I sent the first thing that fell to hand, a picture of a tackle box that I have recently "de-luxed". Julian was so taken with it (and some photos he has seen on TPBTW) that he has asked me to post more here and I'm happy to oblige if it will be of interest.
The box was one of those "one thing leads to another" projects. I had recently taken delivery of the most beautiful Artisan Avocet rods and a custom built landing net lovingly crafted by the hugely talented Mr.Paul Cook (don't blush Paul
). Such was its elegance that it put the rest of my kit to shame and immediately I yearned for more of Paul's tackle.Well, Paul is a busy man and especially with his book having just been published, he didn't have time to fix me up and anyway I had run out of pocket money! So I had to sort things out for myself.
My youth was spent watching Blue Peter, hankering after Valerie Singleton (what passion may lurk behind all that primness I wondered), and construting as fully operational international space station life-size from Fairy Liquid bottles and Kellogs packets
so I'm not averse to a little fettling and the box was one of the results. In fact there are two boxes...the first try being due for redevelopment shortly.It all started with a plain white wood box that I bought on eBay, Sadly the maker seems to be no longer there. I had the box stained walnut and the rest I have done myself. The first step was to wire-wool it perfectly smooth and revarnish it with Yacht Varnish. A couple of early coats, and then I added water slide transfers which I had printed off from original cigarette cards. Thene a further four or five coats of v arnish were applied.
I had already made the floats top go in the top section, two sets in fact, the first being Harcork inspired and the second being very poor similitudes of those wonderful patent colour olive and black floats made by Paul. All I had to do was dry fit them and then stick down the slotted foam.
I hate to have things rolling about in my tackle box or badly seated and as there's never the perfect place for scissors, forceps etc., to be kept at the ready, I pinched an idea from my various fly wallets and leather tackle compendia that would allow be to use the space in the lid of the tackle section of the two-tier box.
I had some strips of leatherette lying around and a little work with supereglue, neoprene adhesive and scissors provided a storage solution for catapult, etc.
The "bits boxes" are unprinted tobacco tins, polished, varnished, labeled and revarnished to match the rest of the ensemble.
I'm reasonably pleased with the result, but I still hanker after more of Paul's brilliant stuff...it's on another planet. Meanwhiule this lot will have to do.
Troutbeck
PS: I forgot to mention, in the photo of the green float selection, the light coloured floats to the right in the bottom section were not made be me. They bare actually very early Paul Cook jobs...memory lane, Paul?
