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How to make a wooden float with your own hands?

Modern wooden floats are distinguished by good sensitivity, have correct balancing and fly far. You can buy both sliding and blind floats. There is a category of fishermen who independently make wooden floats. In this article we will look at how to make a wooden float with a blind type of fastening at home.

Required materials and tools

We will need balsa. It can be purchased at aircraft modeling and shipbuilding stores. This material is very light and durable and can be processed well. Balsa is sold in slats and bars:

The main thing is to choose a bar with the same density along its entire length. The optimal density of balsa for floats is 0.1 - 0.12 g/cm. cube We also need steel wire with a diameter of 0.5-0.7 mm and carbon fiber rods 1 mm thick and 1 meter long.

To process the balsa we will use enamel or yacht varnish, light spirit and Moment glue. To make pass rings we need wire with a diameter of 0.2 mm. To paint the float we will need acrylic paints. They are sold in the store for creative activities.

It is better to process balsa using a DC motor DPR 52 drill:

If there is a more powerful motor, 150-200 W, then it is better to use it. If you don’t have one, you can use an electric drill with drills. We will also need sandpaper of different sizes, a sharp knife, pliers with wire cutters and drills with a diameter of 0.3 to 1 mm.

Keel parameters

A keel is necessary to properly balance the body of the float so that in the water it occupies the same position when properly loaded. To obtain a heavy float, use a longer keel made of thick wire. In this way, the center of gravity of the product is shifted.

If we need to get a float with a small carrying capacity, up to 1.5 grams, then we will need a keel weighing no more than 0.3 grams.

On floats with a small body, the mass of the keel is approximately 70-80% of the float's carrying capacity.

The keel is best made from carbon fiber rods with a thickness of 0.2-0.3 mm. If you need to get a heavier weight of the float, then use steel wire with a thickness of 0.3-0.5 mm. The keel should extend at least a third of the length of its body.

What to make an antenna for a float from?

The antenna can be made from a plastic hollow rod 0.5 mm thick.

The length of the rod can be from 5 to 7 cm. We glue the antenna 1 cm inside the body of the float. You can also make an antenna from bamboo. It has excellent buoyancy and does not absorb moisture. You can use kebab sticks. We varnish them and paint them red with acrylic paint. These sticks are quite thick and are very suitable for making floats.

We cut off part of the stick to the required length and varnish it, and then paint it.

Making the body of the float from balsa

To make the body of the float, you need to cut off part of the block and give it a rounded shape. First, cut the bars to the required length with a knife. Next, we cut off all the edges from them and clean the sharp edges with sandpaper.

After this, we grind the workpiece. If we use a motor, we screw the workpiece onto the drill.

Take a store float of the desired shape. We will use this as a sample. Next, turn on the engine and take medium-coarse sandpaper. While rotating, apply sandpaper to the barrel and grind it. The photo shows one of the simplest float options. It is possible to obtain more complex and sophisticated products. For example, such

First, we grind it with coarser sandpaper, and then use fine sandpaper to better process the barrels to the required shape and degree of smoothness.

Then you need to make holes for the keel and antenna. We make a hole for the keel. We remember that it should enter a third of the length of the barrel. We take a drill with the required drill diameter (0.1-0.2 mm) and drill a hole on the side where the float keel should be located. To perform this operation correctly, it is better to clamp the barrel in a vice so that it assumes a strictly vertical position. After this, moisten the keel in Moment glue and insert it inside. Leave the barrel in this position for 30 minutes. After this, we turn it over in a vice and make another hole for the antenna 1 cm deep. The diameter of the drill should match the diameter of the antenna.

The ideal option is to use a kebab stick. It is thick enough and will be securely glued into the body of the float. We also dip the stick in glue and insert it into the hole. When we insert the stick, a little glue will come out. We don't choose him. Let him stay. This will seal the keg. When the glue dries, carefully cut it off with a blade.

We wait another 30 minutes.

Primer and painting of the float

The next stage is priming and painting the body of the float. To do this, we take nitro varnish and dilute it with acetone to obtain a less viscous liquid. Pour the resulting liquid into some suitable container and lower the barrel into it. We hold the barrel for a few seconds and listen. After this, we send the float to dry in the sun or on a radiator. You can stick the keel into the foam or into the ground and place the float on the window.

