Hello Everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I hoping some of you can help me with some advise on how to impregnate a bamboo fly rod blank. I'm using this blank to make a saltwater 8/9 wt rod. Any input will be appreciated. Best Regards, J

First of all....why? Most of us apply a coat of varnish or other type of top coat. Impregnating is going to require tremendous pressure, as the blank is already glued up and the outside surface of bamboo is quite impervious to penetration by liquids.

his is what I found years ago [www.freepatentsonline.com]

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

With what substance will you impregnate this bamboo, and what is the purpose of doing so?

There are pros and cons to bamboo impregnation. On the plus side, it is considered more durable and long lasting than a varnish top coating. The downside is that it is considered to add much more weight to the rod than a simple topcoat of varnish, urethane, etc.

Orvis, I believe, offers impregnate rods. You can probably find a list of what they consider the plus side of this method on their website.

Russ Gooding, at Golden Witch, might be a good person to talk to about this. He would likely have whatever you need to perform the process as well as guiding you on whether impregnation or top coating would be your better bet.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2017 06:12PM by Tom Kirkman.

[nelsonite.com]

There is a bunch of talk on this on the bamboo rod forum.

Caution: pvc tubes+varnish+air pressure= a bomb that'll make you get rid of your beard.

Tom, you are correct in that Orvis still impregnates their rods. Took a touprof their factory in Manchester, Vt . a few months ago.
I think they are rather unique in that they make Bamboo, Glass and Graphite from raw material to finish under one roof. The
only thing outsourced is wrapping the guides. A large percentage of this is sent out to local folks, a "cottage industry" according to Orvis..
The cane rods are still very labor intensive. The need here is for very skilled craftsmen is still needed at every step. Precision machine tool and good programmers are required for glass and graphite.