Bamboo winders

[Santiago]

Those floats and winders are fantastic. A real quality rustic look about them. I will have to try to make some of those with that look.

[Paul F]

Any idea of the wood used to splice into the quills ?

It would generally have been a hardwood often hand whittled finish

[Match Aerial]

I can imagine being heavier than a quill it would have added some weight ,like a stick float just goes to show nothing new

[Kirpan]

really don't know my types of wood, but it maybe balsa

[Nobby]

You might get some idea of the wood by removing one and hefting it in the hand as well as laying it on some water and seeing how it floats...flat or slightly, slightly cocked?

Unfortunately Jeff Della Mura can't access the images, but I'll lift one and mail it to him for his opinion.


Old quill hardens extraordinarily ...I bet they're bullet-proof now!


Funny old World...Santiago just made some almost identical floats.....yet I'd never seen any before.

[Catfish.017]

I wouldn't be surprised if the plugs were made of lancewood. The colour is right and I suspect at that time the maker would probably have had odd bits of broken rod top lying around. I've made some myself from both lancewood and greenheart.

[Match Aerial]

Its funny catfish I was going to say greenheart its a heavy wood not as heavy as lignum but it was probably more commonly available at the time.

[Kirpan]

you will have to forgive me for not wanting to pull them all apart but I did float one and it floated perfectly flat, also when I look through a magnifier the grain is very fine and light in colour

[Kirpan]

if anyone is interested, these also came with the other floats, these two quills have [ interesting ] rings , one piece and square section

[Vole]

I'm not sure when they started importing importing balsa here, but I'd have thought it was probably a bit expensive and exotic when these were made; google images of the grain of lime, birch, beech and alder (among others) for native candidates.
That really is a fine haul, some real "Glass case" oldies which wouldn't be hard to copy for use ( maybe not the hooks to gut!). Well bagged!
Any more details - like the address inside the "Climax" case - eagerly devoured!
Is the tip of that blue-bodied float quill and cotton-wool, too? It looks off-centre at the very end, like quill - makes you wonder when a tip like that would have been preferred to a through-stem of wood with the top painted white, which I'd have thought much easier and cheaper to produce. Fascinating stuff; many thanks for sharing!