After drying, we remove the smallest fluff and begin the final adjustment of the float. We use fine sandpaper and carefully clean the entire surface of the barrel.

Next, we need to make a small hole in the body of the float for a ring through which the fishing line will pass. To do this, take the thinnest drill and drill a hole literally 0.5 cm. Next, we make a ring with a diameter of 0.5 mm from thin wire, dip it in glue and insert it into the hole.

After this, we prime again, using urethane varnish. Acrylic and nitro paint fits well on this varnish.

Balancing the float

After all work, it is necessary to balance the float. This is done by trimming the keel. We take wire cutters and cut off the keel in small pieces. After each trim, place the float on the pencil.

The figure shows how a correctly loaded float should lie on a pencil.

conclusions

It is better to make floats in series, 5-10 pieces. This will make it productive. You can make floats with different load capacities and shapes.

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Often, fishermen prefer to make floats with their own hands rather than buy these fishing devices in stores.

And this is not at all surprising, since the use of homemade floats is beneficial for two simple reasons:

You save personal money; Based on your personal fishing considerations and needs, you can get a float of almost any shape, color, or design. Next we will talk about the manufacture of several types of floats.

During the work you may need some tools and a number of different materials.

Tools:

• Vise;
• Pliers;
• Drill;
• Calipers;
• Chisel.

Materials:

• A piece of foam;
• Goose feather;
• Bottle stopper;
• Plastic tube;
• Wire of different sections.

Also bring epoxy glue, a few pieces of sandpaper, and quality, waterproof paints.

Store floats

Foam floats are characterized by a high level of sensitivity. The most common are homemade spherical models, drop-shaped or olive-shaped floats.

To begin with, small square or rectangular blanks are cut out of a piece of foam plastic. Next, using a sharp utility knife, the float is given the desired shape and cleaned with sandpaper. Instead of a knife, you can use a drill with an appropriate attachment.

After cleaning the float from dust, we paint its body in the desired color or combination of colors. When the paint has dried, coat the foam float with varnish and again give the workpiece time to dry. Next, drill a small longitudinal hole in the center of the workpiece and insert a core (feather or wood) into it. Core length can reach 6-7 cm, thickness on average is 1-1.5 mm. You can also slightly change the design by gluing a thin feather element only into the upper part, and in the lower part making a small loop for fishing line from thin wire.

Instead of wire, you can use an eye from a hook. Most often, a single sinker is used in the tackle, when using it, only part of the float rod is visible to the fisherman. Foam floats are quite sensitive, so they will notify the fisherman even of weak bites. For the float to operate effectively, it requires fishing line with a thickness of up to 0.16 mm.

Most fishermen are also well aware of goose floats, which are distinguished by their excellent performance on the wave, good sensitivity and ease of manufacture. To make a float of this type, no complicated procedures are required. The only delicate point is removing the awn from a goose feather, since it is important not to damage its integrity. If everything went well, cut off the thinner part of the feather diagonally and bend it into a loop.

We insert a wire ring and a tongue from below, wrap it to the rod and coat it with varnish. The upper part is painted in the desired color if necessary.

According to the manufacturing scheme, this float is similar to the previous one. However, it must be remembered that the cork material is porous and gradually becomes heavier when in water. In this regard, all large holes in the workpiece must be closed using waterproof putty or alternative means. After this the float processed with sandpaper, degreased and painted. A rod with a loop is inserted into the longitudinal hole made. At the end of the loop, an eyelet from a large hook is put on.

Such a float is fixed using a tube that is put on a fishing line. It is shipped with 2-3 weights to approximately half the rod of the upper part of the float body.

Floats of this type are also highly sensitive and durable. The manufacturing process is simple. You will need a regular plastic tube that can be used as a holder for flags, balloons or cotton candy.

Take the tube and shorten it to the desired length. Next, you need to seal the edges to prevent water from getting inside. Using a lighter or a regular candle, heat the tube around the edges. When the plastic softens and swells a little, twist the heated end of the tube into a kind of pigtail. Next, we wait until the heated parts cool down and a reliable seal is obtained.

