The first thing people check when you hand them a ferruled rod is the rod's straightness. The straighter the blank comes out of the binder, the less challenge you'll face during this next phase in the process.

Although it has very little bearing on the casting qualities of a rod, cosmetics, including straightness, are nevertheless very important. Bamboo is a natural material and, as such, it is almost impossible to achieve a perfectly straight blank. However, this process will result in sections that are very straight to the eye:
<img src="http://www.flyfishinginmaine.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=11529&g2_serialNumber=1">

Although straightening bamboo sections can be extremely frustrating beginning makers, I have come upon an approach that greatly facilitates the process for me. Using the flattest surface I can find (in my case, the kitchen table), I place a section on the table and, working from the center of the section, I roll the blank on to each flat until I see the tip end rise up off the table:
<img src="http://www.flyfishinginmaine.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=11520&g2_serialNumber=1">

Next I run my finger down the blank until the tip end is forced down flat against the table. This tells me exactly where the bend is locate. I mark the top of the blank at that location with a pencil:
<img src="http://www.flyfishinginmaine.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=11523&g2_serialNumber=1">

Now I move to my heat gun and heat up that area until is is almost too hot to handle:
<img src="http://www.flyfishinginmaine.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=11526&g2_serialNumber=1">

I bend the section in the opposite direct of the bend and hold in that position for about 10-15 seconds. Then place the section flat against the table and press firmly against the table at the area and hold for another 10-15 seconds. I'll often rotate one flat in both directions and press there for 5 seconds or so. This seems to help the straightening process:
<img src="http://www.flyfishinginmaine.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=11532&g2_serialNumber=1">

I then work my way up the section to the tip until all bends are removed. Then I reverse the section, end to end, and work from the center towards the butt of the section. Sometimes this process goes quickly; sometimes it can take an hour or more. Again, it all depends on how straight the sections are to at the start. With patience, you will eventually achieve the results you seek.

Great job with your series, Joel! It's really neat for me to see how other rod makers do their stuff. When it comes to straightening I agree that you want the blanks just as straight as they can be when they come out of the binder. I take the extra effort to get them as straight as possible including any twists in the blank before the glue sets up. A neat trick I saw Glen Bracket do to assure straightness in his sections after glue up was to hang them by the tips and clip a weight onto the bottom as the glue sets up. It really worries me what the heat might do to the cured glue as it is applied to the blank for straightening so I rarely, if ever, feel the need to. I don't worry much about a minor bend in the rod, after all, sight down a rod after it has been used for a season and caught some fish!

Scott Chase

Thanks for the great comments, Scott! I'm so pleased you are enjoying the series.

Scott brings up a very important point about twists in the sections. I thought about adding a blurb about how they occur what what to do about them, but since this series was following the progress of one particular rod and I was fortunate not to have any twists in the sections, I left it out.

Twist are typically caused by over-torquing the binding drive belt during glueup. Most twists can be successfully remove by close inspection after glueup, locating the twists, and twisting the rod section in the opposite direction .

Removing twists after the glue has set is much more challenging. I saw a trick similar to what I do to locate the bends. Basically you place a piece of mark tape at the end of your section so it has "wings" perpendicular to your section. The section is place on a flat surface and you slowly moving your finger down the strip until you see the masking tape "roll". This indicates the twist in the section. You must heat the ara and twist in the opposite direction to remove it.

I too have read of Glen Brackett's weight system after glueup. I'm sure if Glen uses the process, it's well worth the effort, but I have read others who have tried the same thing with mixed results.

Another thing I've seen done is putting the sections back into the planing forms after glueup and weighting them down so them remain straight during glue curing.

For me, I've reached a happy point with my glueup torque where twists are rarely a problem and the method mentioned above works well for removing any minor bends. I too take a lot of care making sure my sections remain as straight as possible during binding and then again coming out of the binder.

BTW, as many at the Tie & Lie saw last weekend, the actual build is ahead of the text. Hardware has been installed and wraps are complete w/three coats of varnish. I couldn't resist taking the rod out into the front yard for the first cast. Even in 10 degree windy weather, she easily threw 80 feet of line with authority. A solid five weight. Although the rod is very fast, espeically for bamboo, she still retains the "touch" that addicts so many of us to cane. She's gonna be something special and I'm gonna have to follow it up with one for myself.

joel