awesome fish!
Posts by mrmike
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OK so the latest update is: the final piece has been drilled I will tap it tomorrow and set it down in the end of the pole. Hopefully everything will be welded this weekend!
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I wanted to start a thread to help yak spearos locate and sell their yaks.
Hope this helps.Here is a Scupper Pro for sale:
just fyi, I emailed this guy a couple days ago and he said hes the original owner and its about 10 years old.
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around 24 inches ,, im guessing maybe 5-6lbs. definetly big for these parts
thats what my guess was, biggest me and my friends have gotten beach diving was around 21", but usually there closer to 15"
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thats a nice hog, any idea what it weighed or how long it was?
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I was north of the port today conditions were perfect for a beach dive. we swam out to about 35fsw and got a hog and a decent sized margate. saw 2 big mangrove snapper and a 3 foot barracuda, but never had a shot on any of them with the polespear. my beach dive board works great for holding gear and fish but I need a new knife because I had a hell of a time trying to kill the margate =( current picked up from the south towards the end of the dive and my gay little split fins were barely enough to overcome it. but overall it was a good day
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sounds like you met some of south floridas finest patrons....
I like the areas i dive, i remember a couple weeks ago i just came in from like 6 hours and opened a beer on the beach (never had a problem with it before and I always clean up my mess) this cop comes by on a four wheeler before I can toss the cap in the cooler and says "hey pour that beer in a water bottle, it cant look like your drinking beer on the beach".... my jaw dropped in astonishment he was probably the coolest cop ive ever met -
Very cool so far. I think that recessed area DEMANDS shapelock. I have had good hectoring results with a lobster snot glove.
I agree with the shape lock stuff, today using the workout glove I was literally peeling the tape down itself... a very thin layer is left but most of it is bunched up in a wad where the bottom of my hand would be
I think a 1/2" band pulled over 4 feet and a glove to let me hold it there for minutes on end if need be is just asking too much of the self-amalgamating tape.LB please define a "lobster snot glove" your not talking the loose knit like gloves with the silicone weave on it are you????
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please elaborate... haha
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seas were flat and current was light today but visibility was mediocre where I was at, there was a greenish-brown haze several feet thick a couple feet below the surface. it made the bottom hard to see in 10-20 feet of water. once below the haze visibility was probably 25-30ft
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I finally got to test out a dive board that I made that almost copies dans design. I have to say it was well worth the small investment in time/money: it tows far easier than a floatball dive flag, is far more visible, and is very useful should I need to remove any of my gear momentarily or rest.
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ok, so I called some local machine shops and am not getting the answers I was hoping for..... The only place that said they'd do it has a $40 minimum, i kinda laughed at the guy and tried to reason with him.... $40 for a 2 inch deep hole sounds ridiculous to me, not to mention they said it would take a couple days... im still awestruck thats more than Ive invested in the entire setup thus far....
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If you are using any of the 6000 series aluminum alloys, you really don't want that weld that you show running all the way around the 1/2" rod in the second option. It's not about the quality of the welder. It's simply that the heat will further weaken (anneal) what is already the weak link.
You can get the shapelock plastic at www.shapelock.com. When cooled, it is about as hard as UHMW. There are also a couple of ways to make the surface more "grippy" if you go that route.
correct me if im wrong - my view of it is that the aluminum is not the weakpoint but a slip-fit joint is, by welding it together doesnt that make the aluminum weaker but the joint stronger???
I checked out that shapelock stuff, it could be a very viable solution especially since the spear is stepped and would further reduce the chances of it sliding. please enlighten me about making it more grippy(first thought that came to mind was to use something textured to mold it)
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Just curious, but why are you welding the rod in place instead of just securing it with a simple pin? I could understand if the fitup was poor, but since you have gone through the trouble to accurately ream the tube ID, it should be a nice fit. Probably good enough that a little silicone or locktite during assembly would easily waterproof the joint.
You probably already knew this, but most aluminum rod and tube extrusions are alloy 6061 or 6063. Both get some of their higher strength from heat treating, and will soften considerably when you weld them.
Also, I was wondering about your idea of forming a grip around the smaller rod. Would a formed shapelock grip make it easier to hold?
its actually pressed together so tightly right now that i cant disassemble it. the welds make it permanent, so after repeated collisions with fish/reef/rock it won't loosen. My dad and I discussed welding it for a couple hours over the past month and although its not necessary it wont hurt it either(the strength compromised shouldnt ever be noticable in this application - however if it were tested then yes a strength decrease would be observed), given the correct aluminum welding rod is used/proper heat and penetration etc. (hes the welder not me, hes an aviation welder taught by a welder in the airforce) so the weld will both strengthen the joint and seal the tube.
About the grip... im currently planning on self amalgamating tape although im not hugely sold on its succes(see where its folding/sliding on my odor after about 8 trips) i briefly considered a poured/molded soft plastic but didnt know where to get the supplies for such a thing. I know in middle school we made plastic grips for tools but the tools were just dipped and the plastic was far too hot to mold. I'm not sure if theres anything out there that is soft enough to mold without being so soft that the strength of the band will destroy it. If you have any ideas/suggestions im all ears
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anybody need some decent/good tires? price is negotiable.
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SO im about 90% complete, unfortunately I broke my drill press today so Im just going to have the last precision piece done at a machine shop tomorrow (hopefully). Once its drilled the entire thing will be ready for welding. heres some pics:
Image 1 shows the length and diameter difference compared to my odor (remember my homemade weighs 20% less too). Image 2 shows the grip area, I know there were some questions/concerns regarding this area. Notice the holes drilled into the tube, thats where the plug welding takes place. and Image 3 shows the cross-drilled and chamfered hole and the ray odor band attached
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Thanks Don.
In this case I'm not clear on what needs to be reamed with this pole spear.
I'm making the spear out of hollow tube, but the ends need to be solid so that I can tap one for the tip to screw into and the back end needs to be crossdrilled for the band to go through. So the way I decided to make a hollow tube solid is by welding a piece of rod inside the tube. if that doesnt make sense ill try to post pictures tomorrow and that should make it make sense.
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exactly like Don said, its essentially a precision drill bit - standard drill bits drill oblong holes whereas a ream makes an almost perfectly round hole. I mentioned in an earlier post that the rod wouldnt slide inside the tube.... After taking some measurements I found that the inside diameter (ID) of the tube was .495" and the the outside diameter (OD) of the rod was in fact .500", thus causing the problem and holding me up until today.
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got my ream today and began reaming the tube and fitting the rods. should be able to finish up tomorrow and have it ready for welding by saturday. Im hoping to take it out sunday and try it out. Will try to post pics tomorrow or thursday. it looks like it will be about 6'6" without a tip so total length will be 7'6" or 9'