Once again, slightly heat one of the edges of the tube, after which you need to flatten it using pliers to make a small hole. This hole is needed for a thin wire on which the nipple will be put on and the fishing line will be threaded. All that remains is to trim off the excess, clean and paint the surface of the float. In just an hour you can make a whole set of sensitive and reliable floats of different colors without spending money in stores.

DIY float (video)

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Many fishermen prefer homemade floats to purchased ones and want to learn how to make a float with their own hands, rather than buying them in a store. Floats can be made of any shape that you like and can also be painted in your favorite color, which will please your eye while fishing or which seems less noticeable to the eyes of the fish. This article will tell you how to make a float yourself from various available materials and what floats you can make yourself.

How to make a float with your own hands

Making a float for a fishing rod with your own hands is quite simple. Of course, you will spend more time on the first floats and they will not be ideal, but then, with each new float, everything will go like clockwork and you yourself will be able to modify them yourself or come up with various new options for homemade floats. So, let's start in order and start making your first homemade float, or perhaps you have already made floats with your own hands, but have already forgotten the whole process or want to learn something new. Well, you have come to the right place and today you will get what you came here for.

What and what kind of float to make?

A float can be made from a variety of materials, which naturally should float well on the water. The most affordable, practical, sensitive and suitable materials for making a homemade float are presented in this list:

• goose feather (if you can get it, you can use a swan feather);
• a plastic tube (from a balloon, cotton candy or flag);
• cork;
• tree;
• Styrofoam.

When choosing materials for a float, you need to take into account what kind of fish you will use it on, because homemade floats made of different materials differ in sensitivity to bites. So, for such small fish as or, floats made of a goose feather or a plastic tube are best suited, but for catching a predator, such as or, with live bait, a float made of foam or cork, which are less sensitive and ideal for powerful and sharp predator bites that will not go unnoticed and at the same time, such floats will be very heavy for the live bait and it will not be able to tangle the tackle or take it away from the fishing spot. Although the predator is more often caught. Below I will tell you about making homemade floats from each proposed material.

How to make a feather float

It is one of the most sensitive floats. Due to its keel-shaped shape, it very well transmits even light touches of the fish to the bait, which significantly increases the chances of a successful hooking. Having such a huge advantage over other floats, this float is not at all difficult to make. Moreover, one can say that he is already ready by nature. As they say, everything ingenious is simple. This float created by nature only needs to be cleaned of fluff, leaving only the rod. The rod should be cleaned carefully so as not to damage its integrity or disrupt its waterproofness. The easiest way to do this is by scorching the fluff over a fire, using a simple lighter or matches, or carefully cutting it off with a blade, then it is advisable to lightly sand it with fine sandpaper.

Now you need to come up with a fastening for the fishing line. Here, too, everything is simple - a small rubber ring is put on the lower, thinner part of the pen, usually a nipple is used for this, from which a piece is cut off, about 5 mm long, and put on the pen. Or, with adhesive tape or electrical tape, a wire is attached to the bottom of the float, twisted into a braid or into a ring, onto which a nipple can then be attached.

Now you can catch fish on our feather float by threading a fishing line through it and hanging a weight of the required weight. One thing remains. The natural color of a feather can be hard to see on the water, especially when clouds are reflected on the water and our float merges with their reflection. To make it easy to observe our float without straining your eyesight, you need to paint its top in a clearly visible color. Usually, when painting a float, a combination of black with orange, red or light green is chosen. The float should be painted either with waterproof paint or with any other, non-waterproof paint, but then the float should be coated with colorless varnish on top of the paint. You don’t have to worry about it and just borrow nail polish from your wife, sister or mother that is ideal for this procedure.

Now our feather float is singed, sanded, equipped with an elastic band for fishing line, painted and completely ready for fishing. Making such a homemade float will take you very little time. It is very convenient to make such a float, several at a time, and besides, it can be made even in the field, on the shore of a pond, if you are suddenly left fishing without a float.

How to make a float from a plastic tube

A float made of a plastic tube, which is often used as a holder for a flag, cotton candy or a balloon, is a kind of analogue of a goose feather float, but its shape will be more proportional and even, and the appearance of such a float is much more aesthetically pleasing. This float is quite durable, you can break it only if you really want to, its sensitivity is also at the highest level and there are no difficulties in manufacturing. In general, a good option for making a homemade float.

