Hi there. I have acquired a very nice, swollen butt, 8'6", 5 pc. bamboo pack rod probably c. 1910. Looks like all Chubb hardware with no mark except "509" in pencil on each section. It needs rehab in every way and I want to fish it this summer so here I go!

The female ferrule at the butt section is pinned with a piece of nickel silver wire. All other sections are pinned with what appears to be a nickel silver brad with a nice head that will be easy to extract. The wire pin in the butt section ferrule goes all the way through the bamboo and has made an impression on the other side of the ferrule; so driving the pin down to remove the ferrule is not an option. I figure I can drill out the portion necessary to remove the ferrule. Admittedly I am a bit anxious about putting a drill to a nice hand welted nickel silver ferrule....

I intend to clamp the blank to my bench and work the pin with a drill bit in my Dremel. Is this going to be successful or can any of you offer me a bit of wisdom regarding an alternate approach?

Thanks a million.

Chris,
The best bamboo builders and restorers hang out on this forum: [clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com]. Post your question there as well.

It will be successful but you'll end up with a hole on the other side of the ferrule as well. I suspect the head of that pin has broken and detached over the years.

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Having done this a few times, I would not dril all the way through from the broken side. If the other side is dimples enough to see it you are going to have to smooth that out anyway..
Are you taking the ferrule off to reseat it or do you jaust want to make the ferrule look original??
You could carefully drill the pin from the broken side with a small bit. I would go with a .038 and slow speed. the problem with pulling the ferrule with the dimpled part is that that will catch and just be a real problem. You could try leveling out that dimple and then also drill partialy from that end. I don't know if I would tyr hand drilling. I'd be more in favor of doing any drill with a drill press. Too much slipping and going crooked by hand.
HTH

Let me mention one other idea - with a pin punch, tap the side of the ferrule that is dimpled. That may move the pin back out of the opposite side, exposing just enough that you can grasp it with a good pair of strong tweezers and remove it.

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