These are three Nep-Tuna cradles that I had for a while, none had rods when I got them. I always wanted to fish some of these cradles for Cod and Haddock but all my complete Nep-Tuna cradles had very short butts. I had a few blanks already one a Fenwick one a Lamiglas and Cal-Star ?? Any way I went ahead and mounted the reels in the cradles one an older 113-H 4/0 with 4 to 1 gears and nice drag set one a 505-HS and last a 500-S Jigmaster. Dave and I reworked the butts with old heavy fiberglass rod sections. Then Dave took cradles and blanks along with guides I had bought ahead of time and got wrapping !!
He was meticulous with his wraps !!! If he wasn't completely satisfied with a wrap apart it came and he did it over till he was happy !! I picked the colors as he never did that for any customers that way if they weren't happy it wasn't his fault LOL !!! The one that looks like a Nep-Tuna I was amazed with he nailed it right down to decal and gold wrap!! I love the way he did butt wraps not the fanciest out there but always very neat and clean. His guides were also very neat and always perfectly aligned !! He also put the fore and aft grips on all rods including the cork on the 4/0.
Dave died of crazy fast moving Cancer a year ago on Christmas day. I think of him often he was a good friend and always there to talk !! I have to say I miss his talent as well !! I have many projects he never got to !! Last picture was Dave holding a nice Pollock he just jigged up. RIP Dave ! John Taylor
PS: Like a mason or a shoe maker Dave never went all out on his own rods and his cleaning after a day or two in the saltwater was lean the rod and reel against the barn till next time LOL !!!!!
A good many of our talented friends have passed on.
In my case, I will cherish the creations that they created — as I use them on the water or out in the backcountry.
Gorgeous setups!
Best, Fred
amazing rods you have there and also a great tribute to show what Dave was doing specially if you liked them, I really admire those chevrons, cosmetic wraps that some guys create, I still dont feel like getting into that kind of detail.
Dec 2020 was hard for me also and didnt come to at.com as often normally so, I didnt know Dave "droppedit" passed away as you said, he was avid poster on the rodbuilding section, my condolences to you, I have lost two close friends lately and still miss them a lot.
A talented man, great looking rods. Good you have a little bit of him to take fishing with you.
Quote from: Swami805 on February 26, 2022, 10:41:32 PM
A talented man, great looking rods. Good you have a little bit of him to take fishing with you.
I have more than a little bit LOL !!!!! JT
I have had a little time with Dave sitting at Eastman's Dock waiting for the boat. It was always a big learning thing for me.
I will always miss him.
Mike
WOW. That's a gorgeous stand....miss that guy on here. His work is stellar, like you said, clean and on-point.
Love the red-knob 24-56. That's a pretty rare bird.
John
That thread work is humbling. Great tribute.
There is a lot of skilled work on those rods ... Did dave fish out Sheepshead Bay ?
stickied!!!!!
I had the pleasure to meet Dave at John's home just before his diagnoses. He was full of life, remodeling his home and adding a 1500 square foot shop for his rod work. I had brought up a Tycoon 1000 bamboo to see if he could take on the rebuild. He said he'd be happy to do it, but first he needed to finish the remodel. Four months later he was gone. He was indeed a fine gentleman and a good friend to John who departed too soon.
Here is another one of Dave's best rods !! John Taylor
IMG_4391 (1).jpgIMG_4392 (1).jpgIMG_4396 (1).jpgIMG_4397 (1).jpgIMG_4402 (1).jpgIMG_4404 (1).jpgIMG_4409 (1).jpg
I don't know what I am doing wrong when posting pictures ?? I seem to end up with two sets and for some reason only the second set can be enlarged ?? Dunno ?? JT
Sorry for your and our loss. RIP Dave Turner. Dominick
Quote from: 54bullseye on March 15, 2022, 02:02:21 AMI don't know what I am doing wrong when posting pictures ?? I seem to end up with two sets and for some reason only the second set can be enlarged ?? Dunno ?? JT
That insert button causes the attachment to get added a second time. Discussed here:
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=34666.msg409838#msg409838 (https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=34666.msg409838#msg409838)
Really nice threadwork in those photos. No extra bling, just great craftsmanship and clean design.
Thanks for sharing some samples of his work.