So, as I said, this float is very simple to make. We take a plastic tube, measure the length we need,

then you need to seal the edges of this tube so that water cannot penetrate inside. To do this, stepping back a little from the edge of the tube, heat it with a lighter, or better yet, with a candle, until it softens and a kind of bubble forms on its surface.

When the plastic tube has softened sufficiently and swelled in the place of heating, we twist it in this place into a kind of pigtail. Let the tube cool and the seal is ready. We do the same on the other side of the tube.

Then, again, slightly heat any edge of the tube and, when it softens, you need to flatten this edge with pliers so that you can make a hole in it for a wire or a lock, onto which you then put a nipple and thread the fishing line. The nipple can also be placed on the twisted tip of the float itself. We cut off the excess, sand the surface, paint the float and now it is ready. With some skill, making a float from a plastic tube will take you no more than a few minutes. In an hour you can make enough such floats for yourself and your friends for several seasons.

Video on how to make a float from a plastic tube

How to make a homemade float from cork or polystyrene foam

The principle of making a float from foam plastic is the same as a float from cork, so I will talk about their manufacture in one section. These floats are significantly inferior in sensitivity to floats made of feathers and plastic tubes, but they are excellent for catching fish large enough to sink such a float, as well as for catching predators. The carrying capacity of such floats is decent, so the live bait will be securely fixed in the desired fishing spot, and the predator’s bite will be clearly visible.

Any fisherman can make a foam float with his own hands; the technology for making it is quite simple. To make such a float, you need to cut out the required shape from polystyrene foam or a wine cork; you can cut out a rough blank and shape it on a grindstone, a grinding machine or a drill with an emery attachment. A rod is inserted through this blank, which can be anything, for example, a lollipop stick, an ampoule from a pen, a metal wire, a plastic tube, which does not even need to be sealed, since buoyancy is ensured not by the tightness of the tube, but by foam plastic or cork, depending on what material you decide to use. You can also use any other object that is suitable in shape as a rod. We make the fastening for the fishing line from twisted wire, one end of which is inserted into a tube-rod, and a nipple is put on the other. As I said above, the nipple can be placed directly on the rod. We paint and the float is ready.

Video on how to make a float from foam plastic

A good, fast, easy and at the same time quite high-quality way to make a homemade foam float. It is enough to have available means. Let's watch the video.

How to make a wooden float with your own hands

Making a wooden float yourself is quite difficult. An order of magnitude more complicated than all the floats that we discussed above. To make wooden floats, you need certain skills, and if floats made of foam plastic, cork and feathers can still be made by hand, then it will be much more difficult to do without tools. The material for a high-quality wooden float is also unlikely to be lying around someone’s house, since balsa wood is best suited for making a float. You can make a float from bamboo, the floats from it are quite high quality, but you will also have to work a little on making them. The technology for making bamboo floats is described in more detail in the video.

DIY bamboo float

How to make a sliding float with your own hands

Sometimes, it becomes necessary to use a sliding float, this is especially important when casting long distances or when the depth at the fishing spot exceeds the length of the rod itself. Sometimes a sliding float is simply not replaceable for long-distance casting. How to do it? There's really nothing hard about it.

The float is a constant companion for avid fishermen. This ancient invention is used to detect a bite in time. Over time, the appearance, shape and materials from which this tackle is made have changed greatly, but the principle of operation has remained the same.

For successful fishing, the choice of floats plays a vital role. And in some cases it makes sense to make them yourself. After all, for certain weather conditions, depths, and fishing locations, floats of various shapes, weights and sizes are used. If it is difficult to choose the optimal model, you can make a float with your own hands, or even several, as they say, for all occasions. To do this you will need simple tools, available materials and, of course, your imagination.

Materials and tools

To make floats, you cannot do without tools such as calipers, a vice and a hand or electric drill. The materials you can use are foam plastic, tubes of different diameters, wire, paint, glue and much more.

Homemade floats made from natural materials, such as wood, bird feathers, porcupine quills or balsa, are very popular. When using feathers, it is very important to completely clean their surface from the fan to prevent moisture from entering. These homemade ones are very light and suitable for almost any body of water.

