Alpenglow on Celluloid

Yep thats right, I've found myself being the subject of a low budget film. It's being deveolped by a couple of guys about West Coast Fly Fishing. Today was the third day shooting, but not out on one of my favorite streams. This time its in my rod shop in Oakland. I thought being a film "actor" playing myself was going to be easy. i was wrong.... i'm totally whipped. A little of this... plane some rod strips... bla bla, and Bobs your uncle! WRONG! try CUT! Can you do that slower? CUT! Can you do that twisted this way? Cut! We really want the sound the plane makes as it goes across the cane! OMG! but its cool they're really cool guys really excited and that makes me excited. Here are some film stills that they just gave me.

Karma Net prototype, 12-2012

I finally got the ghost net in the mail and did a test fit to then allow me to finish up my new landing net. It fit perfectly in the hoop and then i began the tedius task of soaking the net frame in spar for a day to impregnate. This progress went very well and i then stitched the net to the frame with waxed nylon thread and gave it the alpenglow insignia and then two coats of thick spar to seal.
I realized after i brought it to share at the local fly tying club meeting that I should take some photos before i start banging it up dragging it around in my truck.
here are some close up pictures.

Scrap Wood?

What do you do with all that scrap wood someone asked me the other day. Well since exotic woods are becoming more and more expensive to buy as well as find i tend to save pieces that are big enough to make something out of. The past week i've been too busy to go fishing with my show in Denver of my sculpture and drawings. However being in my workshop and studio, being inspired by my friend Jim's landing net, i thought oh why not try and make yourself a nice landing net to go with your Bamboo rods? plus the experience in learning the craft will be a great excuse as well.
I settled in on a piece of Lace Wood for the handle, with Red birch and Wenge for the hoop. I took and old piece of ABS to make a quick steamer for the hoop strips and soaked them for two days in the heat.
i made a template for the handle and with the shaper quickly had the rough for that.
the next hurdle was the glueing form for the hoop. i came up with a shape and size i liked that would fit a Ghost netting from Brodin, that i bought from their on line store.
The next day i began forming the strips of Birch and Wenge around the form to pre dry them to the shape before gluing. after they were dry from setting in the sun, I took them off the form and started the glue up with Gorilla glue and lots of clamps.
While this was drying i sanded the handle with the horizontal sander to get the form in an almost finished state.
The following day i sanded the hoop to rid the dried glue and merged the handle then to the hoop on yet another form to help hold the clamps in place.
after this was dry i began the careful process of sanding the complete net frame into a finished form. next i need to router the thread groove around the outside of the hoop as well as drill the holes for the cord....