I was inspired by rvrfsher's post on making foam floats ("Turning Your Own Floats/Making the 75%er"). He sent me one of his finished creations and it was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. However, I seached high and low and all over the Internet to find a source for the denser type backer rod foam that he used and came up empty handed. This denser foam is necessary if you wish to shape the float body smoothly with sand paper by turning it on a drill as he illustrated and I can't find any. The lighter foam that is so prevalent (the bubbly, shiney kind) just tears when you try to shape it this way. I finally gave up the search and decided that either I would figure some way to use the lighter backer rod or switch to balsa as a base material. Rvrfsher suggested that he had tried shaping the lighter stuff by heating it on a griddle with some limited and smoky results. That started my thinking - which leads to this tutorial.
Start with some 3/4 inch backer foam that can be purchased from The Log Home Store at:
http://aloghomestore.com/backer-rod.shtml(Thanks Nick, for this source in your float tutorial.)
The price when I bought it was $6.00US for 50 feet. Shipping was extra. Here's the backer rod:
Also get some Large Diameter HMH Fly Tying Tubes. I bought these from one of our nearby fly shops in Eugene, OR. They are made by the same people who make Hareline Dubbin for tying flies. Rvrfsher recommended these in his tutorial and they are superior to anything I could find. A pack of 12 costs $2.99. That's about 25 cents each. Believe me, they're worth it because they are very rigid and just the right diameter. The rigid tube will take the natural curve out of the backer rod as well, making a very straight float.
Cut the 3/4 inch backer rod into the lengths you desire for your float. The one I made supports 1/2 ounce of weight and is 3 1/2 inches long when finished (not counting the extended length of the center tube). You'll need to cut the foam a little longer as shaping it will shorten it a tiny bit. I figured I lost about a half inch in shaping. This lighter foam contains more air pockets than the denser stuff so it takes less to float more.
Next, take the cut foam into your hand and rotate one end of it over a burner on a gas range. (Another flame souce could be used.) Hold the foam high enough so that it does not catch fire. You want it to just barely start to break down around the outside. You'll see the material change slightly and it will begin to shrink slightly. Don't heat it too much. It shouldn't smoke. A little practice will make perfect. Then hold the heated end down at about a 45 degree angle and roll it back and forth on a smooth wooden surface like you were rounding up the end of a noodle of modeling clay. (I used an old wood cutting board). Continue shaping it as you roll it until the shape pleases you. A general cigar shape is ideal. Do the same with the other end. One end should be a little more pointed than the other. Set it aside to let it cool. I did about two dozen of these at a time. Here is what mine looked like.
Take an ice pick or other rigid sharp object and run it through the center of the foam, making a path for your tube.
Run your tube through the same hole and trim it to your desired length.
I found that I did not need to cement the tubes in place as the rubberized coating below served to anchor the tube in place. Use your own discretion here. Put a piece of round toothpick into each end of the tube and break it off with about an eighth of an inch protruding. This will keep the next step from filling the tube.
Once you have a number of these blanks ready to go, open your can of Plasti Dip. (I now refer to this stuff the fisherman's duct tape - so many uses!) I used black because that is what I had. I would have preferred gray. (To get gray mix black and white together) I like to thin mine down a little from the way it comes from the store. I used Xylene to thin. Read the directions on the can for thinning instructions. If it is too thick it will not spread evenly around the stem when you dip it. It will also add too much weight to the float which is counter productive. Do this outdoors if possible, or in a room with adequate ventilation. These are nasty fumes. At the very least you'll end up with the mother of all headaches if you don't handle it with respect.
I made a little drying rack with a piece of florist's dry foam. Toothpicks are stuck into the bottom hole of the float, then into the floam. Dip them one half at a time. This will allow the wet plasti dip to spread out evenly around the upper part of the float. Doing it this way also keeps it from clumping around the tube. Once it has dried, repeat this process on the other end. (The ones with the red tubes are on their way to becoming wrap around dinks.)
Once your float is coated evenly with Plasti Dip and is dry, its time to paint. I had to experiment a bit with paints until I found what worked for me. I tried several enamel paints with poor results. I also tried a jig paint I had in my collection with equally poor results. I finally used Fishermun's Lure Coat (Yes, that's how its spelled). It is a laquer based paint made by the same folks who make Dick Nite thin blade spoons. It is available from
www.dicknite.com or some tackle shops. Thin it down with laquer thinner until it is about the same consistency as milk. This allows for even dipping. If it is too thick it will not produce an even line between colors. If it is too thin it will not coat the black effectively. I chose white for the base color and flourescent pink for the top coat.
Dip the top end of your float in the white base coat, trying to get an even line of paint. Hang it upside down and let it dry. Then dip again in the pink, leaving enough white exposed to provide contrast. (The pink is very visible, even on the far side of the river).
Here is a shot of a couple of finished floats. The one on the left is a commercial version by West Coast Floats. The two on the right are zonkers.
Once you get this down you can go wild and make all kinds of floats. In the shot below there are some stem floats that I made to use in place of the very popular Steelhead Stalkers and Thill Turbo Masters. (These are made with 5/8 inch foam rather than the 3/4 inch. Stem is 1/8 inch wood dowel. Line is held on with 1/8 inch surgical tubing sections top and bottom.)
These floats are durable, cheap, and easy to make once you get underway. They float well and look nice enough so that you can brag to your friends that you make your own floats.
Enjoy!
zonker
«Edited: March 03, 2005, 09:08:52 PM by zonker »
«Edited: April 26, 2008, 07:25:40 AM by zonker »
