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I have been asked for my thoughts/comments on this. (It is not in my view a good piece. Eg. it is very unclear what is being suggested where reference is made to replacing glue (!), I query the advice of straightening sets in a vice and there is much the piece leaves out.) But what I would appreciate some comment on is the suggestion that steam is a better heat source for straightening older rods than dry heat as there is less chance of delamination. Is this true? (Stephen Dugmore) Just the opposite is true if you are talking about a rod made with Hide Glue. That’s the way to soften and delaminate hide glue. There is LOTs of BS on the Internet re: pretty much everything. (Larry Swearingen) I should have added “Especially on You Tube”. (Larry Swearingen) Straightening older rods or newly built blanks is an excellent question. I have used my Wagenor Heat Gun as my source of heat for straightening. I find this part of building a bamboo rod the most frustrating part. I have watched the Harry Boyd clip on the SRG website, Harry is joking and laughing and seems to be spitting something while straightening a blank. When I am doing the straightening, I am not joking, but I am spitting lots of words of anger...... This past spring, I rebuilt my 4 string binder in hopes of getting rid of any twist or bends because that is where it all starts is when binding the strips up. Just my 2 cents worth or pounds if you are from across the ocean. I also would appreciate any feed back on this subject, as it is a very frustrating part of make the bamboo rod. (Lew Boyko) I especially love the observation that you may need to “replace the glue.” Apparently, one only wipes the old glue away while still warm, then applies some new glue. So, for the ordinary bamboo enthusiast, I guess this would be no more difficult than, say, adding a quart of oil to your car. Who writes this crap, anyhow...? (Bill Harms) Steam loosens TiteBond III very quickly. (Henry Mitchell) I have always found that, except down in the very thick sections of the rod, the time for which I have to apply dry heat at about 600* is so short that the chance of egregious damage is very small. Even down near the grip, exercise of a bit of care minimises any problems there as well, though the process takes longer, and I hold the section further from the heat gun. I suppose it is what you get used to! (Peter McKean) It seems my philosophy is: “If it is going to take a set, why not build one into it?” Things have improved with the four string binder but work remains and I need to watch Harry’s straightening video many more times before they are straight. Did have some good fortune yesterday though. I had a small piece of marble (at most 2’ long) and wanted to get something 4 or more feet long. Finally found time to stop by a counter top place yesterday and walked away with a 6-inch-wide by 54-inch-long piece of granite. It was a remnant and the good fortune was that they gave it to me. The list of people I’m indebted to grows daily. I’m off to watch the video again, practice my spitting and see if I can straighten some sections. (Tim Wilhelm)
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