Made a new rod lately version 1.2

[Rick Kruger]

Thanks Joe! It is just Gorilla Glue on the bamboo. With these two rods I used Rustins Plastic Coating for the wraps.

It's a nice testament to GG, that's for sure - what I hoped you'd say! Great photos!
...snip...

I just completed three nodeless rods (6ft, 2wt, 2pc) this last winter, using Gorilla Glue as the base surface finish. I followed up the GG with a couple coats of wiped on Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil. Love it. I don't have and do not want to have a dip tube, so I think the GG and Tru-Oil will be my Go To, until I try something else and like better. Don't have good close up photos to share, but hope to have them soon.

Intended to make just one rod, but was having difficulty hitting the dimensions I wanted, so made a lot of sections, turned out enough for three. Two turned out closer to 3wt. My primary customer bought two (walnut reel seats, his choice), including the one more like the target 2wt.



Rick

[Aristotle]

Friends:

100% shop-made. This 8’ 5wt was made in 2024. The butt and tip are hollow built and deeply flamed. The reel seat insert was made from sycamore stock, and the cork grip was made from flor grade cork. The Mississippi Mud silk wraps are accented by the silk tipping in Golden Pavilion. The fabricated, earth tone agate stone is encased in a soldered silver bezel and nickel silver hoop. The ferrules were machined from silicon aluminum bronze 642 bar stock, snake guides fabricated from stainless steel wire, and the tip tops fabricated from stainless steel wire and nickel silver bar stock. All metal on the rod is blued, with the exception of the bright nickel silver ferrule plug, holding a hand tapered flor grade cork cone.

I designed this rod for tailwaters, capable of handling large wild brown trout with relative ease. A sturdy, swelled butt provides extra power setting the hook, whether nymphing with line on the water or dry fly fishing at a distance.

[BGreer]

This is a rod that I made a few months back for a gentleman in Massachusetts. It is a fairly fast 8ft 4wt, 2 pieces with two tips. The taper is my own that I’ve been working on for a few years and has been well received. Dark red wraps with black tipping and white CP’ed accents at the ferrules and grip winding. The reel seat is dyed maple burl with blued hardware. I think the color scheme matches nicely.








Matching wraps and agate stripping guide.


Tip 1 on the right, tip 2 on the left has a small space between the tip top wrap and the black tipping wrap.


Brian

[kermit]

Very nice work Brian.

[headwaters]

"Nicely' doesn't begin go do it justice, it's actually stunning, especially when matched with that red agate Perfect!

[kentuckyjim]

"Nicely' doesn't begin go do it justice, it's actually stunning, especially when matched with that red agate Perfect!

Brian
Well thought out and beautifully executed! Really nice pictures as well.
Jim


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[canerodscom]

Looks great Brian!!

HB


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[billdeaton]

Beautiful Rod Brian!!

[DonT]

Really nice!

[AlexX!!]

Friends:

100% shop-made. This 8’ 5wt was made in 2024. ....

impressive rod, nice craftmanship.

the only things which I do not like is the big step
in diameter from cork to reelseat.. for the rest.. big Thumbsup

Alex

[kenwey4534]

This rod provides a distinctive look with the rattan grip, snakewood spacer and candy red & white banded spacer. It is a fast 7' 6" ft 5wt, 2pc with two tips. The 8 1/4" cigar style rattan grip is accented with candy red thread and is 6 1/4” long. The finished weight is 4.25 ounces. What say you - do we have any rattan fans out there?

[headwaters]

A very sharp looking outfit, kenwey!

[barebo]

I wrapped the sheet cork grip on my mid 1920's round Montague and it made a significant difference / improvement. So yes, I'm a fan of rattan and it compliments your beautiful rod nicely!

[chsparkman]

This is a rod that I made a few months back for a gentleman in Massachusetts. It is a fairly fast 8ft 4wt, 2 pieces with two tips. The taper is my own that I’ve been working on for a few years and has been well received. Dark red wraps with black tipping and white CP’ed accents at the ferrules and grip winding. The reel seat is dyed maple burl with blued hardware. I think the color scheme matches nicely.








Matching wraps and agate stripping guide.


Tip 1 on the right, tip 2 on the left has a small space between the tip top wrap and the black tipping wrap.


Brian!

Wow Brian! I just saw this one and I'm stunned! What a thing of beauty!

[chsparkman]

kenwey4534, beautifully done! The grip is first-rate!

[jan96]

This rod provides a distinctive look with the rattan grip, snakewood spacer and candy red & white banded spacer. It is a fast 7' 6" ft 5wt, 2pc with two tips. The 8 1/4" cigar style rattan grip is accented with candy red thread and is 6 1/4” long. The finished weight is 4.25 ounces. What say you - do we have any rattan fans out there?

Kenwey4534, this is an example of a really beautiful rod, rattan grip looks fabulous! The only one thing I noticed and I don't know if to take it as a negative is the transition from female ferrule to bamboo. It looks that the ferrule is too small for the rod and there a "step" between the ferrule and the rod, especially on the corners.. ?!
r

[Godfroy]

One tip rod based on my Paul Young "Midge", which was made in 1974. The original rod weighs 2.14 oz. I tried to make my version under 2.0 oz by using a titanium ferrule and titanium guides. Nearly managed it, the finished weight came to 2.009 oz.

[jan96]

I made quite some bamboo rods starting from a culm of bamboo but this is the first one where I used a blank which I did not make. I got it from a friend and it is an early 1980s Partridge impregnated, a bit odd length - 7'7'' for a five weight line. It looked heavier, stronger to me, so I wrote on it #5-6 wt line. I made the ferrules, stainless steel flamed snake guides, grip is from 1/4'' cork discs. Reel seat insert is from eucalyptus wood, covered with thin layer of uhu epoxy. Blank because it was impregnated did not need an additional protection/ finish but it looked somehow unfinished to me. So I hand rubbed 15 layers of Bison PU glue on it and it looks better now. At least to my eye...
r

[Santafecino]

This is very pretty work. Where did you get the tiny snake guide used as a hookkeeper?

Nice photos. I like the leaves.

And--most important--how does it cast?
--Santafecino

[jan96]

This is very pretty work. Where did you get the tiny snake guide used as a hookkeeper?

Nice photos. I like the leaves.

And--most important--how does it cast?
--Santafecino

Thank you The hook keeper, shaped as a snake guide is made as other "snakes" but with smaller tool. The rod "does not cast" yet, varnish is still fresh. I just "wiggled" it a couple of times and I have to say,..it's a powerful rod. Action is toward parabolic but not quite..
r