Straightening bamboo

I thought splitting was hard, straightening bamboo strips were even harder. I already broke two strips.

I think straightening requires patience and decisiveness, two important human characters which I often lack.

To heat strips up, I used an alcohol lamp first, but I soon felt it wasn't for me. It was very difficult for me to get a right temperature without strips being flamed up and carbonized like Captain Solo.

I then switched to a heat gun, and it worked better for me.

My heat gun is one made by Bosch. I bought it because it has a variable temp controller with a digital setting. Unfortunately it didn't come with a flat nozzle, which is only available as an option with a price tag of $24. Instead, I went to see a local workshop fixing exhaust pipes. They made one for me on the spot for $10.

This fish-tail shape exhaust pipe reminds me of old BSA Bantam I used to have.



I am wonderling how "straight" each strip has to be before I can start rough planing.

Some people say the strips only need to be straight around nodes, while others say they need to be as straight as arrows.

Also, rod makers appear to have diffeent views on actual straightening techniques. One school says, "put in the vice and tighten as hard as you can", yet another argues not to put strips under too much pressure as they can be deformed, etc.

I guess this is an area where I need to get a feel of it, and find out what works best for me. This only comes with a lot practice, which means a lot of broken strips...

竹割りに続いて曲げ直しですが、いやー難しいです。ちょっと力を入れただけでポッキーンです。

ティップとバットと合わせて１２本終えましたが、なんとなくどれだけ熱を加えれば良いかが見えてきました。

ところでこの曲げ直し、どれだけ真っすぐにしなくてはいけないのでしょうか？