Set of avons

Something else from the workshop this week, a group member on one of the Facebook groups I belong too saw a post from the friend whom I made some floats for previously which he had reposted, and got in touch to request something similar.

Here's the results, although the request was for quill for all the stems rather than cane as in the previous batch, so there's one pheasant and two crow...

Dorset flag colours on the left again, and a bit of jasper thread for some of the whipping on the other two

The recipient was very pleased, so much so that he immediately requested some Reg Righyni-style grayling floats, which will be next on the cards...

Crucian hybrid (float, that is)

I started playing with a float just to see if something would work, namely using a cut-down pole float tip for the tip on a bodied waggler. The stem is pheasant tail quill, and I got carried away and used an off cut of porcupine quill for the stem and ended up giving it the full stain, paint and whipping treatment. Came out quite well I thought....

the finished float

the pole float tip in place

close-up

Would I do it again? Yeah, probably, I don't dislike the look of the pole float tip, it's hollow and is quite bright in direct sunlight. I also quite like, in this case at least, the increase in diameter from the quill to the pole float tip. So, more to come maybe....

Brace of pairs

After a bit of a tangent as described in the previous post, and a brood lull in proceedings, a couple more pairs have reached the final stage of the production line. Two pairs of floats, each pair consisting of a bodied waggler and matching Avon

I played a bit with some different silks for the whipping...

I'm happy with the wood dye used to colour the balsa bodies, but I have got some new dyes to try, after the next batch on cork, and the batch after that that had already been dyed with the teak dye you can see here. More to follow shortly...

Something slightly different

Production of floats has been on hold a week or two whilst I spent some time putting together an extended tool rest for a friend's Proxxon DB250 lathe.

A lot of folk think it's perfect for float making, the size is certainly convenient but personally I'd like a quick-drilling tailstock and a slower minimum speed.

The factory tool rest is not only short but also aluminium and easily scored which makes smooth passes with a gouge a little awkward. Not all users are bothered as a lot would use glasspaper almost exclusively, but if you want to get a body concentric around the axis of rotation a tool on a test is essential.

Here's my offering about to be posted to the friend in bonnie Scotland...

150mm long, 12mm diameter in 303 stainless should be a little more difficult to score, although there's quite a bit of twisting force you can apply at either end due to the leverage of the longer tool rest which the alloy plate doesn't handle that well, maybe that's why Proxxon only offered the short tool rest. We'll see how the testing goes.

Meanwhile, back to the floats next post...

Interlude

For a break from the pairs or sets of near identical floats worked on recently, I picked out one of the single floats awaiting finishing, a cork on cane waggler, on which I decided to experiment with some alternative whipping. Whipping for me up until now has been like Henry Ford's model T, available in any colour so long as it's black.

So, here it is in its raw form, looking a bit chintzy like an old school tie...

And a closeup after a couple of coats of sealer and 4 or 5 coats of lacquer. 

Fortunately the red still mellowed a little despite the sealer, a couple more coats of lacquer to go and we're done

...and number four

Yet more Reg Righyni grayling floats, this time with a balsa tip and some internal reinforcement to make sure there's no problems when adjusting the float cap...

I think that's enough of those for a while, there's another design I'll be trying shortly once I've worked my way through some more of the part-finished stock

Batch number three

The next batch to emerge from the workshop, predominantly grayling floats following Reg Righyni's timeless formula, with a couple of minor modifications. These are fitted with hardwood tips for a little extra strength for the float caps, and the recommended 20swg (0.91mm) piano wire, basically spring steel, has been replaced with 1mm stainless steel.

Where the magic begins in 'Fishing Reflections'

And in addition a couple of simple balsa on cane Avon's with colour scheme inspired by the county flag..