Where possible I prefer to re-use the butt and tip rings from the rods I restore, but I almost always discard the chrome intermediates as they are not designed to last, and even if they are not the original rings they are usually too corroded to be serviceable.
The lined butt and tip rings on the other hand are designed to last longer, and unless they are really badly corroded or the agate lining is cracked they can usually be salvaged.
On the rod I’m restoring at the moment, I only have the butt ring as the tip of the rod has not survived beyond the first 3 inches past the ferrule, so I’ll be using a tip ring salvaged from an old rod tip that is a fairly close match to the original.
Both need cleaning, but before going to the trouble of removing the corrosion and re-polishing its important to check the rings carefully for signs of damage. Excessive corrosion of the metal parts, or badly damaged and missing sections are easy to spot, but use a magnifying glass to check that there are no cracks in the lining.
If the ring is too badly damaged, discard it and find a replacement. You could either buy some old sections of rods to keep for spares if you’re likely to be refurbishing more than one rod, as these will usually yield some useful components, or look on ebay for a replacement. Old stock surfaces in tackle shop store rooms from time to time, and there are still some specialist manufacturers making old-style rings to service the restoration market.
I clean rings in much the same way that I clean the brass sliding reel fittings. Soak them in strong detergent, I find Cillit Bang works well, and then rinse with cold water and remove stubborn marks with a cloth or old toothbrush. Some wire wool is then used to polish out imperfections, and a soft cloth to polish up the metal.
The butt ring removed from the current project rod is shown before and after the cleaning process below.
Before and after
If you cant salvage the rings on your rod, or find inexpensive replacements, you could use modern equivalents and they might even work better than the originals as they’ll be lighter, but personally I prefer, as I’ve said before, to get as close to the original specification as I can. If what I need isn’t available within a reasonable budget, I’ll often put a rod aside to be finished when I can source the parts at a later date.
So, time for a re-cap on progress so far with the Gold Label Allcocks Wizard.
So far we have removed the old rings and whippings, cleaned the cork handle, stripped the cane of old varnish, removed the corrosion from the brass fittings and re-blued them and cleaned up the butt ring. Now we’re ready to start re-assembling the rod by whipping on the rings, and that’s what I’ll be talking about in the next post.
If you’re looking for an online source of the materials you’ll need for restoring a split cane rod, Tacklebargains.co.uk stock a wide range of rod building supplies including whipping thread, chrome guidesand cork handles.
Some links:
Rod Rings on eBay
Split Cane Rods on eBay
