Float making.

[purplepeanut007]

PEANUTS FISHING ADVENTURES - THE RIVER IRWELL AND BEYOND.: Childhood Bobber - A Trip down Memory Lane

As I was making my last set of baby bobbers . .

The Ivory Set . . . . .I remembered a float from my childhood which was . . .

" The favourite float " of the time.

I used it for everything !!!!!!!!!

From tiny squats on a 24 s hook down to a big fat lobworm for tench on a 12s . . . . .

Read the rest of the tale on the blog. ?

 

[George387]

And...

Thanks to your endorsement it has revolutionised my own attempts.

Extremely quick drying and hardening, it also has a low odour and the previously mentioned qualities make the float workable in far less time than standard yacht varnish.

My used floats to date, using the Morrells, have stood up perfectly well.

Talking of the aforementioned mini-bobbers I've been working for several weeks now on a new mini-box which incorporates three sets of three floats and these comprise of a set of dedicated top 'n bottom floats in addition to a set of wagglers (which of course can also be used as a bottom only slider) and a set of top 'n bottom sliders.

This is one of 'em...

They are snuggly housed in a purpose made mini oak float box and when the last two are completed I will post up the set.

cheers Binka, I just cant believe that nearly 15 years ago I brought it to the float making table, before that I was like everyone else with Yacht varnish, it revolutionised my float making but as always there was doubters when i first introduced it but after a float submerged for over a month in water came out the exact same way it went it, folk soon changed their minds. Am glad that i've been able to help many a long the way. keep up the float making, looking good

 

[mikench]

Those floats are all 3bbb; Binka's beautiful bobbers! They will shortly be on display at Whitworth Art gallery for what they are - works of art!

The same can be said for purple peanuts beautiful floats ; too nice to use!

 

[associatedmatt]

3 bobbers I have had made by a chap I know . Mike cootes, you may recognise his work . Hopefully I will be trying theese out very soon .

Small world seeing you on here Mike.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[purplepeanut007]

Yep.

Davids work is immediately reconisable to me.

 

[associatedmatt]

Yep.

Davids work is immediately reconisable to me.

It is everywhere. A true craftsman !

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[associatedmatt]

Yet to receive yet . Had a thought and a distance drift beater with interchangeable tops for float ledger at range

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[purplepeanut007]

PEANUTS FISHING ADVENTURES - THE RIVER IRWELL AND BEYOND.: Retro Procupine Quills For Summer Tenching
I have been meaning to make some of these floats for a VERY long time.

This is another pattern that reminds me very much of those long summer days spent a the local lodge with your mates bread fishing for tench and crucian carp. . . . . .

Read the rest of the tail on the blog.

 

[purplepeanut007]

PEANUTS FISHING ADVENTURES - THE RIVER IRWELL AND BEYOND.: Inserted wagglers with Feather Inlays

A set of five

" Inserted Feather Inlay Wagglers "

Read the rest on the blog.

 

[purplepeanut007]

PEANUTS FISHING ADVENTURES - THE RIVER IRWELL AND BEYOND.: HANDCRAFTED FLOATS AND FISHING EQUIPMENT. 2017 -2018

Here are three live bait perch bobbers
in orange, yellow & Pink.
All with feather inlays
The yellow bobber is a
" G.I.T.D. "
( Glow in the dark )
See all the pictures on the blog.

 

[Tee-Cee]

As an alternative to watching snow fall last week I raked out some old floats that I made some years ago, including several of the sarkandas reed antenna type, based loosely on an Ivan Marks pattern. I haven't used them for years (they were very nice to use) simply because everything worked as it should apart from the sarkandas reed section failing to hold paint/varnish for any length of time. Regardless of how much trouble I spent in preparation, painting and varnishing eventually the surface broke down and the paint (more or less) pealed away. They failed the 'nail' test miserably!

So my question is; Does anyone have a fool proof method which might produce a more resilient finish?
I have painted the reed section in the past but I'm not bothered if it stays natural providing whatever is used as a finish does the job. I have thought about using sealers of some sort plus a few coats of Morells but I'm not too sure if this would work.....
I recall reading a post from Binka which, from memory, talked of sarkandas reed finishing and suggesting the paint (seemingly) works better if it applied immediately after the preparation is complete. Could be wrong on this, though!

Someone, somewhere must have the perfect solution (I cannot be the first one to have this problem) or if not, can offer some advice that might lead to a more stable finish. Any help appreciated.................

I'm stripping down the painted reed section of about dozen of these antenna floats as they cannot be used as they are, so I can try a few finishes if anything comes of this post!

Thanks for your help..

 

[markcw]

I wish I had the Time.

 

[binka]

I recall reading a post from Binka which, from memory, talked of sarkandas reed finishing and suggesting the paint (seemingly) works better if it applied immediately after the preparation is complete. Could be wrong on this, though!

