Make Your Own Floats - Part 2

Tackle making seems to be something of a lost art in today's modern throwaway society. A mere twenty years ago it was considered quite normal to make up a batch of hooklinks or floats during the close season. In the FISHINGmagic forums a number of people have asked about making floats. With this in mind I have written this article and a series of practical 'workshops' about my return to the simple pleasure of making floats. - Kevan Farmer

Porcupine quill floats - the easiest of them all

1. The raw material, I get mine from Dave Havers at Tackle Bargains - www.tacklebargains.co.uk - but there could be other suppliers local to your area.

Quill

2. Porcupine quills are the easiest of all floats to make. The only requirements to the quill itself are a little sanding to the ends and a light smoothing over with fine grade steel wool. The steel wool itself can be obtained from either builder's merchants or DIY shops very cheaply. I always take off the shiny exterior 'coating' on a quill in order for the paint and varnish to adhere properly in the later stages. Don't get carried away though, it only seconds to cut back and that is all that is needed. When the quill is dull all over this stage is done. The two quills side by side show an unsanded root section on the left next to a cleaned up one.

Sanded quill

3. For the float ring I use copper wire. I have some offcuts of telephone extension wire, which is copper with a tin - I think - plating. Brass wire can be used if preferred and is easily obtained from any model shop. Another alternative is nylon mono line in about an 8lb breaking strain. I have found in the past that mono is more difficult to use and is not as robust as wire. Of course it easy enough to dispense with a ring and use just a float rubber or length of silicone with a hole bored through which can also double up as a quick-change adaptor. If you do use wire I have found the optimum length to be around 1.5 inches. Be careful how you strip the plastic insulation off. Any nicks on the wire will quickly snag and damage main line or hooklengths.

4. Bend the wire around a wooden or plastic former, not metal pliers, as again they will damage the wire. Copper or brass wire is soft and will easily bend around a cocktail stick or piece of cane. If you have any doubts about the wire discard it and use another piece.

5. I have found that the easiest way of fixing the newly formed ring onto the float itself is to start by making sure the wire is flush to the sides of the stem. I then dab the merest drop of superglue onto the wire while holding it in place. I now tend to use a cocktail stick to deposit the glue in place as I have rather large fingers and have found myself glued to a few floats in the past. Give the glue 10 minutes or so to dry. quill8.jpg

6. Now, possibly, the most difficult part - whipping. I always use cotton embroidery thread. I have found genuine silk but it is a bit more expensive and I honestly don't think it makes any difference to the finished article. Colour is a matter of personal choice and is one of the great aspects of making your own floats; you don't have to have black. I usually use either red or yellow but if you wished to keep in vogue you could always use a mossy green or bark brown to give the camouflaged look. 7. From the main hank of thread cut a length about 15 to 16 inches long. This will then separate out into about 6 distinct strands. Run one of these separated strands through your fingers to take out any kinks or twists.

8. Lay one end of a strand along the base of the float. Again using a cocktail stick place the merest dab of superglue along side it. Let this dry for 10 minutes. Don't try to carry on until the glue has dried otherwise the thread will stiffen up and cosmetically spoil the whipping.

9. Now, very carefully start to whip the thread up the stem of the float. After the first 3 turns it should be possible to tighten it up a touch. Too much pressure to start with will pull the tail of the thread away from the stem.

10. At around ¾ of the way up the wire lay in a loop of short thread. Whip over this but not too tightly. This is to pull the end of the main thread back under the whippings and achieve a neat finish.

11. Trim the tag end flush with the body of the whipping. I use a new craft knife blade for this in order to get the closest result. Be very careful not to cut into the main whipping.

12. With the whipping finished I always rub varnish into the threads. Don't use a paintbrush as the varnish does need to penetrate the whipping properly. This has a two-fold effect. First it 'glues' the whipping in place and secondly it lays the fibres of the thread down smooth and gives a better finish. Let this dry for about 24 hours. Try sticking the float upside down into a piece of polystyrene or rigid foam block. This way it dries evenly. I'll give details of the varnish and paint I use further on.

13. Now comes the very individualistic phase. Painting. This is another aspect that is purely down to personal taste. If you only want the bare tip painted then so be it; it's your float and your choice. I generally go for a fairly traditional scheme. I start by dipping the tip in black paint then leaving it to dry for at least 24 hours. Make sure it is somewhere dust free. When I say dip I mean just that. I never brush the paint on preferring to dip into the paint instead. Once the black is dry I dip it into white paint leaving a small band of black. This may seem wasteful but there is a reason for it. By building up the layers of paint in this way I give the tip a bit more definition without adding any buoyancy. Hang the float up by the end ring in between coats. Be careful, as it will sometimes drip.

14. What colour best suits you? In the range of paints I use there is quite a choice. By making your own floats it is possible to have a range of colours to suit different light conditions. I have purposely left some with an all black tip and some with an all white tip to combat strange dappled light conditions.

Plasti-Kote Paints are acrylic based. There is also a complementary varnish - don't try using any other sort with this particular paint, they don't mix. I get my supplies from B&Q but other DIY outlets also stock them. I have even found a luminous acrylic paint at a local Focus Do it All but this is not a generally held item so ask. I prefer this type of paint to the traditional 'Humbrol' tins of day glo, as it is far more durable. Again, after this coat of paint hang the float up to dry for at least 24 hours.

15. Finally, after the last coat of paint I dip the whole float into clear acrylic varnish. I have a tube I have set up for this which enables me to immerse the whole float in one go. If I am making a particularly large float however the brush comes out. Don't try skimping at this stage and using a cheap nasty paint brush. Get a decent soft squirrel-hair brush and clean it after use.

18. All this may seem long-winded but in reality each stage takes minutes to complete. I would estimate that the total time should be no more than 10 minutes leaving aside the obvious drying time. The principles involved are all basic to any float with just minor variations.

Make your own Floats - Part 3