I have several nice reel seats(most are Venneri or Bellinger,but a couple are unknown),that I would like to make matching grips for,using flor grade cork or birch bark for the majority of the grip,and then adding small wood ends to match the seats.

I know finding an exact match isn't going to happen,but I figure if I can somehow get wood that looks close enough then it won't be too noticable given the small size of the pieces I plan on using.I've found plenty of sources for wood(tons on @#$%& especially),but obviously don't want to buy any until I figure out whether I need stabilized or non stabilized wood.

The inserts I have to try to match are,5 amboyna burl,2 dark maple burl,2 light maple burl,2 tiger maple,1 red tiger maple,1 black ash burl,1 spalted ash crotch,1 boycote.

The main thing I would like to know is if there is a way to know if an insert is stabilized or not?

I know Venneri stabilizes many of his inserts,but I'm not sure if he does them all that way or not.I have a hunch that the amboyna burl,dark maple burl,and black ash burl(this is a Bellinger seat) are probably all stabilized woods,but I'm not sure if the tiger maple,light maple burl,boycote,or spalted ash crotch would be.

Any advice would be most appreciated.
Thanks

DO a google search for WSSI (Wood Stabilizing Specialist International) They are up in Iowa.

Mike will sell you a block of wood already stabilized and ready to turn. If you sen dhim the reel seat he may even be able to match colors pretty close for you.

BTW he is the guy who stabilizes bellinger and other brand reel seats.

Ho do you tell if it is stabilized? The older it is th harder it gets. Usually if you take a file to the end of one and file of a tiny bit of dust you can smell it. If it smells like plexiglass or acrylic plastic then it is stabilized. The older the seat is the harder it is to smell as the odors tend to fade over the years.

Ray



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2007 09:10AM by Ray Cover.

Tony,
Stabilized wood usually weghs about 3x as much as nonstabilized wood. It depends on the inherent properties of the species and how much of the acrylic it actually soaks up, but on the average stabilized wood wil be much heavier than it's nonstabilized counterpart.

Andy Dear
Lamar Fishing

Thanks for the insite so far.

I guess I probably should have mentioned that I've had the seats for a couple of years now and they are all glued up so I guess it would be difficult to find out the actual weight of the inserts.

I'm assuming the amboyna,dark maple burl,and black ash burl are probably all stabilized,but does anyone know if spalted ash is a wood that normally requires stabilization?What about tiger maple?

Lastly,does anyone know how Venneri and Bellinger usually finish their inserts?

Andy,,, for one type of stabilied wood, yeah,,, it is heavy. That's the rapid production way. To infuse the wood with waxes, polymers, or whatever.
The old fashioned and long way is to seal the ends with PEG and slow dry in a humidity and temperature controlled environment. That's how the wood for the best guitars and firearms is done. I'm a bit surprised with all the weight sensitivity concerning rods that folks aren't opting for that form of stabilied wood. It's pricier ad harder to locate, but it's out there. You need to seal it on all sides with finish, but it would still be lots lighter than the common plasticied wood.

> I guess I probably should have mentioned that I've
> had the seats for a couple of years now and they
> are all glued up so I guess it would be difficult
> to find out the actual weight of the inserts.

If that wood wasn't sealed, then you basically have stabilied it with time and environment. Stabiliizing wood really just means to keep the wood from checking, cracking and twisting while drying.. Some woods will near explode in drying if uncontrolled.
Best thing you can do with wood is have it acclimated to your local environment, then seal it. Sounds like you've done that.. Only thing you might have to wonder about is whether your spalted wood is soft. Spalting is an early stage of rot.

Tony,

Most if not all spalted woods used on reel seats will be stabilized with acrylic monomers

Spalting is caused by the fungus that helps wood in its deterioration process as it rots. If the reel seat has a nice spidering of fine black lines then it has enough of the fungus in it that it will continue to rot if it is not stabilized.

By time spalted woods have enough black line in them to be attractive they are usually far too soft from rot to stand on their own without some kind of plastic binder in the wood to give it strength.

Ray



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2007 09:31AM by Ray Cover.

Thanks for the input guys.

Regarding amboyna burl,how does it look when it's finished with Tru Oil or other types of finishes compared to being stabilized ?