Use to build rods in early 70's.........Ordered from Bullard quite frequently and remember using rawhide blanks. Any info on them greatly appreciated.

I seem to recall that the RawHide blanks were made by the same people that made the Featherweight handles and other components. I'll ask Gene about this tomorrow when I talk to him.

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We took care of this just now. Here is Gene's answer:


Thanks for the interesting question. 
 
I have to rack my brain to come up with some of this old info but I am old and experienced and there is a lot of it in there somewhere..............
 
First, - I knew these men personally.  Milt Stevens owned FEATHERWEIGHT and he came up with the "three-finger" spring loaded ferrule chuck and the ferrules to go with it.  From that came the model 6-A casting rod handle and all of the additions to the line, all centered on that chuck. I sold untold thousands of model 6-AP and others.

Milt saw that Schoff, Fenwick, Lamiglas and others were getting rich making rod blanks.  He saw no need to start making blanks when he had a good buddy who had designed a considerable stable of already successful blank models.  So he went to see his long time friend, John Harrington, a man I knew before I met Stevens.
 
John made rods with white fiberglass cloth and painted them black.  He was famous for black rod blanks and black rods But it was a tough, hard black paint.  I made many casting rods on these old designs.  Darn good blanks.  And big game rods too.  And I used to buy black blanks from John and sell them.  7, 8 and 9 foot saltwater spinning rods as I remember.

All Harrington had to do to get Featherweight in the blank biz was to choose the fiberglass fabric. Like all of us Milt Stevens was cheap.  So they decided that they would use a dark-brown-maroon cloth  and then not smooth the blanks in a centerless grinder, an expensive process costing more than the blank, - but to just coat them, put on the model tag and sell them that way.  So they did.

The name: RAWHIDE

One year the AFTMA show was in Dallas at the convention center and I spent an evening with Milt Stevens in his ADOLPHUS HOTEL suite and he tied on a big one.  I learned a lot of stuff that night.  Knowing stuff can be a good thing.

The son-in-law of Stevens is Ralph Brinkerhoff, - Spanish Fork, Utah.

Gene Bullard


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I am curious about some of the Harrington information. I met Jean and John Harrington back late 69/70. I even helped out from time to time in the shop stripping celaphane off and little stuff. Jean Harrington actually taught me some easier ways to do some of my wrapping. Harrington Rod Co.(formerly Harnell) was located here in Oxnard until after John Died. I worked for them a short period of time after I retired from the Navy in 86 and I dedicated my first Video to John.

I never saw one piece of white clothe go into their blanks.(and believe me I cut plenty of it) They used black clothe, sanded out the celaphane ridges(made it look kinda gray) and then used a black resin paint mix to make them bright black again. From the time they made blanks(before that they were tank antennas) at Harnell(Harrington and Renolds I believe) into the Harrington Rod Co. days many called them "Black Beauties". They were one of and Still a favorite West Coast Jig Rig expecially the 10' - 540 I believe. It is true that they made blanks for Featherweight (called Rawhide) and for that matter some other smaller outfits. They even made golf club shafts for a while in the 70s. I can never remember seeing white clothe there. The Rawhide idea lead to US Harringtons(unsanded) and the smoothe blanks became Harnells again after Jean petitioned to get the Harnell name back after the 20 year legal limit.

I think if you are interested in some very old history of the Fiberglass rod business you might try running Jean down in Bramer, MO. After John and her son died she moved there and set up shop with her Daughter. I lost touch with her but I think about 3 years ago someone told me she was still making blanks. If she is still alive she is likely quite old and the work is probably being done by others but she has a wealth of knowledge and documentation(news articles showing hand rolling and sales receipts of the first tubular fiberglass blanks) She was the first lady to be actively involved in the Rod Business and has probably forgotten more than I will ever know. Might be work checking into. She could tell you from the source as it were.

I miss John very much, a trully wonderful and amazing man with an equally fantastic wife working with him they were definetely one of the top dogs "IN THE DAY"

"Black Cloth" would be odd, as most fiberglass cloth is naturally white (or close to white) in color. I suppose it could have been pre-colored or something, but I've never seen black fiberglass cloth.

I know that Jean continued making blanks after John passed on. As far as I know, she was still making them in the 1990's. I haven't been in touch with her in many years now, however.

