Hi everyone.
A friend of mine has asked me to restore an old St. Croix rod he picked up at a flee market! Mudhole seems to have most of the components that I will need but I do have a couple of questions. I have no idea how old the rod is, the St. Croix sticker is really beat up and the only other markings on the rod is the size 6' 6", lure weight and the name Carboloy on it. The thread work appears to have been finished with varnish and it looks like there was a gold foil underlay under the thread work. Would it have been finished with varnish and would anyone know where I could find the foil underlay?

Martyn

funny you ask about the foil underlay. I know that it was popular in the 70's and early 80's and it is pretty darn hard to find nowadays. I had a request to rebuild an older Berkley rod and it was just way too much of a pain in the butt to try and match the original foil wrap. I do know that Bingham had a bit of it in the past but it has been a while since I have asked her about it.

Hope this helps,
Tom

Merrick once carried it and therefore it's possible that Mud Hole obtained some in their buyout. But I you should call/email and ask as it might not be in their catalog.

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Martyn,
Since the rod was picked up at a flea market and thus has no sentimental attachment to the rod, why don' t you suggest that the rod be stripped and rebuilt using modern and typical components for use on today's rods.

The rod has essentially 0 value and after rebuilding will have 0 value as well. It however, could be a nice rod for catching some fish if the person decides to use it for fishing.

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On the other hand, if the person is asking that you restore it to be a piece of art hanging on the wall, and if you can find the components to restore it to what it was when it was built. Go for it. But at the end of the day, it will still likely be a rod with 0 value.

You could strip the rod and rebuild the rod with components from rods of today for about $20 or so in total components. $10 if you are just replacing the guides with functional guides.

Be safe

If you aren't trying to match the color exactly, the gold metallic ink jet media from Papillo should work well. You can cut it to size, and be able to have plenty of material in a single sheet. If you are doing a full restoration, it should look good as the color will be consistent.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2015 06:16PM by Joe Vanfossen.

One option I have used with good results is just using gold or silver paint under the threadwork. It really makes the colors pop.

Thanks for the advice and yes the rod would still be worth $0 as Roger mentioned but this friend would like it as close to original as possible and I will do my best. Some good tips on what to do. Thanks again for the input. Can always count on someone to have an opinion and advice.

Martyn

Martyn,
I suspected that the statement from your friend to restore the rod to its original state might have been the case. Some great tips to do the job. Good luck on the restoration.

Be safe