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Bryon Anderson

Nets coming along

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Quarantine and cold weather = lots of time in the shop learning about net building. Here are a couple I've done recently, plus one that I'd posted on here before, now all finished. I appreciate all the encouragement I got from folks on here - it helped me push through several failures on the way to these successes. 🙂

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12 minutes ago, Mark Knapp said:

Where are the successes? Just teasing, those look great.

LOL I walked right into that one...😅 Thanks Mark 

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Bryon,

Epic.  These are coming along exceptionally.  I have been thinking of making a pair too.  Curios, what did you use for a form?  Did you run into any pitfalls I should be watching for? I am assuming you went with Tite Bond III or Epoxy for you glue up, however what did you use for finish?

 

Michael

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7 hours ago, essequamvideri said:

Bryon,

Epic.  These are coming along exceptionally.  I have been thinking of making a pair too.  Curios, what did you use for a form?  Did you run into any pitfalls I should be watching for? I am assuming you went with Tite Bond III or Epoxy for you glue up, however what did you use for finish?

 

Michael

Michael, 

Thanks for the kind words - I'm definitely enjoying the process.

I've been making forms out of scrap plywood. I draw the shape I want onto a piece of 1/4" and cut it out on the bandsaw. I then use that to trace the shape onto a piece of 3/4". After I cut that out, I glue the two pieces together and run them through a flush trim bit on the router table. That leaves me with a form that's right at 1" thick. 

For glue-up I've actually been using a product recommended to me by a local net maker --here's a link to the product https://www.dap.com/dap-products-ph/weldwood-plastic-resin-glue/

I started out using West Systems marine epoxy for both glue-up and finish, but found it demanding to work with at both stages, not to mention very expensive. The plastic resin glue is nice and cheap -- $9 for a 16 oz. container at my local Ace Hardware. I can get 3-5 nets (depending on net size) out of that quantity. It sands much more easily than epoxy, and has the advantage of water clean-up. The only tricky part is mixing it -- don't follow the directions on the package. (If you decide to try it, PM me and I can describe what's been working for me.)

For finish, I've tried several things. First the epoxy, but that was short-lived. It requires some sort of apparatus to turn the net while the epoxy is curing, and it demands a temperature-controlled and absolutely dust-free environment. I just don't have the patience for all that LOL. Plus, I prefer a more natural-looking finish to the "buried-under-glass" look of the epoxy. If you're interested in the epoxy, I can refer you to a good DVD that my net maker friend sells in which he details his process. 

The last few nets I've made have been finished with a combination of a wipe-on oil finish and a varnish topcoat. For the oil I use either Tru-Oil (a gun stock finish; available anywhere guns are sold) or Watco Danish Oil. Once the oil finish is fully cured (I give it a week to be safe), I topcoat it with a wiping varnish made from marine spar varnish thinned with mineral spirits. I keep adding coats of that until I'm happy with the build-up, usually 6-8 coats. 

I'm going to go ahead and throw in the link to that DVD here -- the guy who produced it has a unique process, different from anything you'll see on YouTube etc., but you can't argue with his results. https://flyfishingnets.net/collections/for-net-makers/products/building-your-custom-landing-net-dvd

I hope this is helpful -- best of luck if you decide to build some nets! I'm happy to report it's just as fun and addictive as fly tying. :)

Bryon

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50 minutes ago, niveker said:

Beautiful work, Bryon.  The speckling on that one net handle is a perfect touch.  

Thanks niveker--and everyone!--for the kind words. :)

I wish I could take credit for the trout spots on that net handle -- that would be the work of a local artist who specializes in pyrography (wood burning). I took a class on pyrography from him, but it turns out I suck at it, so I decided to commission some of his work for my nets instead. 😄

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On 4/30/2020 at 9:58 AM, Bryon Anderson said:

For glue-up I've actually been using a product recommended to me by a local net maker --here's a link to the product https://www.dap.com/dap-products-ph/weldwood-plastic-resin-glue/

Good morning Mr. Bryon,

Looks like I am on my way to making a canoe net for myself.  I've started the form and will try using 1x1 as anchor points with clothespin clamps between them to bring the veneers together.  I'm thinking if I bolt the anchor points to the form I will be able to adjust them in or out to create different sized nets.  (That's my thought).  

You had mentioned that you have a formula you like for the Weldwood?  I'll be curious to work with this.  A lot of my work in has been with canoes and kayaks in the past.  Lately I have been doing in smaller works, i.e.  travel mugs, wine glasses, shot glasses.  I have become well acquainted with epoxies.  In the future, if  your find a need to work with epoxy again, especially as a finish or sealing coat, thin it with acetone.  I find a 1-1 up to a 3-1 mix makes the epoxy very thin and will give you a much longer pot life.  Unfortunately, also means a longer curing time.  

Looking forwards to you thoughts and inspiration. 

Michael

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Interesting design! I'm very curious to see how it comes together, especially the adjustable size feature. 

With the Weldwood plastic resin glue, there's  not so much a formula as a general approach that I use, which relies more on visual and tactile cues than exact ratios. The glue comes in powder form. The instructions on the container say to add the powder to a container of water and mix. I tried that once, and it was a disaster--the powder formed hige clods that would not be dissolved while the water just sloshed around and made a mess of everything. What I do now is this:

For a trout net, I put two scoops of powder--and my scoop is a random one that I have, it didn't come with the glue; I'd guess its volume at around 2-3 tablespoons-- into a glass mixing bowl. I then fill a cup with room temperature water. I add the water to the powder gradually, stirring constantly, until the mixture achieves a consistency slightly less viscous than wood glue. You want it like batter, not like dough. I then paint a thin even layer on all the bonding surfaces using a throwaway "chip" brush. If it starts to thicken up before youre ready to clamp your laminations, you can add a little more water to thin it back out. 

I hope this helps! Please keep us posted with photos of your progress. 🙂

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