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1. 

   Blue Quill

   105 Kudos

   05/28/09

   Hi MJF,
   
   Regarding your rod blank:
   
   The taper you chose to make is a fairly limber one under the best circumstances. If a blank was going to take a set, it would likely be an 8'-0" 3wt. I suggest starting with a 7'-0" or 7'-6" 4wt or 5wt, and preferably a 2-piece rod.
   
   That said:
   
   - Titebond takes a long time to cure thoroughly; up to a week or more in a dry room above 60 degrees, regardless of what the bottle says.
   
   - Titebond is very sensitive to over-heating. If you overheat it when straightening the glue joints will be permanently weakened.
   
   - Maybe it was just the way you wrote your post, but you are never supposed to flame a finished blank; you flame the culm before you start. Also, you oven-temper the rough strips before you plane, and you never oven-temper after you glue the strips.
   
   - Heat tempering should be 350-375 degrees for at least 15 minutes, flipping end-to-end at 7 minutes.
   
   I'm a maker, I'm telling you this isn't brain surgery. Don't be discouraged. Re-read your instruction book, make sure you didn't miss a step or get a step out of order, let the glue cure long enough, use low heat when straightening, and be sure to oven temper at 350-375 degrees.
   
   Good luck, and let me know how it worked out.
   
   Chuck
   
   

   05/29/09

   Reply from MJF:

   Thank you. I had flamed the clum before splitting and the heat treated after the rough planing was done. My original plan was to try and make a 204e but a lack of concentration lead to cutting my strips to short. They would work for a 3 piece though. At this point my planing is getting quite good though. Once the bamboo arrives I'll try again but with URAC. I still may buy a different binder. I cannot see the binding cord with a heavy weight not breaking the tip. I'll use mine for binding the strips for heat treating.
   

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