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Here are some pictures and/or drawings of straightening devices from various makers.  If the name of the submitter is underlined, you can go to the submitter’s web site.

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Moon, Ralph - Tamegi

Moon, Ralph - Tamegi 01

I know Max Satoh has spoken of Tamegi before, but it was only after his last posting on Yokihiro, that I really began to think about them. Max is utterly fantastic. I have straitened every way you can think of and it is still sort of hit and miss.  With the Tamegi, I can get exactly what I want. It is very easy to use, and even easier to make. As Max said take a 1' x 1' x 8-10 inch piece of wood. and saw a 45 degree slot in one end. I put slots at each end. You can use a small chisel to pry out the excess material in the slot. The slot itself is cut with a miter box in seconds. My first one took less than ten minutes. But imagine how nice they would look of pretty wood shaped and finished lovingly. They would be a priceless posession of any rod maker. Thank You Max.

Moon, Ralph - Tamegi 02

Moon, Ralph - Tamegi 03

Moon, Ralph - Tamegi 04

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Bacon, Hal - Stretcher

Here is the fixture that I use for straightening sections. I purchase hollow rope at the Hardware store and pull the solid core out and use the braid. You  can get rope in 1/8 to 1/2 " sizes. I buy a 250' coil of the three sizes  that I use. I have a 7' x 3' x 4' oven that I cure graphite in that I  use to cure my rods at 250 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bacon, Hal - Stretcher

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Fultz, Jeff - Stretchers

Fultz, Jeff - Stretchers 01

Fultz, Jeff - Stretchers 02

Fultz, Jeff - Stretchers 03

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Berg, Ed - Blank Straightening

Berg, Ed - Blank Straightening 01

Berg, Ed - Blank Straightening 02

Berg, Ed - Blank Straightening 03

Berg, Ed - Blank Straightening 04

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Larsen, Ron - Strip Straightening Oven

Larsen, Ron - Strip Straightening Oven

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Frank Stetzer’s Rack

Frank Stetzer’s Rack 01

One of the universal rodmaking problems is how to get straight sections out of the binder.  I use a hard rubber roller (an idea from Jack Howell’s book, The Lovely Reed) and I have a nice straight section lying on the bench, but when I move it to hang it up, it flops around and I’m afraid the strips will get out of position again.  So, I combined the roller with an adjustable stretcher made from a 2x4, a door spring and a threaded rod.  Once the roller gets the strips nested together so that the strip is straight, the tension of the spring holds it in place.  That’s my theory anyway.

If I were making it over, I’d use a metal stud instead of a 2x4.  The wood ones like to twist and warp as they dry out in the shop.

Frank Stetzer’s Rack 02

After checking for any twists, I lash a wire loop to each end of the section and these hook to a ball bearing swivel.  Then, I tighten the threaded rod to tension the spring.

Frank Stetzer’s Rack 03

Frank Stetzer’s Rack 04

Once the rod section is under tension, I go at it with the roller.  The rod is rolled, then rotated (that’s what the swivels are for) and rolled some more.  Does it work?  Well, sometimes.

Lots  of   rodmakers   like   a slow-setting glue like Epon epoxy or polyurethane, because it gives them lots of time to straighten the rod section.  I’d rather use a glue with a high tack and fast setup, so when I get the section the way I want, it will stay that way.  If only resorcinol wasn’t purple!

That’s a piece of melamine shelf under the rod section.  The strip is held the right height by the springs so I can roll it against the melamine.

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