harry's hand in Colorado at the Colorado Rodmaker's Reunion. We swapped rods for a test cast. When he unscrewed the cap off of mine the first thing he said was "WOW, someone actually knows how to make a bag and tube!" Hell the rod was still, obviously, in the tube and bag and, unfortunately, I don't recall if he actually liked the rod itself, but he damn well liked the fit! Was that a run-on sentence or what? I'm still trying to pare my words, sorry.

Anyway...today...the topic is proper fit. I'll leave proper finish up to your discretion. To each their own.

But a proper fit of rod section to bag, imho, is a bag that "just" covers the rod sections. You don't want the bag too long. If it is other problems will rear their ugly head when you make the tube.
As for length of rod sections...the current train of thought is that all sections MUST be equal length.
Well I guess that shows attention to detail and if they aren't the same length, the maker was sloughin' and going through the motions.
But "what if" your maker had something else in mind? What if your maker wanted a stout butt section to protect a delicate set of mirrored tips? Would he maybe make the butt section just a smidge longer than the tips? Say 1/16" or so? So the butt would protect the tips? Maybe.
I do. Sure the rod still assembles at the prescribed length. An 8 footer is going to be an 8 footer not an 8' 1/2" rod.
But figuring this number out ahead of time takes a bit of thought and measuring and measuring again.
Then it's time to make the bag.
Most all tube maker's stick a little piece of neoprene on the caps, butt and tip. But, it's a skimpy cushion at best. Not much there really.
SO...I like my bags to slightly cover, be longer, than the finished rod sections. Since I make the butts of my rods to be slightly longer than the tips, I like the bags to be slightly longer than the longest piece in the bag. Just a smidge longer.
When the bag is in the tube, I like the bag to slightly fold over the top of the rod or, at the least, be even with it. I prefer the bag be just a bit longer than the sections so that when the bag is in the tube, the bag folds ever so slightly over the sections when the tube cap is screwed on. Friction does the rest of the job. The bag helps keep the sections from sliding much up and down in the tube and there is no slop between bag and tube.

In other words...I "think" it should look like this when assembled;

Mundane crap? Yep!

But I think you should know that your rodmaker is thinking of mundane crap regarding the rod he makes for you. You are after all paying through the nose for it.

Sorry my posts seem to always be so wordy...there's just stuff to write about and why one does what they do ya know?

There always seems to be a reason for everything.

I'll eventually run out of stuff to write about but for now, this place is new for me, I'm having a bit of fun, and if you don't wish to read it...well, screw me.

Mike

WTF?

Yes...once again I more than mutter to myself, WTF?
This morning it was more than muttering. In fact, Bonnie hid under the bed. I was swearing and stomping.
Why?
This...

how freaking bad is that!



 I mean...I've blued tons of stuff. Ferrules, seat hardware, strippers entire reel seats, but this was simply a new one on me! Not only was the metal dull and mottled but there is a place on the ring that is obviously copper. WTF?
It looked like this(below) when I got it...bright and shiney and looking like it's supposed to look and ends up looking like the above. I was flabbergasted.

So...today...I was ready to do a victory dance and finish a rod. Instead...I write a letter to a brother, with pictures and explaination and ask forgiveness and understanding...

My guy assures me he has NO idea why that happened. Either do I unless he bought something that wasn't what he though he bought. He assures me that a new set is on it's way to me, and I'll be sending a set back to him as well.

Yes rodmaking is quite glamorous.

Put me to bed...now... 3:30AM seemed to come very early this morning.

Mike

Udder stuff...

First...since I can't seem to get google to allow me to reply to comments...indulge me for a few replies right here. Yes, I've tried rebooting. Ain't working. Get error messages. I hate error messages.
So below are a few replies to Mijo who has bothered to even read this divvel, let alone reply. But hey...he's the only one that knows this is here.

