Rod stripping....

[Butt Banger]

Chaps

 

I have just bought a set of 3 Mk 1 Armalites............12 foot ......2.75 test......full duplon handles.....nice price.

 

As the ringing is likeley to be a bit dated I want to strip them down and have them re-rung.Can I strip them myself to get down to a nice clean blank?How do I get the old varnish off, especially around the rings?

 

Any advice appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

BB

[wotnobivvy]

I use very fine glass paper and work carefully. If the rest of the rod is on good nick be careful not to sand down the blank. Re-ring and carefully paint on a couple of coats of varnish. All equipment should be available from your local tackle shop. Don't forget hot melt glue for the tip ring. Be careful when removing the old tip ring, as it should be glued on the same way, and only a small bit of heat will be necessary (no blow torches or gas burners. There may be a more modern book on how to do it, mine is 40 years old, but still valid

[Newt]

And if you don't happen to own a good book, http://www.mudhole.com/ has quite a few excellent articles on various aspects of rod building and rod repair.

[Dunk Fairley]

If you use fine wire wool, you're unlikely to scratch the blank, sand paper does.

 

You say the ringing is "dated", in what way? Ringing patterns haven't changed much for a long time. I wouldn't have thought MK 1 Armalites are old enough to be outdated in the ringing department. However, if the rings themselves are old fashioned and you want to fit modern silicone carbides (SIC), then these are the best bet. If you don't want to fork out for Fuji rings, you won't go far wrong if you use the ones from Free Spirit (Available from the Tackle Box, Dartford, by mail order. Also available elswhere). They are almost identical and a lot cheaper.

 

When varnishing, the best you'll find is Gudebrod Epoxy varnish, for the whippings. Be careful when you knock it up, it goes hard quite quickly. As far as general varnish goes, I use yaught varnish (Ronseal) and have never had a problem. I also use a non-flash varnish (Matt finish) available from my local model shop.

[John Ellison]

If you are new to rod repair, don't do what I did once. I thought I was being clever whipping the rings on tightly with whipping silk and then when I coated the whippings in dope, it tightened so much that it punched the rings through the blank wall. :mad:

[Dunk Fairley]

Nasty one that! Especially when you are rebuilding one of three.

 

Just so Buttbanger knows, dope is a liquid which is applied to whippings, which is similar to a varnish. The difference is, as it dries, it shrinks and pulls the thread tight. It was used on things like fabric covered aircraft, to pull the material tight over the framework and make it more rigid. It used to be made out of all sorts of "nasty" things like horse urine and boiled up skin etc. As far as fishing rods go, the most common in use (since the 50's), is cellulose based. Apart from smelling powerful, the vapours are NOT good for you. Don't smoke when using it, as it can ignite and burn at a higher temperature than petrol. The fumes given off when it burns, can kill in very small quantities. Oh yeah, worse than that, your Mum will murder you if you get it on the carpet!In short, it's dodgy stuff

 

Nowadays, the modern threads are said not to require doping. As they're nylon, they shrink very little with dope anyway. The silks used originally (which I still use on cane rods), certainly did need doping to pull them tight.

 

When whipping, pull the thread round with a soft, even tension. After trimming, let it rest for a while and the tension should equalise.

[wunnus]

The old rings and whippings can be carefully cut with a craft knife and then wire wool to smooth down.

 

Re ringing with coloured whipping and then some fibre glass resin to set the whipping. U can add a colouring but I do not.

 

Then varnish over the top for the overall finish.

[adrstuart]

i would take it down to a professional