Requirements for homemade floats

In general, making a float is quite simple, but this product must have certain qualities, otherwise fishing with it will simply be impossible. The main requirement is sustainability. It is also necessary to make the float from bright materials or coat it with colored varnish. If this is not done, the tackle will be poorly visible on the water. Homemade fishing floats must be strong enough, moisture-resistant and durable.

Any product that meets all of the above requirements can be considered quite successful. Yes, there is one more condition. This is a high sensitivity, thanks to which you can detect even the slightest touch of the fish on the bait.

And the production of the float should be quite economical. After all, if rare tools or expensive materials are required to create it, production will be impractical.

Making a balsa float

Balsa is an ideal material for making floats of various types. Among the advantages, high density, strength and durability should be highlighted. In addition, dried balsa is very soft, so no special tools are required to work with it.

After manufacturing the float body, it is necessary to produce a high-quality coating. The fact is that balsa absorbs moisture very quickly, so it is necessary to perform an initial primer with alcohol dye, and then thoroughly dry it. And only at the end of all these manipulations can you start painting the product. If you do not paint the entire surface of the float well, then when it comes into contact with water, its carrying capacity changes greatly, which affects the functionality of the gear.

A DIY balsa float is easy to make, suitable for any type of fishing and lasts a very long time.

Foam float

The most popular material for making floats is foam. It is recommended to use a material that has a high density. The fact is that such foam with small cells is much easier to process.

The structure of this material resembles wood. Therefore, when in contact with water, the foam will absorb moisture, which will negatively affect its functions. Therefore, after making the body of the product, it is necessary to carefully coat it with varnish. But you should avoid contact of the material with solvents that destroy it.

Sometimes, in order to make a high-quality foam float with your own hands, it is recommended to burn the body of the product a little, reducing its water permeability. And to compact the structure, the material can be rolled out between two boards.

Manufacturing procedure

First, you should make a preliminary drawing in order to subsequently comply with the dimensions of the gear. Then you need to cut the blanks, focusing on the dimensions of the layout, and it is advisable to make them a few millimeters larger.

It is most convenient to perform this work using a machine with an electric saw. You need to attach a wire or a bicycle spoke to a stationary drill to make a hole. To make the body of the tackle, it is best to use a chisel. To ensure that homemade floats are not inferior in quality to factory ones, you should carefully sand them using sandpaper.

A wire is used as a keel, which must be tinned to protect it from corrosion, and then coated with epoxy glue and inserted into the body of the product. All that remains is to paint our float. For this, it is best to use dark nitro paint and light fluorescent paint. And for the antenna, white, red and black paint is suitable.

Feather float

If you want to make a float with maximum sensitivity, then you won’t find a better material than a goose feather. Thanks to its keel-shaped shape, such tackle is capable of transmitting the slightest touch of the fish to the hook.

To make such a float with your own hands, you need to clean the feather from the fluff, leaving only the rod. It is very important that during the cleaning process it remains intact, otherwise water will enter inside. Therefore, it is best to singe the fluff over a small fire.

Next, you need to put a rubber ring on the bottom of the feather, which will serve as a fastener for the fishing line. In order for the float to be clearly visible in the water, its upper part should be painted in a bright color. A great option is combinations of contrasting tones, for example, red and green or black and orange. It can only be used and the top of the product must be opened with a layer of transparent varnish.

Tackle made from plastic tubes

Among the ways to make a float with your own hands, one of the most popular is making gear from plastic tubes. This material is similar to natural feathers, but is smoother and more aesthetically pleasing. A tube float has such qualities as strength, high sensitivity and ease of manufacture.

You should cut a piece of the required length from the tube and solder the ends so that water does not get inside. One end of the tube is heated, a hole is made with wire, into which the fishing line is threaded. You can put on a nipple. The float is painted in bright colors and varnished.

To make such gear, you do not need expensive materials or tools, and the whole process will take only a few minutes.

Wooden float

Making wooden gear will require certain skills. This type of float is one of the most difficult to produce. In addition, if when making equipment from foam plastic or tubes it was possible to get by with improvised means, then when working with wood you will need special tools.

