I picked up an old LM Dickson bamboo rod. The cane is in great shape but a couple of guides were mashed and the seat was dented. It is a 3 piece rod with 2 tips. Both tips are in fine shape. The varnish was scratched and chipped as one might expect but no damage to the cane itself. The ferrules are tight if not real pretty, but serviceable. All in all this will make a nice bamboo rod for someone when finished.
I measured guide locations, removed the guides, sanded the varnish smooth, and got it ready for refinishing. Now for the seat. I heated and cooled for over an hour with no luck. I finally got out the cutoff wheel and ever so gently sliced the seat. I was being extremely careful so as not to damage the cane. When I finally got the old seat off, this is what I found.
Another view…
Cane goes in the other end of the grip…
The wood measures .664" in diameter. I take it I am going to have to whittle or turn that down to get a new seat on it. I have no idea how far the wood goes into the grip, if at all, or how far the cane extends towards the butt of the rod. The wood is not very hard. I might be able to chuck it in my drying motor and slowly work it down with a light rasp or file to get it small enough to get a seat on. I have a nice Xylosma Wood seat with sliding bands for it. The insert can be bored out a little, but the butt has to be smaller, too.
Has anyone else run into this kind of thing and how did you handle it?
Sorry it’s beyond my experiance. If you dont’ know how far the cane extends on the wood you might have problems if you turn it down too much. I would also be very careful about reaming out the reel seat. I have split reel seats trying to ream them with a drill press and bit. As soon as the bit catches it puts a lot of outward force on the thin wood.
You might try taking it to Rick’s Rods in Denver, they do a lot of cane restoration work and might have seen this before. At least they could set you up with some vintage snakes guides. Here is a link to thier web site…
Kevin,
Before you go doing something to the rod, check with Joel Lemke of Lemke Concepts. lemkeconcepts@q.com. He’s the person who created the beautiful reel seats I got for my next few builds. He can bore out .50 with no problem (for the cane/glass people), and may be able to bore a bit bigger for you. Prices are fantastic (PM me if you’d like prices). Certainly worth the ask. He’s delightful person to work with; conscientious, quick, quality!
Betty
Don’t know if it would be an option for you, but I had the same situation as yours and just shined up and finished the wood and put a cap and ring on it and it works fine - kind of antiquy looking.
I did think of that. I have another seat that is an aluminum skeleton with an aluminum insert that would have worked this way. However, the wood is very fibrous and I was having a terrible time getting it smooth instead of incredibly hairy looking.
Too late! Inspiration hit last night after I went to bed. This is what I came up with.
The 'boo rod is an old Japanese rod that I have a total of $10 in. I figured I could afford to take some risks. I got to thinking that the worst that could happen was that the bamboo ended near the back of the grip and that the wood was mostly an extension for the reel seat. If worst came to worst, I would have stripped off the grip, whittled the wood off the 'boo, and extended the 'boo with a chunk of broken spinning rod or whatever I needed to use to get the seat on it again. As it turned out, the wood was part of the seat as far as I can tell. The 'boo came back to about an inch from the end of the grip area in the photo. I had to cut half of that off (excess wood, not 'boo) to get the seat to fit anyway. I have the new seat I posted the picture of fitted, but not glued. The grip gets wrapped in rattan. A cane grip for a cane rod.
This rod is 8’ 6" long. I have not used the Common Cents system to see what weight it turns out to be, but I am guessing around 5 as it sits. I am using a bit more modern snakes on it so that the rod is not limited to silk line or Cortland Sylk due to the size of the guides, 3 of which were mashed anyway. These are only 1 size larger but will accommodate modern lines with no problem. The guides match the seat as they are TiCH. I will be using the oversized winding check from the first rod. It is perfect for this one. Rattan wrap on the grip and maroon thread with metallic black accents. I have a fun inlay in mind, but have to see if I can work it out that tiny.
Conventional? No, but I am rarely accused of being conventional. It will make a nice rod for someone.
If you like the flannel rod socks, this is an excellent time of the year to pick up yards and yards of inexpensive flannel! You can make/sew a personally distinctive sock for pennies! (think winter kids PJ’s … Wally World, or Hobby Lobby in the fabric departments)
Humm … should explain this one. The friend who I rebuilt the boo for wanted NASCAR stickers on his boo rod. I wouldn’t put them on the rod, but did provide the sock covered in race cars. Even more fun!
I did a rod like that with wood under the reelseat
An 8’6" Japanese 6wt
The wood was soft and it was easy to carve down and I was done in a few minutes
In hindsight, I wish I’d taken the opportunity to shorten the rod instead.
Although the rod casts well, it’s a bit heavy and I rarely fish it.
I think if I had shortened it, the rod would see more use.
We will see how this rod casts. It doesn’t feel particularly heavy in hand, but what do I know?
I love that rod sock! I need to find some with little trouts all over.
We had picked up some heavy camo material a few years ago for curtains for grandsons that are not into camo anymore and I have been trying to cover ABS pipe rod tubes with it. I about have it figured out. I got it nice and tight on the tube, but am still having problems getting it to stay put when I put the ends on.
The WC in the last picture? Wasn’t that just to keep the rod from rolling while Kevin took the pictures?
Surely there aren’t others who “forget” to put the winding check on before finishing the rod!
Heavens, no. It’s there to hold the rod upright so you can see the feather inlay in the picture.
It’s a “blank” check I have started from a stainless washer. I toss a washer in a doming block, smack it around a bit, ream it out a bit, smack it around some more, file the rough spots off, and when I am happy with it, I polish it. If I never get happy with it, I am out a few minutes time and 12 cents.
Other cheap and effective winding checks you can use in a pinch are beveled faucet washers and thin neoprene washers with small center holes. The neoprene washers make a nice smooth transition from grip to blank and take the rod finish nicely.
It will make a nice rod for someone.
