Float making.

[Aknib]

I enjoy making floats and have found this guy sells loads of useful stuff.

Waggler Weights

Waggler Weights, Fixed And Adjustable, Selection Of Sizes

www.keithsfishingtackle.com

I've used that guy for years Ian, he's a good and reliable source.

The website occasionally disappears for me, I wonder if he takes it down when he's away?

 

[Blue Fisher]

I can't get my head around it to be honest. Red, yellow and green make up all the colours of the spectrum if you discount white, greys and black as not being a colour. Also the angle of light and other factors could influence the colour. I see orange pretty well if it is front lit, but when the sun is in front of me then it appears black. Maybe black & white bands are all we really need?

The Stonfo latex float tips are pre drilled and designed to retro fit existing floats. You can temporarily fit them on any float antenna up to around 3mm. They come in three colours and two sizes in the same packet. You should be able to paint them too. Also, modeller's paint can be retrospectivly painted on to shop bought floats and sealed using nail hardener. You could paint the float tips that you already have.

Yes it’s quite confusing for many people. The colour of light does have quite an effect. I barely notice the fuchsias in my garden by day but if I go out with a torch at night the flowers really show. During sunsets the colours can be really confusing for me due to the increased amount of coloured light. Although I have the most common colourblindness it is not just red and green only. Anything with red or green tinges is also difficult so blue with a touch of red and blue with a touch of green can be confused.
Regarding black and white bands I think these are really good. I use plumbers PTFE tape on my quivertips and it is better in bands since one band moves relative to another. Although mostly I cope with no colours on the tip at all, just align it to a feature in the background.

 

[ian g]

I've used that guy for years Ian, he's a good and reliable source.

The website occasionally disappears for me, I wonder if he takes it down when he's away?

I think he goes fishing and takes it down , always does a good deal on postage , everything arrives promptly.

 

[purplepeanut007]

Stepped, Inserted Wagglers With Fine Tips.

fishing,float fishing,float making,hand crafted floats,traditional floats,purplepeanut007,mike cootes,float making,PP007,peanuts fishing adventures

purplepeanut007.blogspot.com

4BB Stepped, Inserted, Wagglers With 1.5mm Tips.
My new silver fish waggler for close to medium distance work for silvers.
For more pics and the full write up hit the blog link above.

 

[purplepeanut007]

5AAA True Drift Beaters In Green & Grey

fishing,float fishing,float making,hand crafted floats,traditional floats,purplepeanut007,mike cootes,float making,PP007,peanuts fishing adventures

purplepeanut007.blogspot.com

Merry Christmas everyone,
I have started making tench and bream floats earlier than I usually do......
Click on the link and read the rest on the blog.

 

[purplepeanut007]

In-line Reversible Glow In The Dark Pike/Cat Slider

fishing,float fishing,float making,hand crafted floats,traditional floats,purplepeanut007,mike cootes,float making,PP007,peanuts fishing adventures

purplepeanut007.blogspot.com

An In-line, Reversible, Glow In The Dark Pike/Cat Slider for Andrew Boyne

 

[Aknib]

I wondered what the Hell that was before reading the description.

Very well thought out and as always a beautiful finish.

 

[@Clive]

I was really bored today as the weather prevented any outdoor activities other than the afternoon dog walk. I got the Unimat mini lathe out and did some experiments using wine corks to see if they would make decent floats. Other than the plastic type material there are four types of cork stoppers, the larger rocket shaped type used in the fizzy drinks like Champagne, in two materials, comlosite and solid, and two simple cylinders used in ordinary wine bottles. The most common corks in cheaper bottles are made from a composite of cork granules stuck together like MDF. The other type are cut from solid sections. The cork sheet that I bought to make the pike float was also composite and could be purchased in different grades. The coarse grade of sheet that I used is roughly equivalent to the granulated corks.

I mounted the granulated cork wine stopper on the Unimat and drilled it using a 4mm bit. Then I did the same with the solid wine bottle cork and the two champagne corks. Each was glued to a beech dowel then in turn put through the Unimat. First I used the cutting tool to round off one end and taper the other, then a disposable nail file and finally 800 grade emery paper to finish off. The granulated cork looked like it had been ragged by a terrier. There were chunks out all over the place. The better quality wine cork fared better but still had a few gaps in the surface. The solid champagne cork was the best and needed little filling. The cork seems to be more dense.

