Tom I noticed that when you are ready to retrieve the wood Hardener mix you have to cut away the mold. To me that is a waste of a good mold. Why not cut your mold in half length wise. Then use a release agent covering the inside of the mold. Wonce the release agent has been applied, clamp the 2 haves together and fill with hardener. Now wonce it is curried just release the clamps and take out the product. This way you have not destoried your mold. I haven't a clue what you would use for a release agent. Maybe paraffin wax or a Teflon tape. Just a thought I had. Maybe I am off base , like last years Mariners LOL

Good Wraps Bob

I would just waste the wood. I would use cheap pine as my mold. Its less than $2 for an 8 foot 2x4. The chance of contaminating the blank with release agent is what would keep me from trying to save the mold.

I sorta scanned the article about the turning squares and I liked the idea so much that I just purchased a mini wood lathe as I planned to start turning wood grips as well as inserts...but since I'm new to this, what reel seat parts do I need for the wood inserts??? for mainly spinning seat...which sponsors should I get in touch with???



Dave

Bob,

Why go to all that trouble? Part of the beauty of the process is that a very inexpensive and readily available scrap piece of 2x2 functions as a mold, making things easy and straightforward.

Obviously you're free to try whatever you want, but I believe in keeping things as simple and effective as possible. Introducing more steps and more expense into the process seems counter-productive to me.

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Great article, it tells you exactly what you need to do to get the result in teh final photo. WHy woudl you purposely change the process and make it much more difficult, and introduce 2 seams into teh finished result? SOund slike you want to have a shoddy looking finished result to save a 50 cent piece of scrap wood?

I under stand what you are all saying. But Billy there would be no seam wonce you have polished and sanded or sanded and polised. I was just thinking about all that wasted time cutting down the wood. Besides that what if you made a cool inermold why ruin it by cutting it up.

Good Wraps Bob

The article was super and has lots of potential. Thanks Tom for showing us how. As always being a farm boy I try to save .

Good Wraps Bob

I don't understand something. I thought this site was about ideas. When you do the process as described in the article you are doing a fair amount of lath work to turn off the 2"x2" to get down to the core that will be adheared to the form. So why is it that much work to take a fine cut to take off that little seam, IF THERE WAS A SEAM? Why would you put down someone that may have a good idea? What you will do is maybe stiffle good ideas from some who wouldn't want to get criticised by those agressive outspoken individuals. You won't get any sharing. I have an idea where a reuseable form could be made and simple to use.

Problem I see is the wood hardener may effect the mold and make it difficult to remove the even with the release agent. That stuff is made to travel deep and will most likely make it into the seam and lock the piece together.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

That would kinda of make sense, exept I found out it well no stick to waxes like candle wax or plumers tape that is why I said put a releasing agent on every thing.

Good Wraps Bob

It takes about 30 seconds to reduce the wood down to the core. The inner "mold" is created by drilling with a spade bit. Perhaps a 5 to 10 second process. The process was designed to be quick, easy, simple and very inexpensive.

Bob, I guess I don't understand where you're coming from. Your proposed process is more expensive, would take longer and in general be a lot more bother. But again, do whatever you wish. That's your choice.

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Eugene Soto is the accomplished turner that developed the basic process which I outlined in the article. I spoke with him briefly last Summer about this process. The only difference in what he does and what I outlined, is that instead of using a 2x2 to make a single core, he bores several cores along the edge of a longer 2x4 and then rips those in-between each core. He's making pen blanks so he can do multiple cores in a small section of 2x4. We need a little more room for our larger rod component parts, thus the 2x2. There are some other minor differences between what he does and what I outlined, but the overall process of using the wood hardener and wood "mold" is the same.

It is entirely possible that there is a better way to do this. Maybe Bob has a great idea. But sometimes you want to actually do a run-through or even use the process as outlined, start to finish, before you start trying to improve something. Until you know what's involved and how things work, it's hard to actually develop something better. Of course, the beauty of any of this is that no one is bound by the instructions in the article - everyone is entirely free to do whatever they want, as long as they're also okay with whatever results they get from their own methods.

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I really liked this idea because of its simplicity. I have to say though that my wife is not very pleased. So far I have stolen all of her green lentils, haricot beans, black peppercorns, dried sage and parsley, macaroni and several colours of basmati rice.

Things are drying up and I will post my results

Tom I have all ready played with the hardener. Not making a mold like you suggested. I just made simple end caps for Butt caps I also made a Butt Cap. When I made my butt cap I use a old lager cap. for my mold. To get the correct inside diameter I used a old part of a broken rod That I placed inside an centered I did not place the old blank completely all the way down. I also mixed verity of glitters to the hardener. My next project well be doing or trying to do a Marbling . The main reason for my original post was, I do not own a wood lathe. Oh yes I found a release agent. I went to a craft store and found a release agent they use when doing plastic molds it works . Also most wood hardeners are a form of a plastic formula

Good Wraps Bob

I don't think Billy understood that you didn't have a lathe. Obviously, it would be very hard to perform the technique as presented in the article without one.

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I am sorry for not stating that I lacked the use of a lathe. Note of interest Billy was worried about a seam, Billy better go back an look a some of the rough pictures before the insert was completed.. I am sorry I started a fire fight. But there are a lot of excellent builders out there that just use basic tools. An do not use special designed tools and are able to accomplish the project. My suggestion was just an idea to help those who did not have all the high tech. Tools. I am redoing my small work area now to see what new tool I can get in. I have found out I have a library the has well over 275 articles pertaining to rod building. This does not include 125 books ,mages. These date back to the late 40’s to the present time. Surprising there are a lot of articles that were published in the past to the present, that one can use in today’s rod building world. Plus 15 different videos. I have 3 rod lathes. As for the article on rod squares. As a Youngman I was involved in 4 H. Any way this is how I came up with my idea on how to use Wood Hardener (is a plastic formula) We made bowls, key chainsout of a platic,. We at that time put food products in our design. We also used a melted paraffin wax in our molds that we made out of clay. These molds were able to be reused becaused we cooked them in a oven. Times change but ideas do not.

Good Wraps Bob

You can make your own "wood hardener" from acetone and plexiglass sheets that you pick up from the big box hardwars stores. Its FAR cheaper than the Minwax hardener and to be honest, until I do some testing, I couldn't tell you how well it works or the ratio in which to mix it. I'll try to mess around with it over the next week or two and see what I get. As soon as I have something vialble, I will post my results.