I have an old 7' 10"-2pc hollow aluminum fly rod. Without having run CC tests I would guess it to be a 5 weight . The action is extremely slow. It is has a hazy gold color with an inexpensive maroon lightweight aluminum seat. The 6" cork grip is straight but for a tiny bulge in the middle. The cork seem comparable to the #2 standard. theere is some chipping at the rear but overall it is ok. A cleaning would do wonders for it. The stripping guide is bent and the next has been replaced with an oddball guide wrapped sloppily. The rest of the snake eyes and tip are ok but all the wraps show cracks. Even though I am quite sure this rod has little value I wonder if it is better to let it remain an example of a well worn tool of a bygone era. As much as I'd like to redo it I just wonder if I would be forfeiting a piece of fly gear history; albeit a very modest one.I have no emotional connection to the man whose rod this was. It makes a nice momento as is, but I know I could give it a totally new life. I have been sitting on the fence over this for some time. Your opinions would be helpful. Dave

If it were mine, I would replace the oddball guides with something period, clean the cork, cast it once, then hang it on the wall.

That particular rod may not be the one to use but when I fiest opened my shop in May 1992 I took a beat up 6Ft. Boat Rod with a wooden butt and "Half Way" restored it. I restored the tip and first 6 inches, left the next 6" unrestored,restored the next 6" and alternated all the way to the butt. Believe me, it was a conversation piece and a perfect example of my work. About 6 years ago a woman fell in love with that "sample" and bugged me to sell it to her so I let her have it for 30.00. The point is a new rod is expected to look good but a restoration example makes a larger impression as they can see the difference you made. Jesse