After restoring a heddon 20 bamboo fly rod last year the bug has bit big time.
I now have 6. I am in the process of restoring 2 -14's, 2- 17's, 1- 20 and a 125.
My first objective is for using the rods and the second is to restore them as close to original as possible.
Which leaves me the question of the guides. In M Sinclairs book I believe that he only referrs to the guides as steel .The furules as NS darken to gunmetal. The old guides are rusted so I can't tell what they looked like new.
Should I use chromeTiCH guides or black TiCH or are there any other suggestions.
Thanks Paul



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2006 01:25AM by Paul LaPierre.

Black.

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I'd have to get mine out to look, but the model 17's (Black Beauty) seem to be black. The model 20 (Bill Stanley's Favorite) are bright.

The model 20 and 125 were built in the Heddon Hand-Made shop and have reasonable value for commercially built bamboo rods.

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All Heddons have a reasonable value for commercially made bamboo rods. They held the highest CONSISTENT standards in the production field, from their most expensive to their lowest priced rod. All hand split, all received the same care in making.

Very true. This is the reason I have collected them for over 3 decades. They bought a lot of bamboo and therefore had some "pull" when it came to getting good quality cane.

The book, Heddon, The Rod With The Fighting Heart, is very worthwhile reading for anyone who enjoys learning more about how quality tackle was made in the "old days."

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If you are interested in restoring the rods close to original, don't use TiCH or DLC guides, which, although excellent and durable, didn't exist until several years ago. If you can find old Perfection chrome or bronzed snakes, they would be a close match for the originals (chromed snakes can be bronzed with spar varnish and baking in the oven. A modern alternative that is not only a close match, but easy to prep (practically none) and wrap are Snake Brand chrome or black nickel snakes.