WALKER NET - ADVICE ?

[Buller]

There will always be a demand for the "hardest-to-come-by, most bespoke things in this world. I'm just wondering, but surely, (I hesitate to say, that regardless of price), there will be those willing to pay the price of a custom-made item. Look at Ed Barder's rods or (on the other side of the pond), someone like Per Brandin's fly-rods show this. Make the best. Charge like a wounded Buffalo and you have a market. I know. Don't ask me how

[Barbulus]

Ha Ha !. I do like the phrase "Charge like a wounded Buffalo..." One of my Brothers-in-Law is from South Africa and I think I can understand the significance of that if I think of his anecdotes from growing up in the bush so to speak....he had a "Ridgeback" as his companion.....I thought my Labrador was strong and good size but a "Ridgeback" is enormous.....

Anyway....back to the Walker net "saga"....I think I shall have to think of a cunning plan as this is beginning (?) to be all a bit difficult.......more once I have thought of a Plan "B"............

[Beresford]

I guess the question to be asked is how many members would be interested in obtaining a set of the metal work and at what price could that key set of parts be obtained if say we were able to place an order for 5, 10, 20…

Chris Ball has kindly provided me with a copy of Walker's original drawings that I can easily draw up as scale plans on the computer if such things would be useful for the purposes of getting quotations on the metal work. One stumbling block that I've been told in the difficulty in obtaining suitable poles for the handles but I've not looked into this or any other aspect recently.

[Barbulus]

There is a UK Bamboo Supplier in Southern England that I know Barney and others have used that seems to have almost any selection of length, colour and diameter of bamboo.....it will come me later the name of it....that might be the solution to the handle issue perhaps ?

[Barbulus]

Beresford - I wonder whtehr there is scope for a simple "poll" on the Forum for Members to mark an expression of possible interest in the metal work (?)....no commitment but just an indicator....then dependant on the level of interest....maybe then draw up the plans and we can source a possible metal shop to produce from CAD the "block" as that is a particularly difficult piece for the home grown DiY. As for the handle and the arms we can sort that later...it is the "block" and the attachment metal that is a key piece which potentially perhaps could be solved through a single order if we can source a suitable metal work shop/light engineering place ? I think the thread from Northern Nomand provides an excellent set of photos and description of how to construct the cane arms...as for the decorative whipping and varnishing as a possible "kit"....that shod not present too many issues...

[Beresford]

Yes it would be worth running the poll. It's late now but if one of us has time tomorrow perhaps we could set one up.

I think there are four key metal components that are significantly challenging for the home builder:

The spreader block
The knurled, screwed threaded rod that holds the net head to the pole
The complex piece that holds the arms in place and forms the junction between head and pole (this to my mind is the most complex piece)
The fitting to the end of the pole over which the hinge piece locates

Were it possible to gather the materials to offer a kit for home assembly that would be ideal and very much in the spirit of Walker's quote 'don't pay anybody to make anything you can make yourself!'

[Barbulus]

Beresford either you or I can approach Mark to see if he is content for a "poll" here. It might be helpful if we can post some photographs of the four (?) offending pieces of metal work as well as having the drawings on CAD as that might help in helping form TFF Members opinions and views before "polling". I shall see over the next week or so if I can obtain any photographs of the various pieces. If one is not looking for an exact replica version then I believe there might be some "off the shelf" element available already through Halfords or even Homebase. As an example, I think someone has suggested that there is already in production a suitable threaded knurled nut that is used in bicycle frames that, albeit a metric thread, could be sufficiently robust and long enough to screw into the longer ferrule that this type of net requires given the stresses involved...

[Barbulus]

Beresford - from the drawings you have of the original....are the following photographs representative of the four metal parts to which you refer ? (The photographs are courtesy of the thread that Neil - Northern Nomad - posted last year from his marvellous take on this style of net. I hope he won't mind me posting these photo's again. It will cost me a pint of "Speckled Hen"....) The two components of the "block", the knurled nut - possibly one could utilise the M version series of knurled long nut for a bicycle....and then the longer brass ferrule for the screw thru into the cane handle...I would have PM'd this but can't upload photographs thru PM at present.

[Beresford]

The drawings I have differ from the pieces in these photographs. Interestingly Walker specifies a single piece wood spreader block but I very much like this version that has a wood core with alloy plates top and bottom. However, I'd still prefer a drilled one piece alloy version though. The really difficult/expensive part, if following Walker's design, is the hinge piece which is an alloy casting, heat treated and presumably then hand finished… I guess this could be machined these days from bar stock.

The hinge piece is shown in this image here…

viewtopic.php?f=66&t=5923&start=10

[Hovis]

It may be worth asking Skeff if he has any pictures of his net. There is some lovely shots of it in his book “a fool and his eel” This may you to get some dimensions together.