i want to thank everyone for the great advice so far. one more question. the rod that i am restoring has sticky ferrules. really just one set that is giving me a hard time. when i put the rod together it takes great force to get them apart. what can i clean them with, put on them to get them to go together and come apart easie, if anything? Thank you all.

U-40 Ferrule Lube would help for sure. Also, make sure you are assembling them correct, in the case that you're not. Mis-align the sections by 90 degrees and bring them snugly together, twisting them into alignment as you tighten them. To dis-assemble, just reverse the process.

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Clean both male and females ferrules with soap, dry with denatured alcahol. DO NOT LUBRICATE WIH OIL OF ANY KIND. Lay the male end of the rod next to your noise and rub. The best stuff I have seen is ferrual lub products by
Trondak U-40
Good Wraps Bob

Someone brought me a Century rod with a VERY tight ferrule for some ideas on how to make the fit better. We had difficult attaching the two parts, the female portion slipping over the male portion MAYBE a 1/4" before it got very tight and difficult to take apart.

We used a toothpaste that contains baking soda , applied over the male portion, and worked the two pieces together for 15-20 min. The baking soda acted as a mild abrasive.The ferrule portions wore into each other quite well with the two pieces fitting perfectly. We did not overdo it, just enough for the parts to fit. Cleaned up the toothpaste residue, lubed the ferrule, and its been working fine since.

I tell folks that if the ferrule gets sticky on them to rub their faces (nose) and then rub the ferrule, transferring any oils to the ferrule. Helps as a lube.

Lou