On that basis I wouldn't use the composite corks for any float making other than pike floats. Even using fine grade emery paper at high revolutions the surface of the cork needs too much filling. I mixed up a paste using wood filler diluted with sanding sealer and coated the cork with that. Once it has had time to dry overnight I will see if it can be recovered enough to make a smooth surface. It worked on the larger diameter pike float.

The cork sheets come in various sizes and thicknesses and also in differing qualities. The cheapest option is the composite stuff used under model railway tracks that I used for the Fishing Gazettte float. The most expensive would work out at about thirty quid for a 10mm thick sheet. You might get forty or fifty Avon type floats out of that sheet. Other than that the best option would be to source some good quality champagne corks and cut an octaganol baton out of each one. Then round the corners off using emery paper. Some of the Harcork traditional floats had cork bodies with balsa at each end. That would be easier for the shaping of the tapers where they meet the stems.

 

[Blue Fisher]

I was really bored today as the weather prevented any outdoor activities other than the afternoon dog walk. I got the Unimat mini lathe out and did some experiments using wine corks to see if they would make decent floats. Other than the plastic type material there are four types of cork stoppers, the larger rocket shaped type used in the fizzy drinks like Champagne, in two materials, comlosite and solid, and two simple cylinders used in ordinary wine bottles. The most common corks in cheaper bottles are made from a composite of cork granules stuck together like MDF. The other type are cut from solid sections. The cork sheet that I bought to make the pike float was also composite and could be purchased in different grades. The coarse grade of sheet that I used is roughly equivalent to the granulated corks.

I mounted the granulated cork wine stopper on the Unimat and drilled it using a 4mm bit. Then I did the same with the solid wine bottle cork and the two champagne corks. Each was glued to a beech dowel then in turn put through the Unimat. First I used the cutting tool to round off one end and taper the other, then a disposable nail file and finally 800 grade emery paper to finish off. The granulated cork looked like it had been ragged by a terrier. There were chunks out all over the place. The better quality wine cork fared better but still had a few gaps in the surface. The solid champagne cork was the best and needed little filling. The cork seems to be more dense.

On that basis I wouldn't use the composite corks for any float making other than pike floats. Even using fine grade emery paper at high revolutions the surface of the cork needs too much filling. I mixed up a paste using wood filler diluted with sanding sealer and coated the cork with that. Once it has had time to dry overnight I will see if it can be recovered enough to make a smooth surface. It worked on the larger diameter pike float.

The cork sheets come in various sizes and thicknesses and also in differing qualities. The cheapest option is the composite stuff used under model railway tracks that I used for the Fishing Gazettte float. The most expensive would work out at about thirty quid for a 10mm thick sheet. You might get forty or fifty Avon type floats out of that sheet. Other than that the best option would be to source some good quality champagne corks and cut an octaganol baton out of each one. Then round the corners off using emery paper. Some of the Harcork traditional floats had cork bodies with balsa at each end. That would be easier for the shaping of the tapers where they meet the stems.

I’ve not had time to try cork as a float material yet. I have saved guide a few corks from bottles, but disappointingly most are composite, so from your experience they may not be much use. Did you microwave or boil the corks to relax them prior to use? I have microwaved a few Prosecco corks I was surprised by the effect it had.

 

[@Clive]

No, I just used them as they were. I'll try cooking a couple next time.

 

[Ray Roberts]

No, I just used them as they were. I'll try cooking a couple next time.

Those composite corks look like a mixture of cork and rubber. I wonder whether the abrasive bites into the rubber and rips it out. It may Need a finer abrasive, or wetting. Boiling used corks brings them back to shape. I bought some brand new ones a while back but haven’t used them yet.

 

[@Clive]

Yes, the adhesive used to bind the morcels of cork looks like a rubberised product.

I checked the floats this morning and the wood filler / sanding sealer paste has worked. The surfaces of the floats has sanded down to a reasonable finish, even on the composite cork. However, it masks the cork grain so if you are wanting the cork to be visible it won't be.

I'm going to make a couple of floats for zander fishing out of them. One will be a short, dumpy ducker that can be sunk down to the tip to show lift bites when the bait is taken and the other a beefed up perch bobber for trotting bleak dead baits.

 

[Kevin Perkins]

For my son's wedding, they needed a few champagne corks for table decorations, my wife single- handedly took on the task....

 

[Blue Fisher]

No, I just used them as they were. I'll try cooking a couple next time.

before cooking in microwave.

