A friend has asked me to repair his father's Rapidan, which is in very good condition except that the stripping guide is damaged and is held in place with old electical tape. The stripping guide has an O.D. of 8mm and appears to be original. Is this the correct stripper?

The varnish on the rod is in very good condition, including the other guides. The thread, which I assume is 00 silk, is yellow. Is there a way to impart an "aged" finish to the varnish on the new wraps for the replaced stripper?

That rod probably had a plain old metal ring stripping guide, very simple and basic in design. Chrome or black finish. A size 8 would be small, but about what most companies were putting on rods of that type at the time. It's quite possible that it is the original stripping guide.

If you want the varnish to age so that it more closely matches that of the other guides, don't use Permagloss (it won't yellow). Try some spar varnish and with some time, some exposure and a little use, it'll blend in with the others.

You can hasten the aging, or I should say, create a false "aging" by using a different shade of thread from the original. You might have to go slightly lighter or darker in shade to get that immediate match with the now faded original thread, although over time it will age to something a bit different than the other thread on the rod now.

..............

At Golden Witch they have a finish that is amber in color. It may be what your looking for

[www.goldenwitch.com]

very likely that is the orginal strpper. at least the size is right. these rods were made with very small strippers. my 9' southbends have that size stripper. i am re doing my 346 with a few upsized guides including a slightly larger stripper.

Well, the Rapidan had several models.. several different strippers, and only wrapped in red, brown #24 and brown #28. The strippers were either Agatine, Genuine Agate, or Perfection guides. I can not find a reference to the thread color you state that is on the rod.. someone in the past may have rewrapped it?? The way to see the real color is to take the thread off in a hunk, ( like all of one guide foot in one time, on the back side you will see the actual color, as the varnish and the aging process has not attacked that portion of the thread.

Sometime when trying to restore a bamboo rod, the use of cut orange shellac will help in the "aging" and it is the product that some of the masters used.. but you need to put a coat of spar varnish over it as well.

Any other questions feel free to email me privately.

Tight Lines ~ ~

Good luck.

Art