First bamboo scratchbuild

[shorthaul]

Its been a long time coming but after 25 years and toasting the first attempt in my tempering pipe and leaving one in the rafters of my sisters house after it was sold---the third attempt finally lives.

It is patterened after a semi-hollow built 6 wt that ACA champion and hall of famer Dick Fujita made in 1956. Dick thought that the taper might have been circulating around the ACA back then.

I havent run it through the ringer yet but it will cast 50 ft with a dt6f with ease and works good up close.

 

[wtex50]

Nice - I love Bamboo...never had the nerve to try to build one myself. Post more pics please.

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi shorthaul,

Way to go but we need more pictures. I would also like to hear about your tempering pipe. Do you have any pictures of the pipe?

Frank

 

[shorthaul]

I didnt take many pictures as i built it---ill post the one of the rod that i took before i glued it though:icon_smil

the pipe that i used was just a piece of 1-1/2 black pipe ---i read that if you heat the outside with a torch and rotate it as you heat it---you will drive the moisture out---well i proceeded and what i thought was steam was really smoke and the more i heated the more it smoked until i realized that maybe i should look---they were about the color of cinnamon sticks---oops

Since then Ive made an oven with a 1/2 thick piece of steel with heating elements screwed to it and a piece of aluminum tube that i put the rod in about 5 feet long above the steel around all this i have packed kale wool insulation----now i start the heating elements and monitor the temperature---when it hits 350 -375 i shut off the power, put the rods in and let the heat coast down til they are in for the desired amount of time---the hot piece of steel will stay at that temperature for the 8 minutes of tempering that we have been doing.