Hey Fly Tiers...What's In The Vise?

[Gump]

Been a while since I posted.  Caught a nice Hendrickson hatch on April 1st  (unheard of for that early in the year) south of Rochester and have dries on my brain.  Anyways been playing with a new approach to doing my bodies on some of my dry patterns.  Using small strips of craft foam.  It is flexible and very plyable in small diameters and should provide nice buoyancy.  Hate to say it but, I might not go back to dubbing.  This is far easier for a fumble fingers like myself.  Sorry if this offends the purists...lol

[boondox]

At Gump: your not the first to use foam that way my stone flies use it to.. I use it cause are girls hover when laying eggs.. cause we figure they get to roughed up from zebra mussels from fanning reds.. so th hey hover above the gravel and drop.. the foam lifts the stone flies off the bottom a tad...but you got a awesome idea there Gump don't think your wrong... also with foam yellow hexes and take some Pantone pens brown and olive and color the yellow foam with tons of dots almost covering it making brown drakes ... any how great idea none the less... mine are extended bodies for brown drakes but the yellow foam does work...like said glad you brought up foam at least I can talk about it lols...

[KingPerch]

That's what tying is all about....creativity! Not only does the foam add buoyancy...it also adds a nice indicator. Good idea Gump!

[trapper2000]

OMG HE'S USING  FOAM AS BODY MATERIAL ON A  DRY  FLY  

GUMP  I have  had a lot of fun using foam in that manor

[rgfixit]

Foam is good clean fun

Nice tie bud!

Rg

[trapper2000]

I think it is  time to prepare  for the  mighty rock bass invasion that is  surely coming  .... I  been busy on the  bench  with  clousers and  magic minnows ...... we will  round it off later with some  crawfish and  helligamites

[KingPerch]

I think it is  time to prepare  for the  mighty rock bass invasion that is  surely coming  .... I  been busy on the  bench  with  clousers and  magic minnows ...... we will  round it off later with some  crawfish and  helligamites

trap, those rock dukes aren't fussy bud! They like bare hooks too!😄 lol! I do have an idea for 4-6" weighted clousers though ...dropshotting smbass deep water.

[Bluegillonafly]

Hey Trap, nothing better than rockie fillets, right?   

[rgfixit]

trap, those rock dukes aren't fussy bud! They like bare hooks too!😄 lol! I do have an idea for 4-6" weighted clousers though ...dropshotting smbass deep water.

I'm sorry...flies are not allowed on a bass boat. Well.........fly fishing flies anyway.

Rg

[perch-hound]

A question for the resident expert on rod building...RG, I need to rebuild an old glass rod and the original finish is pretty well shot.
Once I strip it all down what is the best finish to coat the entire blank with?
Thanks, perch

[rgfixit]

Several very thin coats of Helmsnan Spar Varnish can't be beat. Allow for really thorough drying between coats. If you can spin the rod as in a lathe. You can reduce the finish with 0000steel wool between coats. It's hard to sand or reduce going with the rod in its length. Near impossible to get it uniform.

You could dip it if the eyes were removed. But I'd probably just apply it with a soft cloth by hand.

Done get too aggressive taking off the old finish.
Rg

[perch-hound]

Thanks for the info RG, I'm going to completely rebuild it, will post pics when it's done,
although that will be awhile!

[rgfixit]

Make sure you take some "before" pics. Always good to see the difference.

The last Phillipson I restored, I didn't apply finish. I tried something different. It was polished in the lathe using pumice and then rottenstone with paraffin oil. After polishing, I gave it numerous coats of Johnsons paste wax. Came out looking great. I think there's pics in the rod building thread.

It was a solid glass blank, by the way. I wouldn't try that on a tube glass blank.

Sold it last year to an anxious young fly fisher.

Rg

[perch-hound]

Will do RG. Thanks for the tips!
This is an old fenwick, 70's vintage, graphite not glass, a 12wt for very large fish. 
It was my father's favorite rod for salmon/steelhead, it has been beat to death.
I'm going to surprise him with it when he comes up this summer.

[rgfixit]

Good son!

He'll appreciate it I'm sure.

Rg