Thanks All for the excellent information. I think you guys nailed it. I appreciate the history and the images too. I can imagine the detailed work put into getting so many thin and evenly spaced windings on a rod looking so perfect. Nice to know the tradition lives.

Yes the CC de France is a work of art and those intermediate wraps, I hope, are just for looks nowadays. From the info above that appears to be the case with modern adhesives (assuming Hardy's artisans use modern glues). The rod I am talking about is newly issued and it is a 7 1/2 footer; not a 7' like I originally stated. Anyways I have traded for it and now it is going to be fished!

Thanks