Mijo bruddah...you knows I loves ya...but...
#1) As for golf...I tried it when I was 10 or 12. My dad liked the game. I went out and hit more than a few buckets of balls. My dad sagely advised me to "stick to baseball." I know he was looking to me to be able to share a Sunday doing something he enjoyed. I'm quite sure I disappointed him yet one more time.
Since I can't hit a ball worth shit, I actually admire that you can. I have long since lost any interest in the "sport."
#2) Thanks for pointing out that the rod is lacking a reel seat, I hadn't noticed. I'll correct that as soon as a set of hardware shows up. I've ordered it 3 times, and I am optimistic that it will finally show up in the near future. I'd order from somewhere else but the insert has been cut and finished and I need a particular set of hardware to finish this rod.
#3) You don't like my bags? Tough shit. At least my bags actually fit the rod sections. And though you were once a teacher...that is not piping. Piping is round. That is Bias Tape. Makes an easy job of a hanging loop as well.
#4) Yes, there is shrink-wrap on that grip. I felt it prudent to protect 25 bucks worth of Portuguese cork from the filth and ravages of Central AZ. That rod was sitting on the bench for too long and I needed to keep it in "as new" condition. I hope you understand?

So...where was I?
Oh yeah, udder stuff...

Well...there's Bonniethedog...

She loves games. She's a red, smooth-coat Border Collie. Unusual looking for a collie but I chose her because I love the breed (she's my third Border Collie), has wheels turning inside her head and can think things through (wish I could), and comes from a wonderful working bloodline of collies. She has a strong work ethic (much stronger than mine, and I have always somewhat prided myself on my own work ethic), and she is relatively easy to care for in the rathole. Having fur that is short, allows her to be a bit more comfortable living in central AZ, rarely needs a good brushing but she does enjoy it, always ready to play (work for her as I sadly don't own any sheep), and has a somewhat meager appetite. I love this dog...she doesn't eat me out of house and home, loves Frisbee and is damn good at it, not terribly interested in balls, but loves you to throw the rope. She will do flips, twists and knows I love it when she does. She does get her snadwhiches, ice cream, cookies and the like.
And before anyone rags on me for owning a Border Collie living as I do, giving her a half a ham sandwhich or a bite of ice cream, she is not an unhappy dog, is healthy, stays occupied, amuses herself without being destructive, and is a wonderful, smart, intelligent companion, though overly protective of me and this stupid rodshop. But she is after all a sheepdog, and, given the opportunity, a damn good one I'd wager.

Lastly for what this is worth...
I want to thank a brother/customer for giving me this godess. I was sent a picture and description of her when she was 6 weeks old and living in Missouri with her momma on a breeder's farm. I was asked if I would like to have her and all I could muster as a thank you was "Hell yes!"
She cost the brother a hell of a lot of money. More than I could afford.
3 weeks later when she was old enough to part from momma and fly on an airplane, I drove into hell (Phoenix) and picked her up at the airport from American Airlines.
She just celebrated her second birthday last month (August 9) with cake and ice cream. She let me have some too.

Now onto stuff...
Yes I live in my shop. It's quite glamorous I assure you.
Some of you might think that everyday I am hunched over the bench, diligently, laboriously planing out strips one at a time. Well, I do. Sometimes in the summer, it ain't easy, more than a chore, and amounts to drudgery.
In fact a lot of what I do I consider drudgery. But it needs doing or it don't get done. I know because I've checked.
A few things aren't drudgery. I actually enjoy planing strips. It's still really the only part of this process that I do enjoy.

So anyway... today I measure, cut and glue up the rod tube to fit the bag that I finished out yesterday with Mijo's horrid "piping." He doesn't like it. I don't care what he likes. He can make whatever he damn well pleases in his own shop. This is how I mostly make mine. They look like mine and that's that. But they DO actually fit the rod. Not an inch or so short...ya know?

So anyway...below is the tube that I put together for the brother in NY.

Measured, cut, epoxy measured out ready to mix and apply

...and now glued up, excess' wiped clean and the mixing cup will stay on my bench until tomorrow. I use it to make sure the epoxy on the tube is set properly.

This tube came from Landmark Components. I use this tube exclusively. The tube is mill finished. Expensive lesson learned after some pricey annodized and powder coated tubes got banged up and fookin' ugly in the back of my truck. This tube will look no worse for wear after sliding behind the seat in your truck, on the dashboard, or in the bed a year later. My kind of tackle.

There are other things I do to try to have fun in the shop. They don't ALWAYS involve Bonnie.

Above is a bodkin I made out of the cut-off of the above NY brother's rod.

The cut-off is chucked up and the ends shaped and one end drilled to accept the needle, signed and two coats of spar varnish. The brother is a more than accomplished fly tyer and maybe he'll enjoy using a bodkin with his old Hockey number (No 27) inscribed on it made from the rod he ordered and has patiently waited for. Maybe it don't mean squat, but I made it anyway. He can do with it what he wishes.

