Bamboo Rod Making
Rodmaking classes
Heat treating fixtures and Ovens
Order Progress
Fixtures and Ovens
In March of 2006 I acquired the rights to produce and sell M-D heat treating fixtures from Martin-Darrell. The fixtures are star shaped aluminum extrusions 5' long.
To use the fixtures optimally, have any node work already done. Rough out the strips into untapered equilateral triangles via your normal methodology The straighter the strips are going into the fixtures the better the results will be. The fixtures are not a fix-all for crooked strips but are a better method than rod makers have ever had before. They will not, however, straighten nodes.
The fixtures are made for strips .187" and larger from flat to apex. You may cut the strips very slightly smaller than .187", but go too small and the strips will not bind into the grooves of the fixtures. Remember that your strips will shrink during heat treating. If your strips are smaller than .187", you may find that they will not be held firmly by the fixtures after the moisture is removed during heat treating.
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Six strips are bound into the fixtures to facilitate heat treating rough planed strips of bamboo. Because the fixtures are rigid, they promote straighter strips right out of the oven. Strips are heated more evenly because the fixtures allow air to circulate around the strips and avoid the propensity of bamboo to insulate itself. Even individual strips can be safely heat treated without the hassle of binding to a wooden dowel. |
| Remove the bound strips
and fixtures from the oven and allow them to
cool before handling. The aluminum will hold heat longer than the
bamboo. You now have a way to heat-treat one, two, or three
strips at a time for last minute replacements without searching through
your scrap pile for additional strips to use only as carriers for
replacement strips. I hope you enjoy the fixtures and they prove as useful to you as they have to others. Please contact me if you have further questions. Fixtures are 60" long, and shipped in minimum orders of three. But remember, to simultaneously heat treat all four sections for a three piece, two tip rod will require four fixtures. Due to increased costs a price increase is necessary as of May 15, 2009. The fixtures are priced at $25 each. Up to six fixtures can be shipped together. Packaging and shipping is $25. Total price for a minimum order of three fixtures is $100. Four fixtures are $125, etc. Paypal and checks are accepted. Please contact me via email at maker@canerods.com to place your order. This email address is already set up for Paypal, and please be sure to add me to your address book so my replies will not be treated as spam. To make things simpler for me, most Fridays I ship fixtures out via USPS Priority Mail. Therefore, even if you order on Friday evening after I just returned from the Post Office, you will have the fixtures in at most 10-14 days. |
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Ovens
Frustration with the
un-even heating and expensive yet short-lived elements in the mica
strip ovens I have made and used, prompted me to design a simple and
affordable oven. One of my fishing pals spent a career in HVAC
design and installation. As we discussed my ideas he became
fascinated with descriptions of heat gun based ovens. We worked
together diligently for several years and through four iterations
before settling on this design. This heat gun based oven holds
temperatures within one percent of the set point at any point in the
oven. Temperatures from 100*F to 400*F are quickly reached and
consistently held.
The picture on the left is one of my ovens in Bob Nunley's shop. R.L. Nunley Fly Rods The oven on the right is the one in my shop and used in making all my rods.
Interior length of the oven is 60 inches allowing it to easily handle strips for two piece rods up to 9 1/2 feet.
The digital thermometer provided to monitor temperatures in the oven.
This is one of only two bamboo specific ovens available commercially. Costs for the entire setup including oven shell, section rack, thermometer, heat gun holding device (bungie cord), and heat gun is $495. Shipping via USPS Priority Mail in the US is an additional $100. I try to keep a few ovens in stock but they are bulky and take up valuable shop space, so please allow me a few weeks lead time.
Using the Oven
To use the oven:
First, carefully unpack the oven, heat gun, bungie cord and thermometer. Place oven on sawhorses or other suitable structure. The small hole for the heat gun in the open end goes on the bottom. Install the heat gun in the small hole. It's a tight fit and might require some wiggling. Once it is in place, secure it with the bungie cord. I like to position the oven so that the dial control for the heat gun is easily visible and accessible.
Install the thermometer probe in the hole at the top-center of the oven. Use a flashlight to peer down the dual walled furnace pipe. The thermometer probe must extend approximately one inch into the round pipe. Fashion a small "stop" for the thermometer probe from tape. I use foil tape, but even simple masking tape will work. As the oven heats and cools, the probe opening grows and shrinks. The probe helps hold it the same distance into the pipe.
Choose your heat treating regimen. I use 11-14 minutes at 375* Farenheit, but you may choose your own schedule.
Turn on the thermometer by pressing the on-off button. It should read whatever is the temperature of the room.
Turn the heat gun on at its high fan speed, and the temperature selector to full power. All LED lights should be completely visible. Allow the gun to warm the interior surfaces gradually. (At a shop temperature of 70*, my oven takes about 25 minutes to reach 375*) If you are in a hurry, you can rush things by partially blocking the exit end of the inner pipe with a cotton rag or dish towel. But be careful, that's a fire hazard. Watch the thermometer. As the temperatures approach your target, gradually turn the heat gun to a lower temperature by rotating the dial. If you have inserted a rag in the end, remove it and leave it out. I find that I need the dial just above the point where all the lights are on at their brightest. By adjusting the dial and waiting a minute or two, you can dial in whatever temperature you choose.
