I was considering turning my own reel seat.
I have got a nice jet black piece of Ebony wood.
I was going to match it up with a nickle silver struble skeleton reel seat.

Will the Ebony be OK without treating it?
I have seen wood inserts that are impregnated with resin.
Should i drop the idea and pick up a proper ebony reel seat?

Cheers

Munro

__________________
www.tintotroutfishery.co.uk
www.anglersholidaycottages.co.uk

Your ebony should be fine I turn it and use danish oil while it turns, burnishing it on, you should do it twice , I have just done two seats one with burr elm and one with desert iron wood, I did a ripple maple seat last year, same process, I took two basic seats and cut out the centre on my lathe, then made up the wooden centres,it sets of a nice rod, easker1

Should be fine Munro, ebony is fantastic wood, and as easker says a danish oil application should see it right.
Wear a mask when turning it though, the dust is not good for you.
S.

__________________
"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

Yes forgot about the dust,easker1

Dust should not be a problem, fully guarded CNC lathe to play with.
I can also fire some coolant on it to keep the dust down if need be.
Whats all the fuss about then with the impregnated reel seats?
I know Ebony is bloody hard stuff so it should stand the test of time on the rod but will it dull down in colour?
What is Danish oil?
Do you just rub it in to the wood like a stain or do you soak the reel seat in the oil?

Thanks for the advice.

Munro

__________________
www.tintotroutfishery.co.uk
www.anglersholidaycottages.co.uk

I would definitly protect the ebony, if only from the inevitable scratches and dents the reel will make on it over time.

My preference would be Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil - Its a gun stock oil that is easy to apply, quick drying and rock solid. It also dries to a mirror like finish, but can obviously be rubbed down to give a 'satin' appearance if you prefer.

Its readily available, a quick search in google should bring up many options.

Cheers
Adam

__________________
http://www.blog.rawsonandperrin.co.uk - Reports, thoughts and photos!
Twitter: @adsrawson

Thanks Adam i will look in to it.

Munro

__________________
www.tintotroutfishery.co.uk
www.anglersholidaycottages.co.uk

Danish oil is what I use to finish gun stocks. It does not really stain and is easy use. I can send you a slug if you want. You only need a tiny amount, applied by finger is best. The tin I ended up buying is so big it should last a lifetime .
Pm me if you want some.

Chris.

Hi,

re wood insert,

You can use whatever you like on rods just so long as the wood is cured properly and maybe coated with a preserver - oil. Inside and out =water proofing. Reason being if the rod got wet water gets past the cork / wood seal it will follow the graphite shaft along and the wood over time it will swell or rot or loose grip.

But nothing to stop you using your own wood its cheaper and you can shape it exactly how you want it or carve it youself too if you the arty type ie fish sceen carved into the wood etc.

There a two main reason why most timbers need to be stablised when used as reel seat spacers.
All timber expands and contracts to the changes in moisture and humidity which is normally not a problem the larger the timber object the more you can see this happen.
In all good woodworking skills joinery ,cabinet making construction of an item need to be produced to allow this to happen without defects taking place.
Many item of furniture now produced at cut prices made over seas do not take this simple task into account. (and in my line of buisness I see this week after week) unfortunally its the same with reel seat spacers and yes we have seen this problems with a very well known company in the UK (reel seats splitting down the grain).
Because timber expands if its is glued to a surface which does not allow any form of movement to take place like a carbon blank the reel seat can split.
Some timbers are more prone to this than others, the safe way is to stabilise this prevents this happening to some degree.
Surface finishes like paint and varnish do not prevent this happening to the same level of protection as impregnation, moisture can and will still enter the timber, you can see this happen in your home year on year as the window jams shut in winter or the door catches at the bottom but corrects itself in summer.
Most good makers of reel seat spacers will use some form of impregnate just to be sure. Its up to you?

gary

Nicho Bamboo Rod Co