To grind the body of the tackle, you will need an electric drill. In addition, the finished float must be thoroughly sanded and painted. As for wood, there are no restrictions in the choice of its varieties. Very often, fishermen use bamboo because it is quite easy to process. But even working with such simple material will take a lot of time and require patience and perseverance. If this is your first time trying your hand at this art, don’t grab the stars from the sky. Try making a simple float first. With your own hands you can create a real masterpiece that can compete with store-bought models. But be prepared for the fact that this will not happen right away. Everything has its time.

How to make it yourself

For long casts or when the fishing rod is not long enough, sliding floats are usually used. Such tackle easily moves along the fishing line between two stops that limit it.

The manufacturing process is quite simple. You can use a float made from any material, such as straw, polystyrene foam or balsa. In this case, stoppers can also be made independently. Although they cost pennies, so it’s best to simply purchase this part at the nearest fishing store.

The attachment of such a float should allow it to move freely along the line. In addition, it must be such that the stopper cannot fit into it. The best option is to create an eyelet from wire, which attaches it to the tackle. If you thread a fishing line into it and install stoppers at the required distance, the sliding float will be ready for use.

Long casting tackle

To make such products, you can use cork, plastic, feathers, foam, wood and much more. However, the ideal material in this case is reed. Homemade from reed has a number of advantages, for example, it lies quietly on the water, is convenient for catching light fish, and is resistant to currents and waves.

The manufacturing process is as follows: using a stationery knife, we make cuts on the workpiece and sharpen them a little. Next, you need to prepare a stick, which will subsequently be inserted into the workpiece. Alternatively, use a long wooden skewer.

On the other hand, you need to throw a few pellets, which are used to regulate the load of the product. They must first be lubricated with glue. The gluing areas must be well treated with adhesive and rewound with thread. The float antenna can be painted in any bright color; most often nail polish is used for this purpose. Finally, we reveal our beauty

Glowing float

For fishing at night, floats with chemical elements are most often used, however, such devices are disposable, and their cost is quite high.

Therefore, it is possible to make a luminous float, in which an LED powered by two batteries will be used as a light emitter. The body of such equipment can be made from an ordinary disposable syringe. Its upper part must be cut off and an LED must be inserted, to which wires should be soldered and batteries should be connected.

We cut off the piston rod. We fix the fishing line securely. To do this, you need to make a hole in the piston and put a rubber tube on it. We carefully cover all joints so that no water gets inside the product.

LEDs are very economical, so two batteries are enough for several. In addition, such a light source works at any temperature, so it is suitable for use at any time of the year. The choice of LED light bulb color depends only on the preferences of the fisherman.

Ice fishing float

Quite often, homemade fishing gear is more functional and convenient than branded ones. But how to make a float with your own hands that is suitable for winter fishing?

To do this, just take the body of a helium pen, a plastic tube and two pins. The body of the future float will be made of the tip and the cap of the handle, which are glued to each other.

Next, you need to cut two pieces of plastic tube, 0.5 cm each. Round and sand the edges. Pins coated with glue are inserted inside. The result should be a hinge system with a link connection.

One of the tubes should be coated with glue and inserted into the hole at the bottom of the float body. Using a marker or varnish, you need to draw a black line slightly below the top of the product. The upper part of the tackle should be painted in any bright color with nail polish.

Instead of an afterword

For a real fisherman, preparing fishing gear brings no less pleasure than the process of catching fish. They are ready to do this for hours! And if you manage to make your own gear that is ideal for a certain type of fishing, then the fisherman’s joy will know no bounds.

There are a lot of ways to make a float. Choose the option that you prefer. As you can see for yourself, the manufacturing process of these products is not particularly difficult, but it allows you to save money. Especially when you consider that in an evening you can make more than a dozen different floats. Therefore, stock up on everything you need, confiscate nail polish from your spouse or ladylove, be patient and... As they say, neither scales nor tail!

In the summer they gave me a piece of hard foam from an old life jacket. Well, since in the summer I lose up to a dozen floats, I decided to try to make them myself. I don’t go fishing in winter, I have a lot of time.

We cut it into pieces. We choose the size at our discretion, but since I’m happy with small ones, I cut this piece into 4 parts.

I bought bamboo skewers for shish kebabs at the market, they cost a penny, and selected a drill of such a diameter that the skewer would fit closely into the hole that we were drilling in the workpiece.

Now we give the approximate shape of the float with a stationery knife.

Insert skewers into the pieces.

