Float making.

PewterRaven

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PEANUTS FISHING ADVENTURES - THE RIVER IRWELL AND BEYOND.: HAND CRAFTED FLOATS 2014 - 2016 - Float making By The Peanut.

Here are a pair of . . . .

" Feather Inlay Perch Bobbers "

In my own colours.

I hope you like them.

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First time I’ve read your blog. The handmade floats are obviously made with passion and ‘works of art’ in themselves. Lovely to see such care and detail incorporated into producing items that stand the pace of time.
Best of luck with future projects, keep up the great work.


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hague01

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beautiful floats, quite brilliant! Congrats
 

103841

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I wonder if this may be of interest to you float makers. Just bought a mini lathe for just under £25 delivered, not exactly a precision piece of equipment but I’m sure will come in handy for bits and bobs.

 

d.owens

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That's a bargain and I would love one. Unfortunately, once I've factored in the expense of the divorce after I unveiled it, it's not really worth it.
 

nottskev

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I'm on another float making mission, all very rough and ready, but I enjoy it.
Have been using reed from a broken garden screen as waggler bodies and inserts from scewers. I also found a sealed packet of mouth swabs that I had for my poor old mum from when she was dying in hospital, we used them to give her tiny amounts of water. I got a bit emotional when I found them, but thought I would like to do something useful with them. The thin plastic tubes have made great insert tips, the ends melted on the cooker and sealed. Mum was a great "make do and mender" I know she would appreciate it!
View attachment 8194
What have I learned today? 1. Trimmed drinking straws make great gaskets to fit slightly too thin inserts into float bodies. 2. You can make a perfectly usable whipping thread tool from manky old wire, a small cotton reel and a bit of drinking straw.
View attachment 8195
It's a bit like the Blue Peter TV studio in our house every time my wife leaves me on my own!

The floatmaking is coming on - those are looking quite svelte. I haven't seen any slim plastic straws in the shops for ages; they all seem to be wide-bore fun party type affairs, with bendy sections etc.

Drinking straw floats were all the rage once. They're in Match Fishing with Benny Ashurst 1968, and I first met them via Liverpool anglers coming to fish the canal basin in Chester and at Mollington outside town. Their gear was well-adapted for canals, park lakes and other waters where you needed a delicate approach.

I've still got a few drinking straws from 1970-something in my box with a bit of balsa in the tip and a nail in a biro tube gasket to make them self-cocking or partly so.

 

103841

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That's a bargain and I would love one. Unfortunately, once I've factored in the expense of the divorce after I unveiled it, it's not really worth it.

It’s extremely small and could be tucked away discreetly in the man cave. A strategy is needed, tell er indoors it will have many domestic applications, polishing rusty nails etc.:)
 

tigger

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This is not my usual kind of thing as I've never been particularly keen on porcupine quill, it is a commission made on behalf of someone who supplied the quill and gave me a free hand to do as I wish with it.

No money changed hands but I am the better off for several excellent books including A Passion for Angling :cool:

The body colour paint is matched to the natural ivory colour on the quill but I didn't want to paint the quill itself as it would erode its provenance and the tip colour is his favourite.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with the composition which allowed a thin cane stem to be spliced in to mount and whip the eye onto and knowing that the person in question likes his Tench fishing I went along these lines...



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I've gone from a dislike of porcupine quill to rather fancying knocking a set up for myself... I just hope he likes it lol!



Yet again i've found myself looking at this float and enlarging it to admire it!
Steve, i'm no lover of porky quill floats but if you ever decide to do another one....put my name on it :cool:.
 

Mark Wintle

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The floatmaking is coming on - those are looking quite svelte. I haven't seen any slim plastic straws in the shops for ages; they all seem to be wide-bore fun party type affairs, with bendy sections etc.

Drinking straw floats were all the rage once. They're in Match Fishing with Benny Ashurst 1968, and I first met them via Liverpool anglers coming to fish the canal basin in Chester and at Mollington outside town. Their gear was well-adapted for canals, park lakes and other waters where you needed a delicate approach.

I've still got a few drinking straws from 1970-something in my box with a bit of balsa in the tip and a nail in a biro tube gasket to make them self-cocking or partly so.


I managed to source some cocktail straws (3mm) from Makro about 5 years ago and Tesco had some slightly longer and very slightly bigger so the cocktail straws will fit tightly into the Tesco straws but I haven't seen any since and Tescos no longer sell plastic straws at all.

Edit: still possible to get 5" 3mm ccocktail straws on ebay.
 
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ian g

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S63
do you have a link for the mini lathe , it looks pretty much what I am after. Looking on ebay I'm a bit torn about which one to get as your never 100% sure what hey're really like until they arrive,

Cheers Ian
 

103841

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The seller I bought this from is showing zero stock, I got lucky, it was the lowest price and genuinely from the UK.

If you type mini bead lathe into the ebay search dozens of this same machine appear, many masquerade as UK based sellers but clearly aren’t. If I was buying again I’d choose this buyer who offers click and collect which I’d opt for, it is ten quid dearer though but in my mind still worth it.

24V 96W Mini Lathe Beads Polisher Machine for Wood Woodworking DIY Rotary Tools | eBay
 

103841

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Deleted FM gremlins again
 
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ian g

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Thanks for that , I'm planning to make perch bobbers using cork so it looks like it'll do the job
 

markcw

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The floatmaking is coming on - those are looking quite svelte. I haven't seen any slim plastic straws in the shops for ages; they all seem to be wide-bore fun party type affairs, with bendy sections etc.

Drinking straw floats were all the rage once. They're in Match Fishing with Benny Ashurst 1968, and I first met them via Liverpool anglers coming to fish the canal basin in Chester and at Mollington outside town. Their gear was well-adapted for canals, park lakes and other waters where you needed a delicate approach.

I've still got a few drinking straws from 1970-something in my box with a bit of balsa in the tip and a nail in a biro tube gasket to make them self-cocking or partly so.


I used brazing rods in my straws, like you sealed the tip with a bit of balsa or if wanted insert waggler, a cut down cotton bud sealed at the top.
Then stood them all up in polystyrene tile, and sprayed them matt black with car paint, and various colours for the tips, could do batches of 30 at a time spraying.
 

bracket

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The seller I bought this from is showing zero stock, I got lucky, it was the lowest price and genuinely from the UK.

If you type mini bead lathe into the ebay search dozens of this same machine appear, many masquerade as UK based sellers but clearly aren’t. If I was buying again I’d choose this buyer who offers click and collect which I’d opt for, it is ten quid dearer though but in my mind still worth it.

24V 96W Mini Lathe Beads Polisher Machine for Wood Woodworking DIY Rotary Tools | eBay

s63. I am interested also. Can't tell from the description, will it centre drill balsa dowel as it is or would I have to fit a second chuck on the bed to do that? Pete
 

103841

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Hi Pete
The tailstock only comes with a pointy thingy, sorry don’t know the proper description, but you get the picture, so yes you would have to fit a second chuck.
 

bracket

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Hi Pete
The tailstock only comes with a pointy thingy, sorry don’t know the proper description, but you get the picture, so yes you would have to fit a second chuck.

s63. Thanks for that, I thought as much but it will not be a problem and the price is right. By the way the "pointy thing" is usually called a centre. Pete
 

103841

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To think I got an A level in engineering! That was nearly fifty years ago to be fair.
 

bracket

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To think I got an A level in engineering! That was nearly fifty years ago to be fair.

s63. Snap. It's about 50 years since I last worked a capstan lathe, on bonus. Pete.
 
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