Product Information

Pontillo Furniture Concepts is owned and operated by Philip Pontillo in Whitefish, Montana.  Primarily a custom furniture business, I started making wood fly boxes between jobs.  Since then, they have grown to be a large part of my business.  I have such an appreciation not only for the natural beauty of wood itself, but for the amazing number of species available.  Off white, light brown, dark brown, vivid yellow, red, purple, orange; these are just some of the colors that are completely natural to the wood with no additional stains or dyes.

 Box Construction:

All fly boxes are handmade using shop built jigs and templates with a router. Features include brass hinges and screws, rare earth magnet closures, one flat and one ripple foam insert, and hand rubbed three part finish.  Each piece of wood used is carefully selected for it's grain and color.  The wood is partially milled and left to acclimate between 1 to 4 months to ensure stability in the final product.

Box Finish:

The first step of the finish is pure tung oil and polyurethane.  This applied, left to soak into the wood, and wiped off.  The second step is pure tung oil and beeswax, melted together and applied hot, left to cure slightly, then hand rubbed to remove the excess. The third step is furniture paste wax made from Carnuba.  This is applied, left to haze over, then buffed out with a lambswool pad. 

Box Care:

These boxes are very durable, are made to be used, and they will float if dropped in the water. With proper care, they will last for many years. Here are some tips for caring for your fly box:

Although these boxes are very water resistant, they should not be completely submerged in the water for long periods of time.

If a box is submerged for a long period of time, completely dry out both the inside and outside of the box and leave open with the inside up to dry out.

You may notice depending on temperature, humidity, and how wet the box gets that a space may develop between the two halves when closed. This is normal and when the box dries out it will retain is original shape.

In time, the box may lose its original sheen. When this happens or at least once a year, simply rub a thin coat of wax on the box and buff off with a soft cloth, buffing pad, or lambs-wood pad.

Furniture paste wax is recommended but any type of polishing wax or rubbing compound will work.

Do not use any type of furniture polish that comes in an aerosol can. The propellant can actually remove the original wax finish.

When I am not making fly boxes, I have a full line of custom furniture.  My products range from traditional Arts and Crafts style pieces to very contemporary functional art.  Using techniques such as inlay, steam bending, laminate bending, vacuum veneering, and turning, wood can be reshaped into many forms.  

If you are interested in looking at my custom furniture portfolio, click on the logo to visit the main website.

Thank You,

Phil Pontillo