BilletHead Fly rod Fries step by step build

[Flysmallie]

1 hour ago, BilletHead said:

Problem is you can get carried away and before you know it you are holding a bare hook . Ask me how I know! Ha,

BilletHead

Same problem here using a small belt sander. One little mistake and you are starting over. I don't do it enough to be good at it so I just use the belt to get it close and then do it by hand from there. And still manage to make it look like crap.  

[BilletHead]

      Lets wrap this up,

 Epoxy and tail now.  30 minute epoxy. I prefer Devcon two ton. Pretty much easy to find. A note when buying it. Make sure it is fresh ,by this I mean clear. I have found on the shelf in places some that is cloudy on one side. This one I have pictured is starting to turn on the right side. Not transparent but translucent. You should be able to read through the epoxy sides. This one is not too bad and since we will have a pretty thin layer it will be ok. Just look for a clear side by side tube. 

   Squirt some out.  A couple nickel or so sized puddles and mix well.

   Ready to brush now,

  Get yourself an el cheapo paint brush. One time use and throw away type. Start brushing the epoxy on your fry. I start from the tail end and go towards the front then front to back to blend the epoxy together. A nice coating covering the fry well. Keep the epoxy out of the eye. You will thank me for this. You don't want to drill the epoxy out of the hook eye. I know !

   Place the fry on the drying wheel. The drying wheel is the largest expense. I bought this one a few years back on sale. Cannot remember how much it cost but it was on sale. Combination rod turner drying wheel. I have seen guys make their own. I believe the guys on the forum doing the painting and finishing of the wart lures made one. 

   Go so something or make your fry tails and wait until they are dry. Don't touch them and leave fingerprints. I judge dryness by the epoxy on my mixing paper. Another note. You can mix enough epoxy to do a couple at a time if you are quick. For your first one do only one. There are other ways to keep your epoxy viable longer but I don't mess with that. I am not a human C&C machine and not a mass producer. One at a time for me. 

  Tails now,

    You can tail them anyway you want. Rubber, feathers, just flash, buck tail or synthetic material. Here we will use some flash and synthetic like EP fibers. Chuck up a hook. Some type of straight eye with that eye big enough to go over your wire extension. Near the eye start your thread and make a bump. Coat the bump if you wish. I did with some UV epoxy,

Put on some flash in front of bump. The bump will act as a dam and keep the tail material from comin off the hook,

  Get some synthetic material and tie it in too,

    I use a long bunch and trim to length when done. I also UV when finished tying up. Pull the tailing material up and out of the way,

   Take some cutters and clip off behind the thread dam,

   Put blade on and tail and take your needle nosed tool and carefully close the eye. Remember prop optional. They wont sputter but will catch fish,

 

  You are done. Go fish !  

    The bunch we did during the tutorial awaiting tails,

   Thanks for following along and if you have any questions or input speak up to help others,

BilletHead

[ness]

Nicely done, friend. I love the craftsmanship front to back on these. Thanks for sharing.

I would say, for the lazy among us,which includes yours truly, these finishing techniques work well on pre-formed bodies too, of course. I've done corks, styrofoam and balsa poppers and other stuff. They're a ton of fun to do.