May 09 2010
Brass Winding Cheek
Here are a few pictures of a brass winding cheek I made for a ultra light spinning rod.
May 08 2010
Making a Half Wells Cork Fly Rod Grip
I am going to show you how I glue up a cork fly rod grip. This is a very basic grip for a 3wt rod, standard cork 1/4 inch center hole with one stabilized piece at the end over all length is just over 7 and 1/4 inch long.
Here you can see the cork rings and below them from left to right is the 1/4″ collet, 1/4″ mandel and the live tail stock. Note: I use just a little of bowling alley wax on the mandrel to keep the glued cork from stick.
I use Titebond III for just about all the grips I make, I have used several different epoxies but I prefer the Titebond III. Its waterproof, super strong and I have never had it fail. It ’s also easy clean up with just some warm water. I like to squirt out the glue on a small dish as you can see my trusty Bud tray (My parents bought me that when I was about 10 years old at Bush Gardens in Williamsburg, VA).
Little bit of glue to get me goin.
Place the cork ring in the glue tray, as I set the ring into the glue I move it in a circular motion to make sure the entire surface is coating with glue. I only put glue on 1 side of the cork.
I hold the mandrel in a small vise on my benchtop sliding each cork ring down the shaft.
More glue
All the cork rings in place
Here is a grip clamp we will use
Inset the mandrel into the clamp, begin to tighten the clamp. You will see the glue pushout from between the cork rings.
Clean off the excess glue off with warm water rag. This is an important step, without this you run the risk of chunking out the cork while turning on the lathe. Errrr not good.
I like to measure both sides, keeping them true. This way we can be sure the pressure is equal on both sides.
Let the grip cure for at least 24hrs before releasing the clamp. After removing the grip mount into lathe.
Jun 15 2009
Clipper City Pale Ale
Clipper City Brewing Company was started in 1995 right here in Baltimore by Hugh Sisson. They have managed to produce a great range of fine microbrew beers. The beer that I am reviewing today is their Pale Ale. Let’s start with the basics.
Appearance: The visual appearance is a strong golden amber color, near copper. Its very clear and when poured into a glass it attains a bright white head with good to average retention.
Aroma: A simple earthy hop is what I get from this, but not without a strong British malt characteristic that is almost buttery.
Palate: This ale has a lightly roasted malt flavor that quickly turns into a bitter pine hop flavor.
Taste: Lightly carbonated and mellows out fairly quick. The balance is quite well, almost to good because their is almost no aftertaste at all.
Clipper City Pale Ale is a good beer that every pale ale drinker should try at least once. I poured my bottle into a pint glass and watched it bubble up. Looked great, and after it calmed down I took a few sniffs and it seemed to smell just right for a pale ale. So I began to take a few sips and noticed quickly that the carbonation was light to medium, not as much as I expected it to have. The flavor was dialed in just right, but I wanted it to stay around a little while longer. As I mentioned earlier it was so balanced that it had almost no aftertaste at all. I feel that this pale ale is one that the regular pale ale guys wont be buying time after time. Who is it a good beer for? It’s a great choice for someone who wants something a little different from their regular beer, Miller Light, Bud Light but doesn’t want to stray to far from their beer comfort zone. I’ve had mine, now its your turn. Enjoy!
For more information goto Clipper City Brewing Company online at www.ccbeer.com
Sep 22 2007
Engraving
I spent the weekend with J.J. Roberts in Manassas, VA working on engraving. We spent hours talking, working and me learning from him the entire time I was there. He is a very talented engraver / gunsmith that I am happy to know. His work is truly art in one of it’s purists forms. While I was there we did a 24kt gold band inlay on a Colt Single Action Navy revolver cylinder. This was completely by hand, no machines. You have to love that “Old World Tradition” style, we are talking hammer and chisel. Thanks for your time JJ !
