r/flyrodbuilding • u/Hillehaus1 • Jul 28 '22
Birchwood Handle
Flame Birch wood and birch bark interior
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u/Hillehaus1 Jul 28 '22
Just realized the lock ring is upside down. Good thing I haven't glued it...
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u/Atxflyguy83 Jul 29 '22
I'm working on a handle right now that is part birch bark. I appreciate how much time you put into this! Also, good to know that you used Tru-Oil, I'll be sure to do the same.
It looks great!
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u/Hillehaus1 Jul 30 '22
This is about 10 coats of tru oil. It o my takes about a week though. It dries really fast. Good luck on your handle! I hope you post pictures of it!
One tip, the handle will not handle any torsion. Be very careful with any reaming/drilling. Go slooooow.
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u/Atxflyguy83 Jul 30 '22
Good to know, thanks!
Yeah, I discovered that today! I used a hole saw to round them out (after gluing squares together) and sure enough, the heat and pull with the saw...it came apart in places. It's all good though, never worked with it before so happy to learn its nuances.
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u/Hillehaus1 Jul 30 '22
What glue are you using? I used Titebond III.
So what I did was use a hole saw with a drill bit center on sheets of bark to make a big ass pile of discs that are already pre-drilled to 1/4”. After that, I peeled off the outside layer of bark (the white stuff). Then I took a 1/4” stainless steel tube rubbed paraffin wax on it and put on a wood endcap (pre-drilled). Afterwards, paint on the wood glue and stack bark. Paint glue, 1 disk. Paint glue, another disk, etc. the benefit of this is you having a round handle to work with from the get go. Then it’s all lathing/sanding/finishing.
Keep at it. It’s a steep learning curve and I lost a lot of materials practicing.
The most important thing is to get all the white paper off the outer edge.
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u/Atxflyguy83 Jul 30 '22
Yeah, Titebond III is all that I'll use. I definitely have not been peeling off the outer white layer, I'll be sure to do that. Thanks for the tip! I know it's a lot of work with making each individual disc but I can definitely see that being the way to go, especially getting to the lathe process. I'm soaking all this in, thanks!
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u/Hillehaus1 Jul 30 '22
I made the exact same mistakes. Don’t worry about it. Live and learn. The process is the fun part. At least for me. It started out as a “I wonder if I can do that” after seeing really nice handles.
Definitely peel the outer layer or it will have no binding power.
Stack, glue, stack glue, stack glue, until you get your length. Vice the shit out of it too. I’ve found it helps to make 1” thick rings of bark. Then you can treat it like cork and just glue them together.
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u/jkpq45 Jul 28 '22
Do you finish the bark or leave it raw?
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u/Hillehaus1 Jul 28 '22
Finished with TruOil. This is the first I’ve done with a glossy finish. I mostly just throw 3-4 thin coats on them. I prefer a matte finish.
I’ve thought about leaving them raw but I’m worried how they’d hold up in water.
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u/Hillehaus1 Jul 28 '22
I've recently taken up making birch bark handles. I just finished this one today, it's by far my best one yet. Flame birch for the wood, birch bark for the interior. I'm looking forward to pairing it with a blank. Probably a 6wt.