Float making.

[Ray Roberts]

I’ve bought: a float turning lathe, turning tools, centre finder, paint brushes, brass wire, balsa dowel, sarkanda dowel, eye inserts, starlight bushes, float tips, bamboo cane, whipping thread, glue, paint, varnish, shape finder, pva sealer, corks and loads of stuff that I’ve probably forgotten. The thought has just occurred to me that I could have bought a shop full of floats for what that lot cost, lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wetthrough]

It cropped up a while ago about a rotating device for drying floats but I can't find it. The question of motors came up and I pointed to their availability on eBay. I was looking to try painting floats mounted on a spindle and had some 12V geared motors but they were too fast. I have variable power supplies so I just thought I'd see how slow they would go without stalling. It probably varies from motor to motor but the 120RPM 12V motors I have will run down to 1V and quite happily at 1.5V with a consequent reduction in speed. If you're looking to do the same don't discount motors just because the RPM or voltage seems to high.

 

[no-one in particular]

It cropped up a while ago about a rotating device for drying floats but I can't find it. The question of motors came up and I pointed to their availability on eBay. I was looking to try painting floats mounted on a spindle and had some 12V geared motors but they were too fast. I have variable power supplies so I just thought I'd see how slow they would go without stalling. It probably varies from motor to motor but the 120RPM 12V motors I have will run down to 1V and quite happily at 1.5V with a consequent reduction in speed. If you're looking to do the same don't discount motors just because the RPM or voltage seems to high.

Sounds like a good idea, I could have done with one, I lean mine in the window sill but they keep getting stuck to the window. from the outside it must look like I live in a psychedelic drug den. Anyway, I have filled the damage with poly filler, it's good! I can't see the joins and now on the whipping stage akka Aknib. Almost there; be ready to be blown away.

 

[Paste paul]

I've continued to use the 3mm pole float tips insome new floats. I tried these in Avon floats last winter and they worked well so I've made a couple more.

I also decided to finally use some 1mm stainless steel stems that someone on here gave me 3 years ago. I wanted to do my own version of the Drennan wire-stem Avons but with the 3mm pole float tips.

View attachment 8984

These remind me of the old Ivan marks pacemaker float...... a shouldered trotting float with a fine tip.....

 

[Paste paul]

Inverted Glow In The Dark Porcupine Quill.

I have been meaning to make one of these floats for a while but just never got round to it.

Well, I have had plenty of time in the last few weeks and made the float below.

Another one to add to my close range arsenal of floats.

Click the link for the full write up and glow in the dark pics.

View attachment 9014

Hi do you hand paint these floats ? They look amazing

 

[Mark Wintle]

These remind me of the old Ivan marks pacemaker float...... a shouldered trotting float with a fine tip.....

Here's a Pacemaker. I was a great fan of these floats in the mid to late 70s but they fish differently to my Avon floats.

 

[Paste paul]

Here's a Pacemaker. I was a great fan of these floats in the mid to late 70s but they fish differently to my Avon floats.

View attachment 9032

That’s the one...... yes they do look different more of a balsa float not much stem.......nice one

 

[no-one in particular]

Well that's done, and thanks Aknib, a bit of perseverance and your tip about using whippings came in handy;it did make a neater line for the eye than my dodgy painting. I think it would have looked better using proper whipping thread but I did not have any. And you where right I think, not perfect but kept a bit of provenience. I left a couple for someone else to do and three of them needed no work. Not a bad haul for £7 and about £2 of paint and that. Considering the state they were in I am fairly pleased with the result.I will probably keep some and put some in auction with some other stuff when the auctions open again but who knows when that will be. I don't know how rare they are but I have never seen some of them before.
I enjoyed it in the end, something to do during lock-down, I might even have a go at some swan-wing quills I have had lying around for yonks.
All I have to do now is clean off the paint and varnish from everywhere

 

[purplepeanut007]

Finished. I like these. ??????

Inserted & Straight Crimson & Burgundy Wagglers.

Carrying on with my latest addiction.
Below are a set of four "Burgundy Inserted Sarkanda Wagglers".
I just love using this stuff.........
For more pics and a couple more floats click on the blog link.

 

[purplepeanut007]

Paste Paul,
Yes m8, all hand painted.or whipped with thread.

 

[Paste paul]

Paste Paul,
Yes m8, all hand painted.or whipped with thread.

Wow they look like a machine finish ......
Awesome floats

 

[Aknib]

)

Well done Mark, a fine job and well worth the effort.

What did you use to whip the bands, was it braid?

