Hello
Thanks guys ! your kindness is always appreciated.
Working toward getting back to being able to make fly rods again has been very good therapy for me.
Admittedly this last Phillipson mini series was a little too much to take on,then accepting an invitation to take part in the C.F.F.A. Expo put me in a position where I needed to push myself.
The last time I had set deadlines for my self it literally almost killed me.
Hence the reason I'm retired now and not suppose to be taking in work for anybody.
Saturday 3 of my Grandsons were hanging out ,the 2 older guys helped me get the 6 Orphaned Phillipsons into rod tubes.
Gave the guys another lesson in the difference between Custom Bench Made,and Factory / Import Foreign Made.
The rod tubes were getting white Cedar end caps in the bottom end of the tubes,the guys couldn't figure out why I was taking the time to make end caps for one end of a PVC tube.
Then I explained how the added cost of making the P.V.C. tubes and the hand made rod bags was more money out of pocket that you would never recover from the sale of the finished rod.
We actually had 12 rods in total that needed bags and tubes before I could offer them to folks.
While we were working we had the 8 year old doing the math,figured it was a good opportunity for them to see how important math is in real life.
We started with how each plastic P.V.C. cap cost 98 cents with tax 1 Dollar X 12 Caps = 12 Dollars.
12 tubes at 5 Dollars cost per tube = 60 Dollars.
12 Rod Bags at 4 Dollars cost per Bag = 48 Dollars.
12 White Cedar wood end caps cost ,$1.00, 48 Copper Brads 48 cents = $1.48
We just went over the rod storage tube costs along with the time it took to make them not counting the trip to the home center or my gas.
5 Hours lost labor CT Min Wage = $11.00 per = $55.00
Estimated Total Loss for a dozen rod storage tubes = $176.48
After we got all 6 Phillipson Orphaned rods in the tubes I was using masking tape to mark the tubes as follows Phillipson 6'8" 5 Weight $175.00 and so on all the same price.
My elder grandson was having a fit,he's been hanging around the shop off and on watching the work that's gone into these rods.
No matter how hard I tried to explain my guy couldn't understand that it's not about money,it can never be nor should it ever be about money,it's gotta be about the rod work,the pride of doing the rod work,the art of rod making,the pleasure of people catching a fish on a custom made /bench made fishing tool/rod you made.
The little guy the younger brother he's 8 might have gotten it,he said "it's like when you paint a painting stupid'
Who knows maybe there's hope yet for an apprentice ???
But Maybe I Need To Start Whittling One Just To Be On The Safe Side.
We all Watched Pinocchio Saturday Afternoon the 3 year old Oliver was precious.
They watched the show I was watching them watch the show.
Man It's great to be alive !
The Real Lesson The Boys Learned last Saturday is that Rod Making is not a good way to Obtain Wealth,Nor a Steady Source of Income.
At the Same Time Hope they fully understand that at any price there's Never Any Substitute for Custom Bench Made Performance,Quality or Craftsmanship
Gotta get back to work now I'm starting to get packed up today for My Show Next Saturday.
Tight Lines And Whats On Your Bench ??? Loops
Andy M