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Bamboo Rod Building School in Sansepolcro, Tuscany , Italy
My bamboo rod building school was in Sansepolcro, Tuscany (Italy) in November
2007.
Below is a picture of the group of companions and myself.
Roberto
Natali (from Tuscany), Luciano Oltolini (Lombardy), Massimo Tirocchi(Abruzzi), Francesco
Turrini, Oscar Ferri (both from Emilia Romagna) (and myself, top
row, from left to right), were the IBRA friends and school companions I had
the privilege to meet at the second bamboo rodbuilding school held in Sansepolcro,
Italy, in November 2007.
We were assited by (bottom row, left to right)Franco Ferrari, Gabriele
Gori (IBRA president and co-founder), Alberto Poratelli (IBRA
vice-president and co-founder), Massimo Giuliani, Marco Giardina
(MOG) and Moreno Borriero (unfortunately not in the picture,
but you can see him in action here, with an
illustrated guide on building bamboo fly rods), all expert rodmakers
and fishermen. Franco Ferrari was nominated best National
Fly Angler in 2007 by a jury of specialized flyfishing jounalists and professionals.
All pictures with courtesy of Alberto
Poratelli and IBRA (Italian Bamboo Rodmakers Association). Pictures
are NOT in chronological order.
Hey, that's me!
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Rod
wrapping moment...nearly midnight, that's bamboo rod building!
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Luciano, flattening the node of the strip we just split from the culm.
We flattened the nodes by heating the node with a hot air gun and then
we immediately pressed
the hot strip in a vice.
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Massimo straightening the bamboo strip after flattening the nodes.
Bamboo strips must be as straight as possible before starting working
with the planing forms. Often the strips have an "S" or odd shape.
We straightened the strips by heating them again gently (passing over
the hot air jet for a few seconds anf then back away in order to heat
the bamboo without burning it) and litterally bending them by hand.
Bamboo rod building teaches you that bamboo can be permanently shaped
(and "corrected") when at the right temperature!
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Oscar working on the Nickel-Silver ferrule.
Working on a ferrule is a very delicate and important moment. Where
bamboo and metal meet, here is the weakest point of the whole bamboo
rod.
Rods with bamboo "ferrule" also exist but they are more difficult
to make and also more expensive in the end because of the extra handwork
required! Alberto Poratelli
studied these kind of ferrules and made his own bamboo ferrule. He
is further studying this very special topic of bamboo rodbuilding and
aim at getting at...invisible ferrule! Wow!!!
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Francesco in one of his inventive moments.
Oscar and Francesco both come from the Modena area, Italy, the area
of the world famous Ferrari sport cars to give you the big picture.
Like many people of this area and in the whole Italy as a matter of
fact, they prove to be very creative AND able to work with ther hand
very well. Oscar and Francesco developed a way to build a hot
air oven on their own immediately after the bamboo rod building
school finished.
Give me the time and I will translate their project into English.
Besides, I also need to make mine as well...
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Francesco and Oscar with Franco Ferrari explaining the fundamental tool
of this trade: the plane. The planing form is also in this picture. With
the planing form - which helps you make the actual taper of the rod and
the plane -, you
are well on your way to your bamboo rodbuilding equipment.
Franco is incredible. Humble, modest, generous. He already built 10
bamboo flyfishing rods and yet he speaks like he knows nothing. He
wraps the guides completely by hand without any jig or tool: he holds
the thread spool between his knees and keep the tension of the thread
just by pulling and keeping the rod at the right distance. Yet, his
wrapping is perfect and done quickly and smoothly.
Not surprisingly he was awarded the best Italian flyfisher in 2007
as well!
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And now, here it is! My first bamboo rod! |
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