It looks a nice even job and I've used this on Pike floats, being that much more substantial than the usual whipping threads I reckon it looks much more in keeping on larger floats.

 

[no-one in particular]

Thanks Aknib, not as perfect as some of yours but I was after the rustic look, I am sticking with that My new range - Flottes Rustique.
I used ordinary cotton, it would have been better using braid or proper whipping thread but I did not have any. It does help though, makes a neater appearance. I whipped an eye on three of them including the quill below using a bit of paper clip. Unfortunately I have deleted the original picture of them so no comparisons available now.
Here are two I forgot to put in the last picture, my favorites, I will use these. The little bobbin one the middle comes out like a gazette float and I use quills a lot anyway and this one will be quite visible.

 

[rayner]

Eventually finished the jigger floats I remodelled. I say remodelled because all I did was to use old pole float bodies that just added a piece of a cotton bud to allow the line to run freely.
I need a bit of a lesson regarding photo loading, I haven't a clue, I tried but all I managed was a big failure. Our it team IE my (daughter and her husband) will get me up to speed when they eventually manage to get here.

 

[nottskev]

I fancied making some drinking straw floats - always liked their lightness and skinny, minimal look, and made loads back in the day.
I have some of the hollow plastic float tips in 2.5 and 3mm, and they show up better than the little plugs of painted balsa or whatever I used to use.
But can I find plastic straws in 3mm bore?
I tracked some down online. When they came they were 5mm - far too big.
I can find some titchy little ones, 5" long.
There are paper straws, wheat straws, bamboo straws, biodegradable straws, but I can't find the thin plastic ones every supermarket used to sell.
Is the drinking straw float obsolete, like the coal-fired power station, or have you spotted any of the old-type ones anywhere?

 

[rayner]

Single-use plastic of any kind is not a medium that folk like now, seems all are turning to paper. Are the paper ones too thick for what you need?
Paper straws could be coated inside and out with thin oil-based paint to waterproof them. If they're not too thick.

 

[valetudoguy]

My kids are starting to take an interest, so I fished out a couple of old Shakespeare orange and black plastic tackle boxes from way back, stripped them empty and am now n the process of filling them with as much stuff I can make myself otherwise cheaply purchased.

I figure they can learn the way I did with the most basic of tackle, if they care to improve and learn then I am here for them and they have more resources the I ever did.

Above are a couple of slip bobbers I'm finishing up, with the intention of them catching Perch and Jack Pike.

 

[nottskev]

Single-use plastic of any kind is not a medium that folk like now, seems all are turning to paper. Are the paper ones too thick for what you need?
Paper straws could be coated inside and out with thin oil-based paint to waterproof them. If they're not too thick.

Just saw this today, Gary. I take your point about phasing out single use plastics. Mind you, I've got straw floats in my box dating back to the late 70's, so I don't feel too much of a polluter. Funnily enough, I can find loads of plastic straws but no 3mm, or rather none over 5". I ordered two lots from different suppliers on ebay - and they came back 5mm, far too big for what I want. Waterproofing paper straws? I suppose it could be done, but it's making hard work of it, and I'm guessing they'd be easy to accidentally fold. I've ordered some lengths of clear plastic float tip material, thanks to a tip from Gordon (Wet through) and I'll see what that's like.

 

[markcw]

Kev, the paper straws I have seen in supermarket cafes seem a lot stronger than plastic ones, they dont seem to bend easily. They seem more like a thin cardboard tube.As for waterproofing I would imagine they have a basic waterproofing on inside to stop them going soggy. Plus once sealed top and bottom ,the inside should not need any waterproofing.
A thin coat of varnish over any paint applied on outside will suffice.
It will be a lot different than putting a length of brazing/welding rod up one end and sealing the other then putting them in block of polystyrene and spraying them in batches with car paint like it was done many years ago.
I still have a few from that time.

 

[rich66]

I fancied making some drinking straw floats - always liked their lightness and skinny, minimal look, and made loads back in the day.
I have some of the hollow plastic float tips in 2.5 and 3mm, and they show up better than the little plugs of painted balsa or whatever I used to use.
But can I find plastic straws in 3mm bore?
I tracked some down online. When they came they were 5mm - far too big.
I can find some titchy little ones, 5" long.
There are paper straws, wheat straws, bamboo straws, biodegradable straws, but I can't find the thin plastic ones every supermarket used to sell.
Is the drinking straw float obsolete, like the coal-fired power station, or have you spotted any of the old-type ones anywhere?

Wilkos still sell plastic straws, not sure on the thickness etc, let me know if you want me to have a look