New set of Avons

One cannot fail to be impressed by the standard of work and attention to detail exhibited by some of the better known names of float making in the UK, irrespective of whether the design or style in question is to your liking, as such things are somewhat subjective.

It struck the other day however, amongst the feathers and multi-coloured whippings (even those can be in a multitude of thread types/materials) that the classic floats which surely provide at least a modicum of inspiration had no such extravagance.

Looking at a previous post entitled 'Genuine vintage floats' with some samples from the better known commercial makers, such as those shown below from Auger, any small lines used to delineate between different colours or possibly just for the ability to see a sensitive bite more clearly were painted on.

...albeit neither straight nor consistent in width in some cases. The only whipping on these and others of the time were to secure the eye at the end of the stem.

So I thought I'd see what i could do to replicate the design and feel without the plethora of whipping, and to be honest I don't think they came out too bad (straighter than some of the vintage examples at least)...

Not 100% sure about the choice of colours, and they're as yet untested, but I thought the lack of luminous tips was a bit more in keeping with what I was trying to do, and recreating the classic Harcock red bands on yellow is a bit cliche nowadays...

True to form, the only whipping on each float is to secure the stainless eye, albeit diverging from the plan slightly by being subtly tipped with a little gold.

So, they'll be up for sale shortly in the Etsy shop in case anyone wants them, with more to come soon as I think it suits some of the more functional designs. No doubt there'll still be a selection with fancy whippings, incorporating porcupine quill sections and so on to cater for all tastes. Surprisingly these don't seem to take any less time to make, except for maybe less time taking decisions on the design...

A bit of a hiatus from the blog for a short while...

I finished some grayling floats, admittedly a while ago, for the same recipient as the crowquill Avons...

In addition there's a modern take on a sensitive Avon float for roach on the river, slim 3 mm tip for sensitivity, carbon stem to help with detecting bites on the drop, I've made some up previously for myself to test them out and they work a treat if you're not trying to cast to the other side of the river...

In other news, single floats, pairs and the odd set of three have made their way onto a new Etsy shop. I'm making far too many to use, but still enjoy making them, so hopefully selling a few will cover the cost of materials and give me an excuse to keep on making them...

If you want to see what's there here's a link, the stock will be updated as and when completed....