Allow the temperature to equalize from end to end by holding a steady temperature for at least five minutes before inserting bamboo. When the temperatures have been steady for more than five minutes, insert your bamboo strips and begin your heat treating.
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Additional hints -- The aluminum heat treating fixtures will absorb quite a bit of heat from the oven. When using the fixtures, I pre-heat the oven to about 400*. When the bound fixtures are inserted in the oven, the temperature drops to a reasonable heat treating level.
To counteract the heat synch affect of the fixtures, in summer, I'll set my bound fixtures outside in the sunshine while the oven heats up. In the winter, I'll gently warm the fixtures themselves over another heat gun, or even lean the bound fixtures against the heater while the oven warms up.
Please call with questions about the oven use, or suggestions on ways to improve the process.
Oven Testimonials
Thanks Again,
S.W.
Thanks,
B.W.
The picture on the left is one of my ovens in Bob Nunley's shop. R.L. Nunley Fly Rods The oven on the right is the one in my shop and used in making all my rods.
Interior length of the oven is 60 inches allowing it to easily handle strips for two piece rods up to 9 1/2 feet.
The digital thermometer provided to monitor temperatures in the oven.
This is one of only two bamboo specific ovens available commercially. Costs for the entire setup including oven shell, section rack, thermometer, heat gun holding device (bungie cord), and heat gun is $495. Shipping via USPS Priority Mail in the US is an additional $100. I try to keep a few ovens in stock but they are bulky and take up valuable shop space, so please allow me a few weeks lead time.
Using the Oven
To use the oven:
First, carefully unpack the oven, heat gun, bungie cord and thermometer. Place oven on sawhorses or other suitable structure. The small hole for the heat gun in the open end goes on the bottom. Install the heat gun in the small hole. It's a tight fit and might require some wiggling. Once it is in place, secure it with the bungie cord. I like to position the oven so that the dial control for the heat gun is easily visible and accessible.
Install the thermometer probe in the hole at the top-center of the oven. Use a flashlight to peer down the dual walled furnace pipe. The thermometer probe must extend approximately one inch into the round pipe. Fashion a small "stop" for the thermometer probe from tape. I use foil tape, but even simple masking tape will work. As the oven heats and cools, the probe opening grows and shrinks. The probe helps hold it the same distance into the pipe.
Choose your heat treating regimen. I use 11-14 minutes at 375* Farenheit, but you may choose your own schedule.
Turn on the thermometer by pressing the on-off button. It should read whatever is the temperature of the room.
Turn the heat gun on at its high fan speed, and the temperature selector to full power. All LED lights should be completely visible. Allow the gun to warm the interior surfaces gradually. (At a shop temperature of 70*, my oven takes about 25 minutes to reach 375*) If you are in a hurry, you can rush things by partially blocking the exit end of the inner pipe with a cotton rag or dish towel. But be careful, that's a fire hazard. Watch the thermometer. As the temperatures approach your target, gradually turn the heat gun to a lower temperature by rotating the dial. If you have inserted a rag in the end, remove it and leave it out. I find that I need the dial just above the point where all the lights are on at their brightest. By adjusting the dial and waiting a minute or two, you can dial in whatever temperature you choose.
Allow the temperature to equalize from end to end by holding a steady temperature for at least five minutes before inserting bamboo. When the temperatures have been steady for more than five minutes, insert your bamboo strips and begin your heat treating.
-------------------------------------------
Additional hints -- The aluminum heat treating fixtures will absorb quite a bit of heat from the oven. When using the fixtures, I pre-heat the oven to about 400*. When the bound fixtures are inserted in the oven, the temperature drops to a reasonable heat treating level.
To counteract the heat synch affect of the fixtures, in summer, I'll set my bound fixtures outside in the sunshine while the oven heats up. In the winter, I'll gently warm the fixtures themselves over another heat gun, or even lean the bound fixtures against the heater while the oven warms up.
Please call with questions about the oven use, or suggestions on ways to improve the process.
Oven Testimonials
Harry,
The oven arrived this
past Friday, in perfect shape I might
add, and I put it to work this weekend. It is everything you claimed it
to be
and more; simple to use with precise controls and consistent results.
Thanks Again,
S.W.
Harry,
Uneven temps with my **** ****** mica strip oven led me to try and convert it to a convection oven using a fan I got from David Bolin. I created 2 chambers by putting a 1/4" thick by 4" by 50+ inch length steel plate down the middle of the oven with 4" gaps at each end. I added a deflector at the far end of the oven, placed the mica strip in the right chamber, put the fan at the top of the left chamber, which is where the cane strips are inserted. The fan pulls air from the left chamber from over the cane and forces air past the mica strip which then goes around again to the left chamber. I used three electronic thermometers and got unacceptable temp variations. The far end of the oven was the hottest, the middle lower and the end near the door the lowest. At times I'd see variations of more than 25 degrees. Maybe the fan isn't strong enough, maybe I have a bad mica strip, maybe I'm not getting a free flow of air, too many "maybes"....too many complications...time to simplify! Your comment about your oven holding a steady temp across the length of the oven plus the simplicity of just using a heat gun made it a real easy decision to buy one. Sometimes as rodmakers we tend to over-complicate things when the KISS approach is what we should be following...Thanks,
B.W.
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