Boyd Rod Company, Harry Boyd, Jr. - Hand Built Bamboo Flyrods

In March of 2006 I acquired the rights to produce and sell M-D heat treating fixtures from Martin-Darrell. The fixtures are star shaped aluminum extrusions 5' long.

Six strips are bound into the fixtures to facilitate heat treating rough planed strips of bamboo. Because the fixtures are rigid, they promote straighter strips right out of the oven. Strips are heated more evenly because the fixtures allow air to circulate around the strips and avoid the propensity of bamboo to insulate itself. Even individual strips can be safely heat treated without the hassle of binding to a wooden dowel.

Close-up of fixtures

To use the fixtures optimally, have any node work already done. Rough out the strips into untapered equilateral triangles via your normal methodology The straighter the strips are going into the fixtures the better the results will be. The fixtures are not a fix-all for crooked strips but are a better method than rod makers have ever had before. They will not, however, straighten nodes.

The fixtures are made for strips .187" and larger from flat to apex. You may cut the strips very slightly smaller than .187", but go too small and the strips will not bind into the grooves of the fixtures. Remember that your strips will shrink during heat treating. If your strips are smaller than .187", you may find that they will not be held firmly by the fixtures after the moisture is removed during heat treating.

Depending on the configuration of your oven, you will likely see a significant drop in temperature when you place all three loaded fixtures into the oven. Room temperature bamboo and aluminum extrusions provide a significant heat-sink affect and absorb quite a bit of heat. The fixtures allow heat to reach all three sides of the triangular bamboo strips. I have seen no need to change my temperature settings while using the fixtures, although you will want to experiment to see what works best for you. My oven uses forced air and a 1000 watt element. Yours is probably different.

Remove the bound strips and fixtures from the oven and allow them to cool before handling. The aluminum will hold heat longer than the bamboo. You now have a way to heat-treat one, two, or three strips at a time for last minute replacements without searching through your scrap pile for additional strips to use only as carriers for replacement strips.

I hope you enjoy the fixtures and they prove as useful to you as they have to others. Please contact me if you have further questions. Fixtures are 60" long, and shipped in minimum orders of three. But remember, to simultaneously heat treat all four sections for a three piece, two tip rod will require four fixtures. The fixtures are priced at $20 each. Up to six fixtures can be shipped together. Packaging and shipping is $20. Total price for a minimum order of three fixtures is $80. Paypal and checks are accepted. Please contact me via email at maker@canerods.com to place your order.

To make things simpler for me, most Fridays I ship fixtures out via USPS Priority Mail. Therefore, even if you order on Friday evening after I just returned from the Post Office, you will have the fixtures in at most 10-14 days.

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