3 Veined Fluted Float

[George387]

Nice workmanship.

 

Do you think it would work with elder pith?

 

Rod, no reason why it wouldnt work with elder pith, my only concern would be the fragility of the pith, as I work with it for my own personal floats as I enjoy making floats from pith for my own use, I may give it a try in the near future...it would be a 4 vein one though much easier to handle and cut out.

[arbocop]

Rod, no reason why it wouldnt work with elder pith, my only concern would be the fragility of the pith, as I work with it for my own personal floats as I enjoy making floats from pith for my own use, I may give it a try in the near future...it would be a 4 vein one though much easier to handle and cut out.

 

 

Trouble with elder pith is removing the sodding stuff from the outer core of wood.

 

I always lose my rag and bin it.

 

How does one do this?

[watatoad]

If I am remembering correctly and it was a long time ago I saw it being done.

 

 

Method 1:

Green wood, cut to over required length, enlarge the pith hole one end (like a sharpened pencil reversed) and push the pith out from the other end using a piece of brass the width of the pith.

 

Method 2:

Take a piece of metal pipe whose internal diameter is of the required dimensions, take a piece of metal cut a hole in the metal to allow the pipe to just pass through it, then braze or hard solder the pipe in place allowing about a half inch to poke through one side and how much you need to be sticking out the other side, the chap I saw doing this had about 4" sticking out. Then cut saw type teeth in the end of the longest piece of pipe, next gradually saw your way down the elder the pith simply goes into the center of the tube/pipe undamaged (well maybe it takes some practice).

 

I expect there are other ways of doing it but these are two I have seen used albeit about 50 years ago. So I am afraid it is down to a wobbly memory, I hope I have got it right.

[Guest bbamboo]

Turned into a large and interesting post. Looking forward to the outcome.

 

Gary

[lutra]

There is some interesting stuff here on the history of fluted floats. Sadly the pic's don't seem to work, for me anyway.

[George387]

Trouble with elder pith is removing the sodding stuff from the outer core of wood.

 

I always lose my rag and bin it.

 

How does one do this?

 

The secret to success is simple.........Time.

 

The pith Im using for this seasons floats was cut 2 years ago.

 

It has been stored in a plastic container on the floor of the airing cupboard drying out and as you can see from the pictures the bark has all but gone apart from a wafer thin slice which is simply peeled away with the aid of a blunt penknife so as not to cut into the pith inside.

 

 

 

 

I have heard of a lot of different ways as to how remove the bark and tried them but without the results I get with Time.

The oldman who taught me fishing & floatmaking over 35 years ago used this technique and it has never failed me, every year at autumn I go out & cut enough Elderberry branches to last a float making season and they get stored in the containers you see in the pics for up to 2 years.

 

A long time to wait but forward planning is the key if you want good results.

 

Lutra, Mike Wlson was the guy who 1st showed me his way to construct flutes & I have his instructions online somewhere .I have adapted his instructions to suit my needs by now using dowel instead of blocks as it gives me a more cyndrical and more manageable way of doing it.

Mike's Instructions below:

 

 

Edited January 13, 2010 by George387

[Dick Dastardly]

Thats some great stuff on the BFW Brian a shame the pictures are no longer there.

[Dick Dastardly]

George your in luck mate! Ive just dug out some old vanned floats and one of them is a "three vane".

 

First thing I can tell you is that while the other "four vane" ones are made by the traditional "carved solid block" method the three vane is made from individual vanes glued to a cane stem.

 

Also the vane sizes and angles are not uniform.Looking down from the top the vanes are more of a "Y" shape with the stem of the "Y" having a wile loop fitted. The vanes are a lot bigger than on the four vanned versions.

 

My digital camera is knackered so a scan is best I can do at the moment.

 

The float shown with it (left) is what appears to be a normally constructed four vane but the eyes point to it being used as a slider.

 

 

Cant see much detail I'm afraid but if you think it would help I will send it to you? The "Slider" version I most likely will cut the tip down to where the eye is at present and try it as a normal trotting float,unless some one would like it for a collection?

Edited January 13, 2010 by BUDGIE

[lutra]

Thats some great stuff on the BFW Brian a shame the pictures are no longer there.

Ive found this picture link for that BFW link by using google image search.

 

Full sized picture here.

[George387]

Thanks Guys,

Much appreciated, Thats certainly different budgie with the vanes glued onto a stem, probably an amateur floatmaker experimenting but all ideas are welcome, as I said the float is now created and drying so when dry will post a pic of it, Ian's pic of his 3 vein has set the bar high....