In my post above announcing my bamboo rod making classes I promised something new. The news is ready to share, so read on. Let me know if you have questions.

Harry

The Ozark hills of northern Arkansas are world-famous for lots of things…handcrafted quilts and American antiques, good home cooking and homemade whiskey, not to mention breathtaking river valleys and fantastic fly-fishing.

Now, we can add bamboo fly rod making to the list. Harry Boyd and Bob Nunley, two of the leaders of the modern day rod renaissance, have been making fly rods in this area for a combined 35+ years. Their expertise, innovation, and attention to detail have led them to be featured at many rod making workshops and symposiums. They have joined their efforts and are now ready to pass this tradition of craftsmanship on to you!

Spring of 2009 marks the inaugural Ozark Rod Makers School in scenic Mountain Home, Arkansas. This week-long school will take 6 novice makers from a stalk of bamboo to a finished fly rod, ready to fish. On the last day of the school, you will actually be casting YOUR rod. Just imagine the pride of casting a bamboo fly rod that you have made.

The Ozark Rod Makers School will cover rod design and resources, techniques and tools, and all the secrets of turning bamboo into works of fly fishing art. Included in the tuition price are all materials and instruction, all meals and lodging, plus two days of guided fly-fishing on the beautiful White and Norfork Rivers. The school provides all tools and equipment. Show up with your toothbrush, leave with your finished fly rod in a cloth bag and aluminum tube.

Rods made by Bob, Harry, and others, will be available for casting at any time during the school to help guide you in your search for that unique feel that makes the rod your own; a rod designed by you, for you. At all times, a safe, fun, working environment will be maintained and proper use of tools will be stressed.

This fast-paced course includes:

Day One: selecting, splitting and straightening the bamboo.

Day Two: rough planning, heat-treating and tapering the strips.

Day Three: final planning, gluing, straightening and sanding the sections.

Day Four: mounting the grip, ferrules and reel seat. Apply the first varnish coats.

An afternoon fishing trip to the White or Norfork River is planned while the first varnish coat dries.

Day Five: space and wrap on guides, seal and varnish guides.

Hit the river again for more fishing. Then, reapply varnish to wraps. After dinner, apply one last coat of varnish to wraps.

Day Six: apply final varnish coat to rod in the morning.

The rod is dry and ready to cast by that afternoon.

Harry and Bob will be there, guiding you every step of the way. This full immersion, hands-on approach to teaching the craft of rod-making will insure that you walk away with a truly personal and functional piece of fly-fishing art. Bob and Harry invite you to call 318 282-1825, or email maker@canerods.com for additional information or to reserve your space today. 2009 Classes will be held April 20-25, and September 14-19.

Harry Boyd



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2008 11:40AM by Harry Boyd.

Harry, your cane rod class sounds like a great experience for those that can make it. I wish I could, just for the hands on experience. But I do have a question for you: While I don't fish with or build bamboo, in fact, rarely fly fish except for some panfish on the local lake, I do occasionally do a repair or refinish on a bamboo rod. I actually have used shellac on the guide wraps, and spar varnish on the blank itself. Do use spar varnish on your wraps/blanks? I know my drying time is much longer than what you cite, and so I was wondering if you are using a different product to coat the wraps. Maybe a polyurethane of some kind? I would appreciate your wisdom on this. Thanks.

Hi Fran,

Typically I use spar varnish on the wraps and on the blank itself. Shellac works as something of a color preserver but because it offers little moisture protection, needs some type of coating over it to protect the integrity of the wraps.

Because of the compressed time frame of the School, we are forced to use coatings that provide a quicker cure time. Bob and I will explain in detail what and why each of us uses as coatings. Some of the modern poly's are becoming quite good, and while I still use traditional spars on my rods, the results we're getting with the new products are very good. Next week I'll be finishing out a coupla rods with the new products and will post some pictures if you would like.

Hope this helps,
Harry

Harry Boyd

Pictures would be great, but unless you are trying to keep a "proprietary" secret of the newer products you are using, I would be very interested in learning more about them. Thanks for your feedback.

Fran,

So far I have had good luck with Minwax Quick Drying Polyurethane. It's ready to sand in just a few hours. I am trying some of the newer water based finishes, but the jury is still out on them. The newer water based stuff is far better than the first stuff that came out. But I'm still not sure it's going to be up to the high standards of a bamboo rod.

Harry

Harry Boyd

Harry:
Got a room down there for a yank ? Love fly fishin, always wanted to build a bamboo from scratch. Just don't like the cost of the tools. Plus have no room for the dusty work. Do all cork and wood out side.
I was just thinking of trying that Polyurethain in spray cans. ---- Which one do you use ? --- Heck if you use it on bamboo, I am going out tomorrow for a can. tried the spar but did not like it.
Ever tried Permagloss ? Nice but so fast of drying time.
Lived in Florida for a while and California. Sorry I came back to Jersey. It is a rat race up here.
Oh ya, nice web site !
www.willierods.com



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/2008 02:12AM by bill boettcher.

Sure Bill,

We would love to have you, and there are still openings in both April and September.

I have never tried the spray cans and am doubtful about their usefulness in these applications. We use the varnish on wraps and apply it with a brush, similar to the way epoxy is applied by our graphite building friends. By the way, I'm no bamboo snob. I build a few graphite and fiberglass rods each year and can't wait to get my 10' four weight Sage built. The only times I have used Permagloss were on wraps only.

The rod sections themselves are dip finished. Sections are lowered into a tube of varnish and withdrawn slowly allowing the surface film of varnish to wick away all but a very thin coat. I use three coats and manage a layer of varnish only about .0015" thick.

Hope this helps, and we look forward to hearing from you. Contact information is on the website.

Harry

And by the way, we should have the dedicated website for the Ozark Rod Makers School up and running soon.

Harry Boyd