Place a drop of Chinese super glue between the skewer and the foam. This is done so that when we grind the foam, it does not scroll.

The glue dries instantly, and after 5-10 minutes you can grind it down. Here I had to call my wife for help to hold the drill and regulate the speed. There is a simple way out of this situation: hold the drill in a vise and adjust the speed using the speed control pedal from the sewing machine. But for this you need a drill without electronic speed control, otherwise it doesn’t work, the drill immediately takes up more than half the speed. You can also adapt the dimmer for a chandelier.
Next, we attach our float to the drill so as not to crush the skewer. Just press it a little with your hand and that's it - it will hold on.
Yes, I forgot to write that we choose the skewers as evenly as possible! But they will still hit, so you need to lightly hold the antenna with your left hand.
Since we did the initial processing with a knife, the float will wobble. To avoid this, you need to take something hard and put sandpaper on it. I came across a flat file, so I took it. The lower end of the file needs to be rested on the table or, like mine, on a cutting board. Spin the drill to medium speed and smoothly bring the file and sandpaper to the float. We start with coarse sandpaper, remove all the beating and gradually shape the future float.

When the beating is gone, you can remove the file, and then work using the hardness of the sandpaper, moving on to finer sandpaper.

This is what happens when you are in a hurry. I pressed the file a little harder and the keel broke!

Before completing the processing, we change the direction of rotation of the drill and lightly sand it with very fine sandpaper. This is done so that the fibers of the foam, which were licked during the rotation of the drill, are ground off and the pores open.
Now we dilute the PVA glue to a milky state and coat the foam with a brush. Let's dry it. Now our float has become like a hedgehog! It was all the fibers that rose and hardened from the glue. We again clamp the float into the drill and remove these fluffs with sandpaper, preferably a new sandpaper.
Then pour some baby powder into a plate and pour regular emulsion into a jar. Dilute it with water until it becomes cream. The emulsion should be the simplest, which is not advisable to wash and wipe.

Now rub the powder into the foam.

Dip into emulsion.

Sprinkle with a little more powder.

Let's start rubbing in this paste. Well, the main thing here is not to overdo it with powder, otherwise everything will quickly thicken and smear poorly. Here you need to watch how the slurry falls on the foam. It is advisable to achieve fewer open pores the first time.

Level the slurry evenly over the float, wait until the slurry begins to keep the pores closed (this is about 30-40 seconds), and again dip the float into the emulsion. I’ll say right away for the future: there should be no air bubbles (foam) in the jar, as they will stick to the float. The float must be raised slowly! So that, due to surface tension, the excess emulsion, and then the varnish, flows into the jar immediately, and does not form streaks during drying.

Then we dry it again. Flint from the foam plastic may appear again, remove it as before. Again we lower and pull out the float into the emulsion and see how many unsealed pores remain. If they are, and they will be 100%, then rub in the powder and repeat everything. And so on three times until you achieve that when the float was lifted from the emulsion there was not a single open pore on it.
All this is dried until completely dry each time. After drying, the surface should be smooth, without pores or irregularities. Now let’s take a waterproof and super-white emulsion. We dilute it with water in the same way as cream, and without any powder we simply dip it in and slowly pull out our float. Let's dry it. Dip again and dry again. After drying, use a brush to paint the antenna with this super-white paint.

Well, all that remains is to paint our floats. Yes, I forgot to write that I dry the floats using clothespins. I hang it either by the keel or by the antenna. Nowadays there are many different dyes; you need acrylic ones, which are diluted with water.

We can talk a lot about the color of floats. There are no problems with floats that are not afraid of nitro paints, and these are mainly made of wood. Everything is simple there - sand it thoroughly with fine sandpaper, dip it straight into nitro varnish (it will reshape and fill all the unevenness and pores), and then paint it with any dyes. It is best to use automotive enamels, nitro paints, and they also sell very bright nitro paints in small bottles in stores for those who like to collect various models. But all this requires costs, and you won’t buy several multi-colored cans of expensive car enamels in order to use a few grams from each can. The main thing here is to carve the body of the float out of wood, which is quite problematic using a drill.
Well, this is all speculation, and we will proceed from what we have. Now our float (foam) is also protected and can be painted with nitro paints. But I will tell you how I did it and about my mistakes that appeared after a while.
We take a jar and pour super-white waterproof enamel into it (it was above in the photo) and add dye to the shade we need. Don't forget to dilute everything with water. We will paint the bottom of the float with this composition.
The color itself plays a role here. If you fish at depth, then you don’t have to bother and paint it any beautiful color. But if in shallow water, then it is advisable to choose the color of some driftwood, a leaf that has fallen into the water, etc. You yourself know that large fish are very careful and are careful not to come close to bright objects.
We immerse the float in our paint and slowly raise it. The paint should flow evenly and easily. I raise it for about 10-15 seconds so that the excess glass is immediately released and there are no smudges later.

