Repairing a fibreglass rod.

[owie625]

Hey guys/gals. I have an old fibreglass rod that was given to me by my late Grandfather but it needs to be repaired. My ham fisted cousin fked it by walking all over it when fishing and I want to restore it to good nick.

It is 2 piece, about 8ft and has cork handles which are in good condition, the reel holder (or whatever the techo term is) is corroded but useable, the fitting that joins the 2 pieces is stuck together (I am working on getting it apart with Inox as we speak). I will be replacing all of the guides and so forth and am thinking this may be the first project of many.......

Where/How do I begin? I would like to keep the cost down if possible and any advice is welcome.

Scott

[Rodman]

Mate you need to clarify what exactly you are planning to do
If the reel seat is damaged or coroded then whilst you have the runners off the rod you replace the seat and the foregrip
good luck with trying to separate the rod I have found it very difficult and I used penetrine with no luck
You also need to clean the blank of the old lacquer this can be done with acetone or if you are going to relacquer it to look like new then use a blunt side of a stanley knife and scrape the lacquer off

Ken

[Aunty Jack]

Not seeing the rod, but going by what you've said, if it is whippy and black
it may well be a BLACK QUEEN, bloody good rod.
If white and whippy, it could be a JARVIS WALKER Bonnie Doon
again a very good rod. Both are solid 2pcs and cork .
I've restored both of these rods comming from two sets of grandparents
and the are my favoured rods.
First try heating the joiner with a candle [DO NOT OVER HEAT]
then I'd remove the eyes and using wet and dry sand top to toe
I use hot glue sticks to hold any eyes in place[crazy clarks $2 or$3]
then sit back and start your binding.
Single or dbl strand [tip for finishing of the knot try feeding the end of your thread
2/3/ times under and over your last loop and make sure the knot finishes up at the back of the eye]. No dags no snags.
Make sure the rod is clean before laquering [NOT VARNISH]
I wanted ridge didge eyes so try garage sales or the tip for cheap eyes.

[owie625]

SwampMan.

Yeah the rod is pretty whippy, but it is yellow. I don't think there is too much lacquer on it as the cotton threads aren't covered in it and it looks like fibreglass. The screw for the reel seat woks, it just has that green tinge to it along with the pitting/corrosion that old chrome gets. Ideally I would like to keep the cork grips as they are in good nick, but I don't mind forking out for new eyes if I have to.

I am thinking about making a simple rig up with timber and small rollers so that I can hand roll the rod when doing the bindings.

What is the name of a good book to use to help out?

[Aunty Jack]

l dont know of any books [trial and error for me ]
but l,m sure there is. Put the word out and see
l still think its a jarvis walker of sorts
you would be able to sand it and the cork as well
wet and dry or fine paper.
if in doubt remove the top eye and have a look
but at that age 99% solid
to clean your chrome try using
bi carb and water=paste
silvo or mag cleaner [old toothbrush as cleaning tool]
use kitchen spray for lube [after lacquoring cork]
start eye closest to the seat [checking for straightness]
if in two pcs leave to top eye till last.
hot glue stick only needed for top eye

[owie625]

Righto, I have cleaned up the reel seat and binder. Did it with the sharp edge of a stanley knife and wet/dry. I used a wire brush on the thread and it came up a treat.

The bottom grip is wood, so I sanded it back to get rid of the old varnish and spruce it up, and the cork is not too bad.

I tried the candle thing, but must have heated up the glue too much, coz it let go of the fitting.......no worries - I will use 2 pac araldite to repair. Trying to spruce up the fitting, I found that the chrome is gone and I am back to the brass underneath. I am thinking about wrapping a simple pattern (if there is such a thing) over it to cover and protect.

Where is the best place to get eyes from on the northside? I know there are specialty shops that sell blanks and so on, but where are they?

[dogsbody]

Try Jones's Tackle 504 Lutwyche rd.

Dave.

[batten]

thanks guys, that helps me to, i recently inherited a jarvis walker from my late grand father and im currently trying to restore it, id like to keep tthe same look, so the same number of guides etc but i want decent guides and so on. anywho bett3r get back to it

[owie625]

Try Jones's Tackle 504 Lutwyche rd.

Dave.

Dave

Thanks mate, went to Jones' on the w'end and they were really helpful - I got me some new guides, the joiner and end cap. I have everything now to make a start except the lathe and am working on a simple one ATM.

I have found out that the rod is a Jarvis Walker 'Bonnie Doon' and have been told they are still a good rod. can't wait to finish and put it to the test.