The second gathering of the Alaska Rodbuilders went off without a hitch. It was a small gathering of 5 including myself and Kathy, my girlfriend. The other three attendee's were Yasuhiro Ozuru "Yas", Pete Picket, and Herman Knott. Going into the day I have to admit I was a bit nervous. I had several items to talk about. I wanted to make sure we were kept busy, and that I could present things in a helpful mannerI couldn't have been more pleased with the way the day went. First off I didn't have to talk about anything. It was great the group just sat and talked about rodbuilding all day. There was no set format. We just sat and talked rodbuilding. I will cover everyones rodbuilding background .
"Yas" is primarily a fly rod guy. He brought some of his rods down, and he does excellant work. He makes his own handles, using a drill as a lathe. You would never know they wern't done on a high dollar lathe. The craftsmanship on his rods was all very impressive. Now if we can get him started on some decorative wraps.
Herman is primarily a Saltwater rod guy. He brought in several rods some rebuilds, one of which is a Gaff the he built on an old fiberglass rod blank. He too does very nice work Which was highlighted in a Bamboo fly rod he rebuilt for a friend. We were all in awe on that one.
Pete is a new builder. He came to see what rodbuilding was all about. He brought down an old T&T fly rod he is interested in rebuilding. There were a couple times I saw the "Deer in the headlights" look on his face. I hope we didn't bury him in information, and that he comes back again.
My building experience covers a lot of bases in the rodbuilding game. I have done enough in all areas that I can bring my experiences/mistakes to talk about. Most recently I have been concentrating on perfecting the decorative wraps.
I will post pictures in the picture page.
I want to thank Yas, Pete, and Herman for coming out. All 3 were great sports, and made the day very easy. I am looking forward to doing it again.
I would also like to take the time to thank my girlfriend Kathy. She is my #1 Supporter. and she understand that robuilding is a passion of mine. She gives me the pat on the back when I need it, and her honest opinion when I need it. She was there all day, took a few pictures, and brought us coffee back when she made an errand run. Most of all she was there in case I forgot something, which happens quite a bit........lol Thank you Babe.
There will be another gathering the end of March. I will announce it as soon as I know we can get the Legion reserved. Which brings to mind one last Thank You and that is to American Legion Post 33. A big Thank You for letting us use your space.
Kirk
Here is a photo link. [
www.rodbuilding.org]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2010 03:16PM by Kirk_Miller.