Of course we dry it. One dip is enough.
Next, make the next color in another jar. You only need a little bit of it, and you can apply it directly with a brush, but only 2 times. The brush should be very soft, because we will then apply the varnish to it. I bought several of these, they cost about 17 rubles. Don’t forget to rinse the brush well immediately. Yes, I just added a little PVA glue to the yellow dye, because if you add dye to the enamel, the color becomes pale.

From the keel of the float, we use a knife to clean all our previously applied layers of putty and paint down to the skewer. I thought for a long time about what to paint next. I tried to spread all sorts of colors and, while slowly rotating the drill, draw rings with the thinnest brush, but since the skewers were still crooked and beat a little, the width of the lines with the brush was different and I decided to continue painting with markers. The drill operates at low speed, we bring the marker, the ring is ready. First we draw light and then dark tones. We wait until the marker dries.

Well, now comes the crucial moment. We will coat our float with colorless nitro varnish for wood. The fact is that the varnish dissolves the marker! Therefore, we do this: turn on the drill at the slowest speed, dip the brush in the varnish and literally just touch our coloring. In one motion, for one second, we cover the blue rings and the black ones nearby with a thin layer of varnish. Right in the jar of varnish, we rinse the brush from marker residues that have stained the bristles. Again we dip it in varnish and with the same quick movement we cover the bottom of the float, and then the black rings on the antenna. Dries very well. And we do this 2 times. The third time, you can cover the body of the float with a brush, but you need to ensure that there is not too little varnish on the brush. I swiped it a little, dipped it, then again... The third time you can go through the entire antenna, almost to the very tip. If only you could then take the float and not get your hands dirty. We will paint the very tip with a brush last.

Had a little snack :)

Well, now you can apply two final coats of varnish by immersion. Only, of course, after each layer I dried it for 12 hours, and after the second layer - for a couple of days. We lower the float into the jar of varnish so that the varnish covers the first black ring, and gently raise it - 10-15 seconds. We hang it in the same vertical position to dry.

Then we varnish the antenna with a brush. That's all!
This applies to those who attach the float to a bicycle nipple. But, since I use sliding floats, we continue further.
We buy a 2 kW nichrome spiral from the store and unwind it onto a reel from an old fishing line. Carefully cut off the tip of the keel and peel off the varnish down to the skewer.

Next, we are looking for something like a mandrel for winding a spiral from purchased nichrome. It should be literally a little thinner than the keel of the float. We clamp the mandrel into the drill, secure the beginning of the wire and wind the spiral onto the mandrel. Then we bend a couple of turns of our spiral with a knife, insert the tip of the pliers into the resulting ring and bend the ring so that the beginning of the wire is almost hidden under the main spiral. It is clearly visible in the photo. This is so that the fishing line or carabiner does not cling to the beginning of the turn. You can, of course, pick up a ready-made spring from oil seals for cars, they are stronger, but you need to hang around near a car service center and rummage through the trash.

All that remains is to paint and varnish. That's all the technology is. It may have turned out a little dreary, but I think everything is clear.

Well, now about what should not have been done...
It turns out that the varnish discolors the marker! After two months of making the floats, the blue color became completely pale, and the black color also turned pale! But the yellow, which was diluted with PVA glue, remained bright, and the body of the float itself did not turn pale! The conclusion suggests itself: it was necessary to dilute the paint with PVA glue or waterproof enamel! But then you would have to apply it with a brush.
Let me remind you once again that the floats have not yet been tested in the field, and we will only know how they will perform in the spring. If I could help someone, or was just interested, I would be glad.

Here's the end result: