I have two bamboo rods that were my fathers.

One is a bait casting rod, built by my Dad from a kit, circa 1933 to 1934, according to my aunt.

The other is a fly rod, he puirchased in 1939 or 1940. It has two mid sections, and three tip sections to vary the action.

Both were in storage at my Mom's since the mid 70's, and the crickets or some other insect, attacked the silk wrapping, and finish, which appears to be shellace, (it disolves in denatured alcohol).

Are there any good books anyone would recommend on restoration of older bamboo rods?

I had a class in junior high about 40 years ago on rod building, and have repaired a few rods since, but this is something I want to get read up on and get right.

I have asked the same question awhile back. I haven't had a chance to redo mine yet but if you do a search you can find some answers I'm sure. Other wise some one on here will help you out.

Michael Sinclair had a nice restoration book out at one time, although I don't think it's in print any longer. You might put a request up on the buy/sell/trade page.

Any book on bamboo rod making is going to provide you with much of what you need to know about reworking a bamboo rod. George Mauer and Bernie Elser wrote a good one a few years ago. I believe it is still available.

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Sinclair's book is still available on a certain @#$%& site. Do a search on "Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook."

Hi Sir yes Sinclares book is the best and the book is being sold on e-bayalso some times you can find a used one there I think Russ at Goldenwitch also sells it the rods you have are most likely glued up with a hide glue from that time so do the stripping carefuly so they do not delaminate God Bless Jeff Rhonda and Kaya net pup

Randy - the wraps can be removed and re-wrapped. The finish can be removed (very gently) and restored, but you need to be careful not to do anything that will get into the joins and cause the sectrions to delaminate. The guides can be replaced with modren guides if needed (corrosion being the issue).

- - - email me directly and I may be able to suggest some things you can do to bring these rods back. But for starters, NO MORE DENATURED ALCOHOL!.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

Russ, general cleaning of the old blanks .......... what do you use rather than denatured?

Hang them on the wall...its a family thing.

NERB that types with a bar of Ivory soap in his mouth.

Randy;
I'm curious about the fly rod, are yuo sure he bought it before WWII or is it possible he bought it after the war? It seems from your description that it is most likely to be an Occupation Rod made in Japan after the war,
but there were a very few American manufacturers who would made a rod like that now and then as a special order, usually a higher end rod. Are there any markings on it? Also, denatured alcohol will also dissolve old varnish as well as shellac, so it's not a real good indicator of what an old finish is. If you just want to clean them, use either mineral spirits or turpentine. Yes, Michael Sinclairs book is the best you will find, there is a new printing out so the price has come down a bit, but it is still expensive.

john

John, the dates are per my aunt’s recollection. She remembers how old she was when he got them, and how he came by the money. It was the depression, so spare money for discretionary spending was an event.

The casting rod was bought with money he earned slinging rivets on a bridge project the summer he was 13, which would have been the summer of 1933. But, he didn't buy it until after the following Christmas, and bought I as a kit for his own birthday present in January.

He got hired by Curtis Wright, and trained as an aircraft draftsman / model maker in 1939, at the age of 19. He bought the new fly rod that summer, and an Ithaca Model 37 shotgun that fall, the serial number on the shotgun matches that recollection. He also bought a new Plymouth that fall.

The fly rod has remnant of something red/gold just in front of the grip, next to a hook ring, but there isn't any lettering or logo remaining.

Hi Sir Hendon, Orvis Utica all made baite casting rods and fly rods if you need to look for the old style guides and parts Goldenwitch and @#$%& is a good place to find origonal guides ect the finish is most likey varnish terps and a 3 sided scraper if you go slow is a good way go. have fun and you will have 2 nice keep sakes God Bless Jeff Rhonda and Kaya net pup

From the description of what's left of the decal, sounds to me it may be a South Bend. I refinished one that was my Grandfathers, and the decal was the same colors.

Bill in WV

Randy;
Those dates do preclude an Occupation rod, the color of the decal suggest either South Bend as Bill said or possibly Horrocks -Ibotson. Have you checked to see if all the parts are compatible and the same length, sometimes as mids and tips got broken, they were replaced but the old parts kept, does the bag and tube accomodate all the parts as it would if they were all part of the original rod?
john

One of the three tips, (the lightest), has the tip end snapped off, (Dad snagged a beaver in a hole he knew there was a monster rainbow in). To add insult to his injury I went out the next weekend and landed the the rainbow. It went 24-inches, and had over twenty scars in it's mouth from previous hookings. The first time in my life for a catch and release.

Other than the one broken tip, and the fact the something ate the silk wrapping, the rod is in pretty good shape. The cloth case holds all the parts, as if it were made for it.

Dad always tended to buy the best he could afford when he bought things, and he was probably feeling pretty flush at the time. I know that he was suddenly making more than his father and grandfather combined. They were both millwrights, and made good money for that time.

Randy;
This is a very interesting rod, rods made with multiple mids and tips for different line weights are very uncommon, is there a way you can post some pictures of it, I would like to see the grip and reel seat and the ferrules as well as any signature wrpas ahead of the grip, these can be distinctive enough to identify the maker.
thanks
john