# Floats and my first turned floatS



## A-5 (Apr 9, 2017)

just messing around. I would love to buy raw plain floats and finish them myself. If anyone knows where to get them in the USA let me know. Here’s my shot


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## Tinknocker1 (May 13, 2013)

here's a sub forum from big bluegill these guy's do some amazing stuff 
http://bigbluegill.ning.com/group/float-makers-bench


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

A-5 said:


> just messing around. I would love to buy raw plain floats and finish them myself. If anyone knows where to get them in the USA let me know. Here’s my shot
> 
> View attachment 271887
> View attachment 271889
> ...


i would buy cork for neting 1" x 3" and finish that for bober.


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## A-5 (Apr 9, 2017)

What gram would cork be? I fish large rivers at 5-8 gram minimum


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## kingfisher72 (May 14, 2016)

I used to spin my own floats a lot when I was float fishing for rainbows hard. At the time, there was virtually nothing available or on the market here in the states. Ordering floats from overseas was expensive and the selection was poor. What's a poor college kid to do?? The secret I found to a good float was the balsa used. Forget that stuff you find at hobby stores. You're looking for a seller who will sell balsa by weight/grade. You want the lightest weight balsa you can find as it will be soft and most consistent. No knots in the wood or grain variances that will lead to an out of round float. It is often labelled as "model air plane grade". 





























Dammit I'm getting old...


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## A-5 (Apr 9, 2017)

Ok so what stick stick or rod did you use for the center. And how did you turn and know what gram the float was?


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

A-5 said:


> What gram would cork be? I fish large rivers at 5-8 gram minimum


i do not know what was the weight,i made slip bober with 2 pc's and it hold 1/2 oz weight,they were in cylindrical shape,they use them for gill net on top,i just slide them on rod and glue them i did not have to shape them,you can glue them,seal and paint.


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## kingfisher72 (May 14, 2016)

I used BBQ skewers cut to the length I needed to accommodate whatever "lathe" I was using at the time. I'd push the skewer through the block of balsa as best I could down the center. You will never get that perfect. That's why it is important to have the light/soft grade balsa that wont prevent you from spinning it round. Don't force it...let the paper do its job. 80 or 60 to start. Then taper your ends as desired once you get the whole block about as thick as the maximum thickness desired for your finished float. Switch to like 120 paper and then finish with 200 something. Pull your float body off the skewer and slide it onto a bamboo skewer. I usually used the bamboo sticks from a sushi mat. Dab of wood glue to hold it on. Paint, dip in your preferred varnish. Trim the stems to the desired length. If you want a slip float, use a plastic insert of some sort in place of the bamboo skewer. You may have to rig up some sort of reamer to get a good fit. Add a metal top so the plastic doesn't cut. The little metal grommets intended for scrap booking are ideal. Plug the ends with toothpicks then paint and varnish. Those unfinished floats on the left with the black plastic visible at the bottom are big slips for the Niagara river.


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## kingfisher72 (May 14, 2016)

I never paid much attention to exact gram capacities of the float. I was/am a very technical float fisherman. I'm often changing the amount and placement of shot every other drift. It's easy to pinch off or add quickly without damage to the line once you get the hang of it. There are times you want to over shot a float. Times you use more shot than a float could otherwise hold up vertically because you want to stretch way out horizontally. Say to get under stuff. Adding/removing shot can drastically change the float and bait speed when swimming a float...making a big difference in bites.

That said, I had some general sizes and shapes I liked. small and stout for creeks with shallower, choppy water. Long and pencil thin for pier fishing in the lake. "Marital aide" size for the Niagara river....etc...

I'm planning to be back to my parents house in September. I can possibly pull stuff out and take pics if that would be helpful.


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## A-5 (Apr 9, 2017)

I’m Salmon river bound this year. Love to see your stuff


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## A-5 (Apr 9, 2017)

Here are my mini floats. It proves i can do it. Planning on steelhead floats coming up


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## A-5 (Apr 9, 2017)

Ok found my big boy float supplier. Hobby lobby stocks balsa and wooden dowels. Big boy floats coming


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## kingfisher72 (May 14, 2016)

A-5 said:


> Here are my mini floats. It proves i can do it. Planning on steelhead floats coming up
> 
> View attachment 272131



These look good. My first versions looked about like this.


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## A-5 (Apr 9, 2017)




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## A-5 (Apr 9, 2017)

These look a bit better


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## kingfisher72 (May 14, 2016)

They do. Nice work.


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## A-5 (Apr 9, 2017)




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