salvelinusfontinalis
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2006
- Messages
- 7,284
I was lucky enough two springs ago to have a local hardware store offering up bamboo rod stalks at a very reasonable price. At 5 bucks a piece i bought the 5 remaining "uncracked" tubes they vary from an outer wall diameter of 2 1/4"-2.5"
A few things I learned:
1. Don't sand the thing before you remove the membranes. 3 of the tubes split in half after much sanding.
2. You cant sand them enough because the wax outer layer is all over it including the cracks around the knots. you need to really sand those areas good.
3. lay down an mild stain to see what wax you missed, re-sand and stain again.
4. End caps are hard to find, or at least i thought.
5. Dog legged bamboo stalks can be used.
The process ( i dont have pics of everything as its still in process also I never photoed making the one but you can see the semi end results):
1. Find a complete bamboo stalk that is not cracked too badly. you will see some small ones on this but its in good shape. However it is badly doglegged and not straight. I have some ideas on how to combat this.
2. I am lucky enough to live on a farm with a barn full of all kinds of stuff from 1818-present. Included in the mess is a bunch of re bar. I set up a large diameter one and a small one. First step is to completely knock out the membranes. This is not an easy task on bamboo this thick. In fact it sucks. It often causes cracking and can actually ruin the tube. However it worked on this piece. After that the second step is to take the smaller sharp re bar and reduce the inner wall thickness at spots in the dog legs. i recommend slightly wetting the inside but not too much. This will aid in softening and removing bamboo from in there. While this takes much time and care it can work. This allowed me plenty of room for the rod tip to fit through.
I ruined 3 tubes just trying to get the membranes out....
If you succeed in this process begin your long sanding process. Use a medium heavy grit and work your way down to superfine. Here you can see how thick the wax coating is.
After a really good sand, and I mean I would take days to sand considering I have a work habitat and fishing addiction.
Now a light staining to expose areas that need more sanding.
Here you can see the wax in the joint beside the knot
Expect slight imperfections. Its bamboo and a rod tube. It wont be perfect.
My advice for these cracks is to inject them with a dark epoxy after all your staining. they will seal up, hold and last. Not disappear but last and not get worse.
After all sanding and staining.
This tube will become a walking stick for and only accommodates rods max 1pc 6'6" and with smaller cork handles. However I have 4 it fits. Also I can get the rod sock in there for extra protection. I left the very bottom membrane intact for extra storage.
This other rod tube actually has an aluminum rod tube forced down its shaft. Extra points if you can tell me what tube down to the rod model.I choose this tube because its "thinner". This type of bamboo was easier to remove membranes. They were much thinner.
While I have been stagnant on this project for about a year or so, Iam picking them back up.
End caps stalled me out. I think Iam going to try something like these:
Ill try to post back when finished. The walking stick will also need a rubber bottom. I'm debating hinged caps etc..... all part of the fun.
After this I will begin applying a clear cost of somekind.
That said bamboo stalks can be expensive but if you find them cheap, give it a try. they are beautiful!
A few things I learned:
1. Don't sand the thing before you remove the membranes. 3 of the tubes split in half after much sanding.
2. You cant sand them enough because the wax outer layer is all over it including the cracks around the knots. you need to really sand those areas good.
3. lay down an mild stain to see what wax you missed, re-sand and stain again.
4. End caps are hard to find, or at least i thought.
5. Dog legged bamboo stalks can be used.
The process ( i dont have pics of everything as its still in process also I never photoed making the one but you can see the semi end results):
1. Find a complete bamboo stalk that is not cracked too badly. you will see some small ones on this but its in good shape. However it is badly doglegged and not straight. I have some ideas on how to combat this.
2. I am lucky enough to live on a farm with a barn full of all kinds of stuff from 1818-present. Included in the mess is a bunch of re bar. I set up a large diameter one and a small one. First step is to completely knock out the membranes. This is not an easy task on bamboo this thick. In fact it sucks. It often causes cracking and can actually ruin the tube. However it worked on this piece. After that the second step is to take the smaller sharp re bar and reduce the inner wall thickness at spots in the dog legs. i recommend slightly wetting the inside but not too much. This will aid in softening and removing bamboo from in there. While this takes much time and care it can work. This allowed me plenty of room for the rod tip to fit through.
I ruined 3 tubes just trying to get the membranes out....
If you succeed in this process begin your long sanding process. Use a medium heavy grit and work your way down to superfine. Here you can see how thick the wax coating is.
After a really good sand, and I mean I would take days to sand considering I have a work habitat and fishing addiction.
Now a light staining to expose areas that need more sanding.
Here you can see the wax in the joint beside the knot
Expect slight imperfections. Its bamboo and a rod tube. It wont be perfect.
My advice for these cracks is to inject them with a dark epoxy after all your staining. they will seal up, hold and last. Not disappear but last and not get worse.
After all sanding and staining.
This tube will become a walking stick for and only accommodates rods max 1pc 6'6" and with smaller cork handles. However I have 4 it fits. Also I can get the rod sock in there for extra protection. I left the very bottom membrane intact for extra storage.
This other rod tube actually has an aluminum rod tube forced down its shaft. Extra points if you can tell me what tube down to the rod model.I choose this tube because its "thinner". This type of bamboo was easier to remove membranes. They were much thinner.
While I have been stagnant on this project for about a year or so, Iam picking them back up.
End caps stalled me out. I think Iam going to try something like these:
Ill try to post back when finished. The walking stick will also need a rubber bottom. I'm debating hinged caps etc..... all part of the fun.
After this I will begin applying a clear cost of somekind.
That said bamboo stalks can be expensive but if you find them cheap, give it a try. they are beautiful!
