How would you finish wood fly boxes?

[Royce Meritt]

Some of you know that I make several different sizes of wooden fly boxes. (See attached picture.) When I make them I usually make between 6 and ten at a time. I usually only sell 1 or 2 at a time but like to have some "inventory" on hand.

At any rate, I have the manufacturing process down pretty well and can knock them out pretty efficiently. What slows me down (sometimes with less than perfect results) is the finishing. So here is the question. Call it a poll of sorts...

How would you finish these. (I like to use SPAR URETHANE for its durability and weather resistance.)

1. Brush on 3 coats of the spar right out of the can.
2. Wipe on SEVERAL coats of thinned spar.
3. Spray spar urethane in the aerosol can.
4. Spray on finish using my HVLP sprayer.
5. Spray on finish using my little "Critter" brand siphon sprayer.
6. Something else.

Thanks for the advice.

[Dev Emch]

Same as the finish on bamboo fly rods! Spar Varnish.

[Royce Meritt]

Same as the finish on bamboo fly rods! Spar Varnish.


Thanks. I am using spar. I was asking specifically about what technique to use to apply the spar.

Thanks again.

[Joe Chritz]

Have you tried the spray on spar available in spray bomb cans?

I haven't used any spar before but spraying has to be fast and easier than any other method. Either spray bomb or with a HVLP.

Nice looking work by the way. Hope to hit the river for the first time this year very shortly. Steelhead here in MI are getting more active.

Joe

[Royce Meritt]

Have you tried the spray on spar available in spray bomb cans?

I haven't used any spar before but spraying has to be fast and easier than any other method. Either spray bomb or with a HVLP.

Nice looking work by the way. Hope to hit the river for the first time this year very shortly. Steelhead here in MI are getting more active.

Joe

Thanks Joe. Yes I have tried the spray on spar in the can. It works well but seems extremely expensive. Good luck with the steelies!

[Dev Emch]

Thanks. I am using spar. I was asking specifically about what technique to use to apply the spar.

Thanks again.

There you go with the difficult questions.:D I dont know the best way for your application. With fly rods, one normally builds a very long tube with a motor that draws upwards at an extremely slow speed. The fly rod is hung in this tube which is half full of spar. The rod is then lowerd down into the spar varnish until its just submerged. Then you turn the machine on. Ever ever so slowly, the motor pulls the rod out of the spar and the spar begins to set and dry. The finish that this method produces is unreal and extremely durable.

I dont know if this can be used for the boxes or not. I cannot come up with any reasons why not. Since the box would be pulled so slowly out, the varnish tends to flow to a uniform thickness. Never have I seen a rod in which the varnish was very thin at the top and goopy thick at the bottom. That would happen if you pulled to quickly. The idea is to pull slow enough that the varnish basicly flows and sets slightly above the minisus (sp?) of the spar varnish. Once set, it just needs a bit of time to dry.

What do you think about adapting the rod system to your boxes?

[Mike Cutler]

Personally. I would lean towards option #2. I can't brush on a finish to save my life. I even suck with paint, and I was in the Navy.:eek: So option 1 is definitely out for me.
My only advice is that a good finish takes time. There is just no way around it.
I don't know how well spar varnish wipes on, but you could try "Tru-Oil". It's a wiping varnish that gives great results on small applications like those Fly Boxes. It won't save you any time though.

[Steven Wilson]

Wouldn't work too well Dave as you would have a lot of surface tension on the end of the box resulting in lots of drips. Rods are very long and very thin, and drips at their points will be covered with ferules or the rod tip. BTW, not all bamboo rods are finished that way you can sucessfully use a brush and apply finish while it's rotating, just like you do when applying epoxy finish to thread wraps on graphite rods.

Royce, personally I would spray whatever finish you like. A small HVLP rig (like a touch up gun) would be my choice of device. I used Defthane on a couple of boxes I made to hold the William Joseph fly patches I use