QUESTION: In this day of synthetic fibers, why do you still use a wooden stick?
MODIN: I just like the feel of it. I was never able to get into a one-piece stick. I ran into some problems when I used it, a lot of vibrations through the shaft went up into my elbow. So, I stayed away from that and kept using my wooden stick.
QUESTION: How do you prepare a wooden stick?
MODIN: The wood is very different from batch to batch. I just want to make sure the shaft is straight. The wooden stick, it can bend a little bit and sometimes the sticks are crooked and a little twisted. I make sure it's straight in all directions. If it's crooked, you can't use it.
QUESTION: How do you curve the blade?
MODIN: You like it a certain way and if it's not that way, you bend it a little bit. Some sticks you have to do a little of that and some sticks you don't have to do any of that. You heat it up with a torch to make it soft and you bend it. The wooden sticks, you can bend them a lot.
QUESTION: Would you consider changing to fiberglass?
MODIN: The new ones coming out, they're made in a mold so they are perfect, every one of them. You tell them the curve you want and it comes exact every time. That's why I wanted to get out of (using) my wooden stick, because of the consistency compared to the wooden ones. We'll see.