I took the Prosecco one out early and left the Loire one in a bit longer.
I remember reading somewhere if you don’t cook them the finished float relaxes over time and changes shape.
Also I guess the cooked cork are more buoyant since they are larger for the same weight.

 

[@Clive]

I've tried microwaving some corks for 2 minutes on a medium setting and whilst they were hot they had visibly swelled, but retracted as the cooled. I cannot now detect any difference in them from raw corks.

Meanwhile the diluted wood filler method is working fine. Initially I used a brush to apply the paste, but have since switched to a thin wooden strip that is half of a coffee stirrer. The parts where the cork has been shaped into a curve needed most filling. Once sanded back the dry filler on the surface is totally removed except for where it has filled a hole. I think that it will look OK once it has been sealed and varnished. It is time consuming having to wait for the paste to dry between sanding sessions, but hopefully worth it and a learning excersise.

 

[@Clive]

I'm still bitting and batting, doing 20 -30 minutes or so between other jobs. The composite cork is very variable in quality. The one on the right has taken so much filler paste that it will need painting to look right. The one on the left needed hardly any filler and can be left in its varnished state. The one front, centre is also of better quality. I have smeared filler paste all over the cork to fill any holes after doing the initial shaping and fine sanding. Once it has dried I will sand the filler off down to bare cork, seal it and then apply varnish. That one is going to be an Avon slider with a quill tip and tapered beech dowel stem. It will probably take 6 or 7g. The other two will be dumpy wagglers for close-in zander fishing next season.

 

[@Clive]

I've had another go at the composite corks from wine bottles trying to get a better finish. The ones that I started last week are finished and ready for fishing. The one on the left is better than the other one that took a lot more filler to get smooth.

The hardest part of making the cork bodies is getting the corks centered up in the chuck of the mini lathe. The chuck has four independent grips and they have to be finely adjusted to ensue that the cork spins without wobbling. The chuck is only just wide enough to hold a wine cork. Today I used the centre marking guide to mark where the drill bit should align and then used the drill bit as a fixed marker so that I could align the cork accurately

Then by shaving down the other end of the cork I could fit the body further into the jaws of the chuck. In order to drill through each body using a 3mm bit. That allowed the body to be jammed onto a bamboo skewer that had been thickened using masking tape. With the body secure in the chuck and a hole at the other end that could be supported by the rotating centre on the tail stock I could use the cutting tools to quickly shape the bodies.

The cutting tools leave a rough finish in the cork so they were finished off with the disposable nail files then a light sanding with well used 800 grade emery paper.

Once I had the bodies shaped I put a length of 5mm beech dowel in the chuck after putting a detent in the other end using a small cross head screwdriver for the rotating centre to fit in and support it. Using the cutting tools followed by the nail boards I tapered down one end for the bottom of the float and cut a spigot at the other end to fit inside the cork body.

Once the dowel had been shaped it could be cut down ready for guing into the cork body. A half cocktail stick is used to support the quill for the upper end of the float. I would have liked a thicker quill, but that is the best that I could find in my stock.

The cork body isn't yet perfect. It needs a bit of filler using a paste made from sanding sealer and wood filler then sanding back to the cork. That is tomorrow's job.

Cork bodies made this way need a lot more work than balsa especially if you can get balsa round dowels. And the balsa bodies can be more easily rendered smooth. They do however have a vintage look to them that isn't the same with balsa floats.

 

[purplepeanut007]

Double, Stepped, Inserted Wagglers With Fine Tips

fishing,float fishing,float making,hand crafted floats,traditional floats,purplepeanut007,mike cootes,float making,PP007,peanuts fishing adventures

purplepeanut007.blogspot.com

"Double Stepped, Inserted Waggler With A Fine Tip" for silver fishing.
Weight capacity for the new, green float is approximately 5 BB plus or 2.0 g....ish.
I have finish one out of two floats and have taken a picture of the........Click the link for all the lis and full write up.

 

[Ray Roberts]

Double, Stepped, Inserted Wagglers With Fine Tips

fishing,float fishing,float making,hand crafted floats,traditional floats,purplepeanut007,mike cootes,float making,PP007,peanuts fishing adventures

purplepeanut007.blogspot.com

"Double Stepped, Inserted Waggler With A Fine Tip" for silver fishing.
Weight capacity for the new, green float is approximately 5 BB plus or 2.0 g....ish.
I have finish one out of two floats and have taken a picture of the........Click the link for all the lis and full write up.View attachment 33245View attachment 33246

Oooh, I do like them, Very nice indeed.