Bamboo Tips - Tips Area
Blank Info - Straightening - Toaster

< Home < Tips Area < Blank Info < Straightening < Toaster

I don't know, who was the first, to suggest the use of a toaster, for straightening rod blanks, but whoever it was you're the greatest. It makes it so much easier  (Larry Downey)

How are you using the toaster?  Have you tried a clothes iron for straightening tips yet? This works really well.   (Chris Obuchowski)

I don't use an iron, because if SWMBO saw me, she would expect me to iron, a lot more than blanks. I just rotate the blank, over the toaster, when it is warm, I take the bend out by holing the blank, and pushing against the bend with my thumbs. A lot harder to explain than it is to do it. Just remember a little heat goes a long way. Good Luck and happy planing.  (Larry Downey)

Please! We don't iron the blanks. The iron heats it, it has to sit in one spot for an indeterminate period of time. If she sees you "ironing" that way, no way will she turn you loose on clothes!  (Larry Blan)

I think it was Tony Spezio, and I've been a proponent of a portable electric stove burner or an open (Farberware-type) broiler. The heat is spread out better and you can use corners so as to affect anything from an inch or so to 6" or so.  Those burners are available cheap at warehouse type stores and the broilers are at garage sales all the time.  (Art Port)

Using a toaster makes life so much easier, I had a tip with a bend, in it I tried to straighten it three different times, I had it so hot I thought it was going to delaminate.  Less than a minute over the toaster it straighten out. It's fun again.  (Larry Downey)

I might have mentioned it but the idea came from a list member, don't remember who. I have not had much luck with a toaster as it goes off too soon.

Larry, did you modify  your toaster?   I would like to give it a try again. (Tony Spezio)

If I'm not mistaken, one of the early proponents for the use of toasters in straightening was Brian Creek.  He modified the toaster that he used so that it didn't shut off.  Seems like that scared him too much!  (Todd Talsma)

In 1982 Preben Torp Jacobsen from Denmark pictured this idea in his privately published book  "stangbygning" translated from Danish = rodbuilding.  His book is about split cane rodbuilding.  (Christian Meinke)

No, I put it on the highest setting and by the time it popped up the tip was Warm enough maybe you'd have to push it down more  than once for butts.  I use Epon for glue up. Gee I'm getting to be a chatter box.  (Larry Downey)

Keep on being a chatter box. It helps newcomers get information.

Sometimes I wish I had been like Aaron with his progress and inspired some new rod makers to get going on getting a rod made.

I was so intimidated by what I read in books that every time I wanted to start I just put it aside. Finally I got the push I needed from this list and split bamboo. The  1/2 culm of bamboo was a discarded piece  of that came from a list member. I split on Sunday and was casting the rod on Friday. This would of not happened if a list member had not told me he used Elmer's glue on his rods.  I picked up a tube, went home and glued up. I would be waiting till I could get some special glue. This rod had seen a lot of use in the past seven years. It came out straight with no glue lines, only one tip and hand applied Tung Vanish

I kept this off the list for fear no one would believe me. My forms were drilled and tapped one Saturday and then sat for five years trying to get the grooves milled. Thanks to Wayne he gave me a bit of a push and three evenings later the grooves were done and the forms were ready to use. After the first rod, I lost all my intimidation.

Now about my toaster, I bought it at a yard sale for 50 cents. Might be there was a problem with it and it is not staying on long enough.  (Tony Spezio)

A dozen years ago I was just starting fixing up old bamboo rods. I got a one tip Heddon 14 from Dick Spurr and it had a pretty good set in the tip. After stripping it I used my toaster to straighten the tip and it worked! It showed me what amount of heat it takes to make bamboo move. I now use my  heat gun, but I've still have that 14 and fish it, and that tip is still straight as ever.  (Chad Wigham)