To All,

Anyone have any experience buying, working with or the final result with Bog Oak as far as seats for your fly rods? Thinking about building a rod for a friend who is first generation Irish that lets me use his lodge up in the Connecticut Lakes in NH. Would like to put as much of the Old Sod into it as I can and hope somene here has worked with this wood.

Merry Christmas To All!

David.

David,
Just soak it in some good Irish whiskey and he will love it if he is a true Irishman. Don't use Scotch, Bushmils will work.

I was thinking Jamison's but Bushmil's will do the trick nicely. He goes back to visit the familie's dairy farm every year. Tough for a Bostonian to get pulled over by the English Army on the way home from the local pub. Seems they like flashing around the weaponry while looking for someone from Boston feeding the IRA cash.

He's said a few times that he would like to learn to flyfish and even if it doesn't take with him I know the rod would be on display at his lodge. Any ideas on any other Irish themes would be most welcomed. Would love to know about the Bogwood and it's traits.

David

If you do a google search, you will find info on bog oak. I saw several sites that offer pens made of bog oak, so you can turn it. Fresh bog oak apparently has to be dried for several years. A site that talked about bog oak sculpting indicates that you soak it in turpentine and linseed oil. I would think that stabilizing it might be a good thing. It is black like ebony. The only place I saw that offers any for sale is on www.gaire.com. There is a for sale column. Wade through the pornography wanted and wife picture swapping ads, and you will find one fellow that has bog oak for sale - in the UK, I believe.

Haven't worked with bog oak, but I'm very interested in the wife swapping ads... I wouldn't mind a trade, but only with strangers. I couldn't pass mine on to friends. They don't deserve that.....

David, I'm planning on an Irish rod for myself in a couple months. I was thinking of a shamrock and/or Irish harp weave. Something to think about.

Emory has a great idea... just make sure you get the brand right. Your basic irishmen, like myself, don't really care what type of alcohol goes down the gullet, but some get a little nuts when it comes to Jameson or Bushmills.... which church does he go to?

A little historical note:

"Bog Irish" was a 19th Century perjorative term for Irish immigrants, refrring to their custom of burning peat for fuel.

As to the whiskey, I generally find myself in a an eccumenical mode, espcially if someone else is buying, but there are acquaintances of mine to whom this is a big thing.