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The Fiberglass is almost clear after applying resin to be precise but the clothe used in building blanks is Pre impregnated with resin and theirs was colored black(and looks like black clothe) just like featherweights was a dark brown. My point was that the blanks were black to start with and just made shiney black by dipping them in more black resin.

I had heard that she was still in business in 2000 or 2001 and still working with her Daughter and son in law in Bramer.

All the glass I've worked with in the boating industry was white but I guess you could use a black tinted resin and get what you're talking about. I stil have some old harnell rods. Heavy as the dickens but still going strong!

Doc,

Well that certainly makes sense. Should have effectively made the blanks a bit lighter since the color was already there and all they had to do was gloss them.

Mike,

Those were very heavy rods, moreso than many other glass rods of the day but particulary those with the heavy white rubber grips. But it was sort of a trademark that really made them stand out. I think I have two here that older customers left for repair and never returned to pick up. I'm sure somebody somewhere would love to have them.

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I have lots of pieces of raw fibergalss prepreg that are honey brown, some that is black as well. I have seen may of those old harrington blanks and the prepreg does not appear to be white painted black over the top.


Andy Dear
Lamar Mfg.

I wish you could still get the Featherweight handles. I have a couple of Fenwick worm rods, circa 1969, and l love those handles.
Is anyone making low volume, high quality glass blanks? I have thought some about doing it myself. Don't have much knowledge of this, but so far that has never stopped me from doing something!

Seeker and Lamiglas both offer high quality fiberglass blanks. in a wide variety of models And, while graphite has gotten all the press, glass blanks have been improving right on along.

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The reason the Harnells and Harringtons were so heavy was partly because they used a uni material which was a bit heavier than L and H rod. Also the rods were made on small diameter mandrels and most of their action was due to the large patterns. If you have ever seen any of the blanks the wall thickness was thickx3

They made those white rubber grips themselves. The molds were heavy as heck. They stopped using them early in the seventies but from time to time someone would ask for them. I guess that could be where the first split grip ideas came from, good thing too because like Tom said they are heavy.

Mike keep them Harnells (you have a real piece of history) and cherish them. I still have some of the original thread that went on those puppies.

I have one of there 542s(not 540s) 10 foot jig stick and there are some skippers in SD that yould kill to get them.

I wish there were more threads like this one. I truly enjoy reading about the people who were instrumental in this interest of mine. Names that are legendary and to think that a lot of them are still with us. My thanks to Tom Kirkman for his articles and interviews in Rodmaker Magazine with some of these people. John

Maybe ol' Doc would subject himself to an interview about some of those people that he's met. Would be an interesting read on rod building also???

Putter
Williston, ND

Thanks go to Andy Dear for doing the interview with Gene and others. It's actually a lot of work not to mention the time spent tracking some of these people down. But I'm glad we can get a lot of this on record for future generations of rod builders..

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The fun is in the hunt....the irony is that Gene has been living 28.5 miles from me all this time...who knew?

By the way Gene's rodbuilding achievements are somewhat dwarfed by his culinary skills...his coconut creme pie recipe is friggin' unbelievable as is his homemade spaghetti sauce.


Andy Dear
Lamar Mfg.

I am amazed at the quality and information of all your responses. Where to begin. I was a young enlisted man in thew US Navy serving in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from 1974 through 1978. The fishing was unbelievable! We were catching large tarpon, bonefish, snook, sharks, and huge cubera snapper from shore daily and going out in boats every weekend. STGC Dennis Young introduced me to the fine art of boat building and rod building. He was using lamiglas blanks because they were light and the made excellent liet spinning rods. Those big tarpon and snapper were taking a toll on my store bought rods and he handed me a bullard tackle catalog. I wish I still had those catalogs. We waited in great anticipation for mail call several times weekly for rod supplies from Bullard's. I remember building casting and spinning rods using rawhide blanks models #7010, 7020, and a brute 7030. These blanks were brown the first couple of years and then were renamed dura something and were shiny black. No matter though heavy they felt good and whipped large fish. I built many and they became popular on the base but foolishly I sold them all just before returning stateside. These fiberglass rods were so strong. Never broke a blank and had plenty of accidents where they should have broken. Are they obsolete? Can any be obtained? Did they morph into something else? If bullard is now a chef he would have a 5 star restaurant if his cooking is half as good as those old blanks and the memories I cherish of fun and discovery on saltwater heaven in Cuba. Thanks to all of you for your responses.........

Roark Ferguson
Roark's Reptile Safari