It all starts with a 12 foot culm of bamboo (Continued)

Bamboo Rod Build, Part XVI, Hardware Installation

From this point forward, the rod build is not unlike assembling a graphite rod. The next step in the process is to install all the necessary hardware, starting with the reel seat.

We chose an up-locking nickel silver reel seat with a maple burl spacer from REC. This unit comes unassembled, so we must glue the parts together:


I typically start by applying several coats of Tru-Oil to the spacer, allowing at leat 1 hour between coats, to bring it to a high gloss:


Next I rough up the interior surfaces of the nickel silver components to ensure proper adhession of the epoxy:


Using high grade 2-part epoxy, I carefully glue all parts together:


After sufficient set time for the epoxy, I prepare the bamboo butt section for the reel seat. Using a file, I round the bamboo edges until it accepts the reel seat snugly, but not too tight. We don't want the glue to be squeezed out during the install:


While some makers like to assemble their own cork grips from 1/2" "blanks", I typically buy my grips pre-assembled, opting for only the finest flor grade cork. Although there are many choices in the grip shape, I prefer the "standard" look.

Using a rat tail file, I ream out my cork grip to slide up from the tip of the butt section to the reel seat. You have to use care to make sure the tip of the cork is not over-reamed so much that a ugly gap will show even with a winding check in place. I usually use shrink wrap on the cork before this process to keep it from getting dirty:


Finding the spine of a rod is a lot easier than some make it out to be. Placing the butt end of our section against the toe of my shoe, I gently press the tip of the section. This causes the section to curve in one direction. I place masking tape on the outward convex, as this will be the "weak" flat on which the guides will be installed.

To make sure the reel seat is installed at the right angle, I clamp my butt section to a table before I glue the reel seat in place. The reel seat is pushed on until it firmly meets the end of my butt section. A reel frame helps me make sure things are "square" while the glue sets:


Next I measure the cork grip against the blank, make a pencil mark, and apply epoxy from this point up to the reel seat:


I use a cotton swab to remove any excess glue before the final push to seat the cork firmly against the reel seat. I add a properly sized nickel silver hex winding check with a drop of epoxy:


After the epoxy sets, the three sections will be ready for wrapping: