Old Bamboo Restoration

[dwood]

Ok everyone,
I'm a complete idiot when it comes to rod builoding and restoration. My dad used to make all his own rods (and most of ours too), but I never picked it up and didn't pay close attention. I would tie the flies, he would build the rods, and my brother would lose/break them all :)

I've recently been interested in purchasing an older bamboo rod (been looking at Grangers and Orvis) to have restored (I'm not going to do the work myself). What do I need to look out for? (especially if I buy one off the Internet or auction where I won't actually be able to hold it first...I will negotiate a return policy before buying).

And what will likely be involved after I find the rod. Can it be completely stripped and restored if the rod itself is in good condition.

I'm going to be fishing it, so performance is likely the biggest factor.

Many of these rods are not marked with a line weight. I'd like a light weight rod, but one of 7-9 feet if possible, and prefer 2 pieces. How do you determine line weight when none is given/known?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

[runner]

Beware of Ebay auctions unless you are willing to take a chance - some rods are good buys and the seller knows what he is advertising, others advertise a rod in perfect shape and it is no where near it. if you see a rod on Ebay you are interested in send me an email, I can tell you if it looks OK and what the price range should be. I picked up a really nice Herter's 7'6" on EBay, I also bought a South Bend that had to be completely restored.

As for restoration, you can strip the entire rod with paint stripper, apply a small amount, then wipe off quickly, take you time and do not coat the entire rod with stripper, altough I have heard from others that the stripper will not affect the glue, but I rather be safe, before you remove the guides make sure you measure and record where they were unless you plan to respace them.

Email for any assistance you may need - restoring, wrapping, finishing the wraps, reel seat - Mike

[Bob M]

First question: Are you going to restore it yourself or are you going to have someone do it for you? It may cost upwards of $300 to have it done. Some bamboo rods are good and some are a POS. Spending $300 to refinish a $10 POS into a $50 POS is problematic. Doing yourself for the practice makes a lot more sense. Better to ruin a $10 POS than a $1,000 gem. If your first go-round is for practice, then the cheaper the better. It is a good idea to get some background before swirling down this path in a big expensive way. You are pretty safe with a Granger or an Orvis, assuming that you like their action.

I'm very leery of spending big bucks on eBay. There are some frightening posts about some eBay listings. Buyer beware, it is. There are reputable dealers around that cary rods that need a bit of work. You may not get a 'steal' but you aren't as likely to be stolen from. Rick's Rods, Coldwater Collectables, Denver Dave, etc. etc. etc. They have an inspection period so if you made a long-distance, sight-unseen mistake you can correct it, no harm done. I can speak well of Ricks Rods. Other have touted Coldwater Collectables, and I can probably let you know about Denver Dave on Monday. :-)

Unless you are familiar with the maker/manufacturer it is going to be a problem. There is a world of difference between a parabolic taper and a dry fly taper so it is a good thing to do a bit of research before you spend big $'s. Some research is fun, since there are a couple of NGTOers and NGTO events that have a bit of cane around that will let you get cast a line or three. John Gierarch has a book out, there are some resources on the web if you look hard enough. There are some cane-dedicated boards around, and you can always post the ad hoc question here.

There was a nice bit of backgound on Denver Dave's site that spoke about tapers and referenced some maker/manufacturers. That may help when they start talking about Dickerson tapers or Garrison tapers et al. I could supply the dry fly and parabolic examples but you would have to find someone else to supply A tapers and semi-parabolic. Those familar with parabolic and dry fly tapers are likely to be smirking at the Dr Jekel and Mr Hyde nature of those two.

Regarding line weights, some manufactures/makers of old didn't label them. They figured that you would figure out what you liked for yourself. From about the 1960's on they used the normal weights that you are used to. prior to that they used a letter code, like HEH. There are conversion tables around. They are in Gierachs book and there are net resources. BTW when they say 6 wt, that generally means DT6 or WF7. The weight of the rod may give you a glimmer as to line weight or action, but it may be wrong and it may not be helpful even if it is right.

BTW, size matters. A 7 or 8 foot rod is easy to cast all day long. Once you get past 8.5 feet they can wear you out, particularly if you don't balance it with the right reel. ...of course longer rods tend to be less expensive.