Two years??

[Marco]

On a previous post regarding the problems at Winston, there was a link and a subsequent statement that it sometimes took TWO YEARS to "make" a Winston flyrod. At the risk of incurring ther wrath of Winston afficionados, THEY'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!. I would not consider sit and wait as "time" required to "make" anything because in THAT time , another process on another item could be initiated or performed in continuum.
To make only 100 rods per year seems like there's a whole lot of sittin around and watchin paint dry. I'm only curious as to just what takes so long.
Awaiting enlightenment.

Mark




------------------
I'd rather be in Wyoming!

[CTCaneman]

You're right, a whole lot of time waiting for paint to dry and glues to dry.
I've built a couple of bamboo rods, from start to finish it takes about 60 hours, NOT including drying time. To breat it down, a production shop running milling machines and bevellers will greatly reduce that time, but, you still have about 20 hours per rod for node work and straightening before you can start the 60* taper of each strip. There is a heat treating process, then onto final tapering and gluing the strips and then adding ath components, a couple of coats of varnish with drying time between each. No it does not take two years, but they have a back log.
Not a Winston afficionado, just know it takes time.
Pete

[D. Micus]

mark, they are made by oompa loompas in a secret underground cave. hence the cost.

[Marco]

Hey Dave,
Looked up "oompa loompas" and found no reference. So in fact it MUST be a very secret process. You must be an "insider".I'm envious.

Caneman: 20 hours on node work also seems a bit elongated. If I tried to sharpen my Bowie(sp) knife for 20 hours, it would be GONE(???).
Could the "backlog" at Winston be artificial to justify the price? Certainly three craftsmen, working dilligently,using some automation, could produce a whole lot more than a mere 100 rods per year. Maybe the new ( since 91') management finally walked in on the "production" area and saw the light.

Mark


[This message has been edited by Marco (edited 31 October 2005).]

[D. Micus]

marco, oompa loompas are from willy wonka and the chocolate factory. they've branched out into fly rod making...

[swen]

Micus, are you saying these rods are made of "sugar cane"?

As a resident of one of the largest sugar cane producing regions in the nation, I can virtually guarantee there are no oopa loompas nor rod makers down here! There is our own Harry Boyd in Winnsboro, but they don't grow sugar cane up there.

------------------
[url=http://www.native-waters.com:50320]http://www.native-waters.com[/url:50320]

[nighthawk]

Oompa, Loompa, oompad de doo,
I've got another riddle for you...

You are right, Mark. That seems a tad long to me too.

------------------
Eric "nighthawk"

It's a great day for fly fishing!

[splinter]

Marco,
It is true that it does not take 2 yrs to make the fly rod, cane rods are very time consuming to build however. the orders are generally filled in the order that they are recieved so you are indeed waiting for your 'number to come up'. I don't know how many hours a week the shop was running but with any independent cane builder the weeks are 60 to 70 hours long.

The trend towards synthetic rods has allowd semi skilled workers to produce a great quantity of rods in an assembly line fashion.
Cane is the province of highly skilled craftsmen, skills that take at a minimum of 2 yrs to begin to blossom and full competence if often a decade of hard work away. Hiring off the street is something that simply can't be done. A craft such as that is not a good fit with todays values and goals of instant gratification. In the end the cane world is a dintinct and seperate subset of FF in general where a two yr wait from a company such as winston is viewed as quite reasonable.
splinter

[Marco]

But Splinter, are you saying that there is no " production" process in place. Is only ONE rod being completed at a time. I agree that it must take extraordinary skill to craft a bamboo flyrod but more than perhaps 50 hours ( number out of thin air) of actual HANDS ON ( not waiting) per rod seems way out of kilter. The tired descriptions "hand made"like "hand dug" are grossly overrated.
I accept that the value of these rods are in the fact that the purchasers are more than willing to pay the asking. Purchasers consider them works of art and with that opinion I cannot argue. They in fact are beautiful but I need not own one to know that.
Having said all that however, I have not yet heard a SPECIFIC reason as to why a flyrod cannot be delivered within a month of order by a company such as Winston or why it takes a year to make only 100 rods.

Mark