You're right Tony, I found that if I left the reed for just a few minutes after sanding it would 'wax' over again which I think is the problem.

I now buy mine in bulk and store them as they are invariably waxy to begin with but a long spell in a warm, dry place such as an airing cupboard will season them nicely.

If I'm painting the stems (as opposed to staining) I will always use a purpose made undercoat first, even on a black stem.

Even now I've never had the finish on a sarkanda reed stem or tip peel on me.

 

[binka]

Being snowed in has gotten to me!

Gudgeon quill lol...

 

[103841]

You're not alone Steve, I've been killing time modifying a few floats from unloaded to loaded.

 

[Tee-Cee]

I've done much the same thing on a couple of long slider floats I use in deepish water some way from the bank. Works well in stopping 'float travel' as the shot drops through the water, and keeps the float pretty much in the desired position. No loss of sensitivity either......

(I admit to making the odd bloomer in failing to double check how much lead wire the float actually needs and watching it sink out of sight on the first cast!!)

I also use a Binka type mini quill for hemp fishing very close in and shallow. Does the job in calm conditions!

 

[purplepeanut007]

PEANUTS FISHING ADVENTURES - THE RIVER IRWELL AND BEYOND.: Norfolk Reed Loaded G.I.T.D. Straight Waggler.

I have never worked with
" Norfolk Reed " before. So when I was very kindly offered some from a fellow float maker I was quite eager to have a play. . . . . .

Read the rest of the write up on the blog. ??????

 

[108831]

I admire the beauty of a good float makers work,but fortunately the fish aren't so fussy,so my recently made sliders will continue to catch fish,my biggest issues and reasons for making floats is the lack of a design of float needed being available,stillwater wagglers in particular have drifted away from well thought out patterns of the past IMO sadly,Drennan alone have done away with three or four patterns,anglers have their own opinions of what is the right pattern for a job,but sadly I believe inserts should be no shorter than three inches for stillwater's,to keep the buoyant main stem below a scudding ripple,thus stopping being drawn against any undertow,which normally travels in the opposite direction to the wind(depending on lake shape and how the wind hits it),using a bulk shot trying to catch said tow is critical to catching,as is slowing it if its going too hard.

A relevant point is that a nicely made,but wrong sort of float will catch very little,whereas a poorly made float of the correct pattern will catch loads,Kevin Ashurst's floats were often just a cut down piece of peacock quill for example...

 

[Mark Wintle]

I admire the beauty of a good float makers work,but fortunately the fish aren't so fussy,so my recently made sliders will continue to catch fish,my biggest issues and reasons for making floats is the lack of a design of float needed being available,stillwater wagglers in particular have drifted away from well thought out patterns of the past IMO sadly,Drennan alone have done away with three or four patterns,anglers have their own opinions of what is the right pattern for a job,but sadly I believe inserts should be no shorter than three inches for stillwater's,to keep the buoyant main stem below a scudding ripple,thus stopping being drawn against any undertow,which normally travels in the opposite direction to the wind(depending on lake shape and how the wind hits it),using a bulk shot trying to catch said tow is critical to catching,as is slowing it if its going too hard.

A relevant point is that a nicely made,but wrong sort of float will catch very little,whereas a poorly made float of the correct pattern will catch loads,Kevin Ashurst's floats were often just a cut down piece of peacock quill for example...

I started making floats 50 years ago and by the early 70s was studying Ivan Mark's ideas on floats. He put a lot of effort into making his floats and may have also used one or two other local floatmakers, certainly the other Likely Lads did. Ivan reckoned that with some floats, sticks in particular, only one of a batch of a dozen might work well enough to be of any use and he gave away thousands of rejects. I've seen some of those rejects (Stan Piecha has them from 50 years ago) and they are some of the best insert wagglers I've seen! And they're the rejects! He reckoned that floats had to be perfectly straight, perfectly balanced and 'ride' the water in the way he wanted.

When it comes to wagglers the only way to get good ones is to make your own but it takes a lot of skill. What it doesn't need is fancy paintwork or silk whippings, and bearing in mind Ivan's thoughts, as little glue and paint as you can get away with. So it's the underlying design that counts, the materials used to best advantage rather than fancy inlaid feathers and other such nonsense. One of the patterns of floats that I made in the early 70s was 3mm drinking straws. I recently made some new ones with hardly any glue and they work brilliantly in the right circumstances - 3ft of water at modest range as they take about 3 no. 1 shot locking plus 5 no. 10.

 

[binka]

I'm not happy using a float which looks bad, no matter how well it performs.

Having said that I must be the luckiest bloke alive, having found my nirvana with homemade floats that I (at least) am happy with the look of and which also help catch me plenty of fish.

Rejects never get completed.

The grey between the black and white perhaps?