Manchester Life 2021 | Page 83

advancements in such a short period of time .”
Today , the bamboo and graphite rods are still crafted at the Orvis workshop in Manchester . Both types of rods are made using efficient techniques that have been perfected over generations by the Orvis rod craftspeople .
Orvis first started making Bamboo Rods in the 1870s and developed a “ sixstrip ” method of construction in which dry bamboo strips are glued and bound together . Orvis still uses a modified version of this construction method today in its rod production . In order to make the bamboo rods , wide strips of dried bamboo cane are split into small strips , and then graded and grouped into bundles . Once grouped , six strips are milled into long , thin , tapered triangles . The triangle strips are then glued together , bound , and cured . Once the cure cycle is finished , the binding is removed , and the blank surface is scraped clean . The handle and reel seat are subsequently attached , and the rod is then complete .
The manufacturing process for the graphite rods is equally complex and nuanced . To begin , multiple sheets of carbon resin material are cut into proprietary shapes , then layered together and rolled onto a tapered mandrel shaft . A compression tape is then wound on the outside of the mandrel after the carbon material has been rolled onto it . At this point , the mandrels are placed in an oven , and the heat-curing process begins . After the curing cycle is complete , the mandrels are removed from the oven and cooled at room temperature . The rod section is then removed , sanded and painted . After the components , handle and reel seat are attached , the rod is then ready for action .
Coombs believes that the bamboo rods and the graphite rods are both perfectly

114 peace

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manchester life magazine 2021 81