purplepeanut007
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Irwell sticks for shallow water trotting
Float making.
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purplepeanut007
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markg
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Are you an alien?
markg
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Your not going to believe this, some fishing floats done by earthlings from earth, chortle...
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markg
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Practical float making, just thought it might be good to explain some of these-
These were odd bits I have picked up mainly. the first one right to left was some sort of wooden biro casing I found, it looked just the right shape for a float so I picked it up; it is very heavy for its size so might make a nice light sea float for just drifting a bait under it in the sea without any weight, I think it will not take much cocking; or a heavy distance float for a lake maybe or the far bank in a river, see how it goes.
The 4th from the left was one of a set of reed stems I collected years ago, dried and painted, this is the only one that has survived so gave it a re-paint, these were quite good for fishing a small stream in the wind, heavy enough to stop the wind blowing into the bank but would cock with only one small shot so quite sensitive for the water. The 7th and 12th, don't know what these are, found them laying somewhere, they were wooden and shaped like that with the tip but I think they will work somewhere. The 8th float is in fact two broken floats pinned together with a bit of staple clip wire and overlaid with a bit of whipping, a bit bent but usable and would have thrown the bits away so a gain. 9th, 10th and 14th where just bits of left over swan quill given a bit of paint and varnish, very light floats, good for fishing very close in on a lake. 7th, one of my favorite old floats, had it a few years and I bought it in a job lot of old junk somewhere so i imagine its been knocking around a long time; gets a lot of use and got very battered with nearly all the paint chipped off so I thought time to give it a repaint although I think I preferred it the way it was however, I will be sorry come the day I lose it.
I like leaving the bottoms natural be it wood or cork and not pretty but gave me something to do during lockdown, in fact I have made two sets and plenty of floats now so I threw away all my plastic floats except the sea ones which are made of polystyrene but I have not got any thing else that's suitable for now but I might try making some wooden ones; shouldn't be difficult to find something..
These were odd bits I have picked up mainly. the first one right to left was some sort of wooden biro casing I found, it looked just the right shape for a float so I picked it up; it is very heavy for its size so might make a nice light sea float for just drifting a bait under it in the sea without any weight, I think it will not take much cocking; or a heavy distance float for a lake maybe or the far bank in a river, see how it goes.
The 4th from the left was one of a set of reed stems I collected years ago, dried and painted, this is the only one that has survived so gave it a re-paint, these were quite good for fishing a small stream in the wind, heavy enough to stop the wind blowing into the bank but would cock with only one small shot so quite sensitive for the water. The 7th and 12th, don't know what these are, found them laying somewhere, they were wooden and shaped like that with the tip but I think they will work somewhere. The 8th float is in fact two broken floats pinned together with a bit of staple clip wire and overlaid with a bit of whipping, a bit bent but usable and would have thrown the bits away so a gain. 9th, 10th and 14th where just bits of left over swan quill given a bit of paint and varnish, very light floats, good for fishing very close in on a lake. 7th, one of my favorite old floats, had it a few years and I bought it in a job lot of old junk somewhere so i imagine its been knocking around a long time; gets a lot of use and got very battered with nearly all the paint chipped off so I thought time to give it a repaint although I think I preferred it the way it was however, I will be sorry come the day I lose it.
I like leaving the bottoms natural be it wood or cork and not pretty but gave me something to do during lockdown, in fact I have made two sets and plenty of floats now so I threw away all my plastic floats except the sea ones which are made of polystyrene but I have not got any thing else that's suitable for now but I might try making some wooden ones; shouldn't be difficult to find something..
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markg
Well-known member
Poor old Purple he doesn't know he is alive yet but your right Peter, I won't go into mass production just yet, got give him a chance.
purplepeanut007
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Wish i could go into mass production.... they just take too long to make !!!!!!!
markg
Well-known member
I know what you mean, my last batch took a week, still if you need any help, send some of your blanks over, I am sure I can touch them up a bit with a dab of paint.
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markg
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Not float making but might be of interest and decided to apply my float renovation skills to something else. I have started to renovate an old cane rod or maybe it is not cane! I have started on the bottom section and after coating in paint stripper it was not wiping off very well but I just had the idea to scrape it with a sharp knife and it worked on the softened varnish so a bit of progress. I will apply another of coat of paint stripper later. I think the cork handle and the ferrules will
be a a problem but we will see.
be a a problem but we will see.
rayner
Well-known member
It's a shame bonfire night as gone.
rayner
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Lo tack tape would give you a sharper edge to your paint if you need sharper that is.
Keith M
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Purple I guess that you probably started painting these floats fairly sober (see the nicely painted ones at the back) but by the time you got round to the couple at the front you had probably become a little less sober???
It’s nearly Xmas so I don’t blame you
Still great looking floats though and much better than any of my attempts
Keith
purplepeanut007
Well-known member
Rayner, Keith,
I make these the same way as I did when I first started making floats 5 or 6 years ago..... I kinda like the rough edge look on these.....reminds me of where & when I started.
I make these the same way as I did when I first started making floats 5 or 6 years ago..... I kinda like the rough edge look on these.....reminds me of where & when I started.
purplepeanut007
Well-known member
Stained, Stepped Stick Floats for the New Pin
fishing,float fishing,float making,handcrafted floats,river irwell,barbel fishing,trotting
purplepeanut007.blogspot.com
After looking in my float boxes I discovered a distinct lack of stick floats.
(No surprise there hey lads.....lol)
So, a quick session on the lathe and I had a few bodies in hand for decoration.
The first pair are heavy, made for shallow....ish fast runs....Read the rest on the blog.
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markg
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I'm just a natural, its a rare gift. Poor old Purple, he's a trier though, got to give him that.
Markg, great reply it made me laugh! We must have gone to the same school cos my floats are just like yours! I don't care what the finish is like as long as they work. Mind you, I wish I had the skill and patience to make floats like PP or Binka - I am always in too much of a rush to actually use my efforts! I make too many, I must have hundreds.
markg
Well-known member
PPand Binka are an invasive species, I don't know how they got here but I hope they don't start breeding then our ilk have had it but it might be too late but don't give up.
I enjoy doing this stuff, nothing wrong with making really beautiful floats to look at and admire, seriously I think what PP does is incredible, I am only pulling his leg but like you if I could I would but I doubt I have the patience and then there is obtaining all the necessary special varnishing etc. I have used what was at hand, some yacht varnish, some pots of paint from the pound shop, watercolors and some acrylic. My reasoning was the watercolors would be OK with a couple coats of varnish, some ordinary cotton. I made some float eyes out of staple clips, already bent, just needed to brake off a piece. Heath Robinson floats but I will love them and using them, they have a personal touch, they are definitely mine with my own stamp on them and they will work. I If I made floats like PP and Binks, I could never use them, too much to leave on a snag, in a tree or on the far bank but I doubt they have that problem. They have special eyes that can see under the water and radar/sonar/quantum digital casting abilities.
I am going to make some flies next, cant be harder than floats can it.
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purplepeanut007
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River Irwell Chub - Waggler Fishing - 30/12/ 2014.
fishing,float fishing,float making,handcrafted floats,river irwell,barbel fishing,trotting
purplepeanut007.blogspot.com
We all had to start somewhere !!!!!
Wow.....2014 think i must have started float making in 2013
These wagglers where made of bull rush, painted tips and a no 8 swivel as an eye
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