I make other things from cut-offs. Ferrule plugs, ferrule honers, etc. Use your imagination.

OK...10:00 am here and it's, once again, getting hot.

Time to slam the doors, fire up a fan, take a nap...then off to the library to get some new movies to watch come dark.

Later...

Mike

Rod Bag Tuesday

It was time to finish out a rod bag today for a rod going to a brother in New York.

I make a few rod bags at a time and leave them unfinished. This way I always have a bag or two on hand when I need one.
All I have to do is measure the finished length I would like and sew the bottom, turn it rightside out and stitch the partions. Takes about 5 minutes not counting the time to set up the machine, dig out the iron and press the bag. Hell, it takes me 10 minutes to find and dig the sewing machine out and another 10 minutes to wipe the dust off it.

This bag is for a "Payne 100", a 7'6" for a 4wt.

Along with this bag I finished one out for a "Dickerson 8013" an 8'0" 5wt and got another bag ready for yet another 100. I'll wait on that bag until the blank is finished out.

I'm about out of fabric again and I'll try and remember to pick up more if I ever get down to the big city.

Ran a few errands posted this dribble and it's pushing 95 inside. Time for a nap.

As a PS kind of thing...for some google reason, I am currently unable to post a reply to any comment...how rude.

This could well be...

...my first and last post.

Glamour shot

I'm not a "blogger." I am also not a blooger, booger, or bugger, etc.

I'm here only because this is apparently "free" though I understand that nothing one does through Google is free and everything seems to have a price. If I am proven wrong...well...there ya go. If you get a lot of weird ads after leaving here, I appologize in advance.

The site is obviously under construction. There could well be a flurry of activity at first. It's not because I lost (or am losing) interest in the site.
I don't know how this place works and I need to learn things, such as how to post a freaking picture. So please consider this as what it is, a first post by a stranger in a strange land.

This post will eventually be buried (I hope) under layers of ditrimous.

What this place is...

This place was created because I can no longer afford to keep up a real website...pure and simple. Real websites actually cost money to publish on the web. I'm assuming that since this doesn't cost money, it isn't a real website.

What the hell am I?
I am (like you) defined by my work.
I make split bamboo flyrods. I'm a rodmaker.
If you teach kids...you're a 'teacher.' If you sue people you probably are a lawyer, though not necessarily.
There...I said it.

The market is less than a "niche" market at this point. The depression has taken the wind right out of my sails. We all know it's a depression right? Not 'merely' a recession?
Many of you good folks (millions!) lost their jobs within a month. I personally lost five years of business in a month. This is mostly my fault. I refused to take a payment until I actually started your rod. Your word that you wanted one was 'good enough.' I was shown the foolishness of my foly. Now life is a struggle as I'm more than sure it is for most folks who find themselves here, reading this dribble.
Still, here it is 2011 almost 2012. Fifteen years after I started making split bamboo. I started my first bamboo rod in 1997. Yeah...big deal.
I mention it because I haven't been doing this a year or two in my garage. I am a devoted slave to the craft. It's what defines me, what I have more than sacraficed for (two marriages, three kids, yes, I bred) three houses, god knows how many cars and trucks, and still I live in my shop. I don't have my children, I don't have the houses (or money from them). I DO have Bonnie the dog, who I'm pretty sure will be featured here from time to time, and I have a truck that is destined to live out it's life with me already pushing 12 years old. And I have my shop. And that is life, and that's OK by me. IT's my life and I get to live it.

Where I am...do you really care?

I am in the freaking middle of the Sonoran Desert, Congress AZ. My shop is in a freaking rat hole. I don't really have running water, no cooler to speak of presently and summer temps easily push 120 for weeks and months on end. Saudi Arabia's got nuttin' on me.
A simply horrible place to live if you flyfish. I mean really.
A simply wonderful place to live if you make bamboo flyrods. Yeah it's pure hell and torture making one but the bamboo loves it and who am I to argue?
Why the 'f' am I here, ten goddamn feet from hell where there ain't no fish?
Simple...I was spawning. The fish goes where the river flows. I dried up on a gravel bank here when the river went down. I'm waiting for a bear to eat my head.

Anyway...enough for today...
I'll try and write more tomorrow...don't hold yer breath...

Mike