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One of the many fascinating aspects of bamboo rod building is the goal of achieving a fluid transition from bamboo to nickel silver. With nickel silver having a density approximately 14 times more than bamboo, the introduction of a chunk of metal in the middle of finely tapered bamboo strips is impactful.
During the bamboo rod making process, the chemical and physical properties of bamboo changes each time heat is introduced. The density of bamboo declines significantly when culms are flamed, when nodes are heated and pressed, when strips are heated and straightened, and when strips are oven baked. And with the advent hollowing bamboo, the use of new adhesives, and the introduction of micro ferrules, it is imperative that one engages in empirical field testing. While understanding the material science is important, there is no replacement to experimenting with prototype rods. While many classic tapers where designed before heat and hollowing were used, experimenting with heat and hollowing can make them almost unrecognizable, sometimes for the better. After a scenic walk behind my shop, I machined a second male ferrule. I brought my metal lathe to its limit, moved the tool post, and hand polished the male slide with 400 grit 30 micron polishing paper. A dead nuts fit. Yet, the shop rabbit was unimpressed and fell asleep.
 "Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans." - John Lennon Occupying the bookends of my day, and flanking lunch with old friends, my shop work did not go as planned. With a busy build schedule, I hoped to finish making an agate stripping guide and precision machining ferrules for a new rod. The back portion of the male slide of one ferrule was off by only 0.0003". Unfortunately, this made for a slightly loose fit and had to be rejected. Better luck tomorrow... |
