I've had an old Montague Flash 9 ft. bamboo rod laying around for years and I recently decided it was time to restore it to a fishable condition. I know it has little value as a vintage rod, but thought it would be a good project and fun to fish. I've removed all the old guides, closely examined the three rod sections and all appear to be sound; no delaminations, etc. The ferrules fit perfectly. The cork grip and reel seat are in very good condition and the label is still legible enough to see it is a Montague Flash. So it's basically going to consist of wrapping a new set of guides. I plan to use red silk thread with black trim bands and even purchased a red agate stripper guide.

Since there is no line rating printed on the rod, I was wondering if anyone knows what weight line a 9 ft. Montague Flash would use?

I want to stay away from my usual epoxy finish and plan to use Permagloss to coat the thread wraps. Would appreciate your thoughts on using the Permagloss.

Thanks

Try the Permagloss in a very small area. I've had issues in the past of the Permagloss dissolving the old varnish. If it works great if not I would go with spar varnish, which is traditional.
Usually a 9' Monty works well a 7 wt.

I would scuff the blank while the guides are off & re finish with outdoor wipe on polyurethane (gloss)

Visit classicflyrodforum.com for additional information about restoring bamboo rods. I agree with the steps recommended by Gary and Ken, though I prefer other materials.

Jeff

Jeff -
What is / are your preferred materials? Always learning here

Let me add my 2 cents worth, I use 3 coats of very thin, wipe on, Tru oil on my blanks then wrap the eyes and finish with 3 coats of Perm gloss

Let me clarify when I say Perma gloss I'm talking only on the wraps not on the rod.

Hello Ken,
For new and stripped bamboo sections I've been applying Pro Custom Oil gunstock finish, thinned to 75/25 with mineral spirits. Each application is applied with fingertips, then almost immediately wiped off with lint free paper towel. These micro applications (many) can be done every couple hours and build to a nice finish. I'm not set up to dip rod sections, so this is my only blank finish. Following adequate curing time, around three weeks, I do my thread work - guides, ferrules and accent wraps.

My thread wraps are coated with thinned Epifanes varnish, again around 75/25 thinned with mineral spirits. Like Pro Custom Oil, Epifanes contains Tung oil. I'm partial to finishes containing Tung oil. PCO is used on my reel seat inserts as well, a similar process as used on bamboo sections.

For full disclosure, I have only finished around half a dozen bamboo rods in this manner over the past four years. The ones I've been fishing with are doing just fine, well protected and maintaining their luster.

Personally, I'd stay away from Permagloss on bamboo rod wraps. In my experience, removing Permagloss is very difficult making future repairs a challenge.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff I appreciate the information and added comments on application. Your approach in terms of product is very similar to the way bamboo rods were refinished many years ago at the end of the season. Since the owners didn't have dipping tubes many applied light coats of various combinations of gunstock type finishes. It's a good approach as long as you have the time to allow the sticks to dry and cure.

Jeff,

Can you get the Epifanes varnish at a hardware store?

Hello Eric, I purchased it via Amazon. You should be aware that Epifanes, like some other varnishes, begins to kick off in the can once exposed to air. I've been able to extend the life of unused varnish by pouring into a glass bottle with a screw lid. I add marbles to the container to keep it filled to the rim. No air space on top of the varnish.

If you like, we can take my thread varnish learnings off line. I spent several weeks practicing with nylon thread and silk thread, and varying viscosities before taking to a wrapped fly rod. Epifanes is quite thick out of the can. I liked that because I could thin as much or as little as I wanted.

Jeff

Like Jeff I too have used Epifranes. But if you are only doing one or two Montys for fun then you could go with something more generic and easier to get. A lot of guys like Ace hardware space in the green label can or even Minwax.
To preserve I use Bloxogeyn and I decant into the varnish proof bags from Woodcraft that you can squeeze the air out of

This is probably a one time rehab. Think I'll stick with what I know and use the Permagloss on the thread wraps only. The finish on the bamboo is perfect so I'm not going to mess with it.
Thanks for all the great advice.

Have fun with the project Eric, I'm sure you'll enjoy fishing this rod.

Jeff