# Bamboo fly rod restoration



## gahannafly (Aug 11, 2012)

I picked up a 8.5 foot bamboo fly rod last weekend at a garage sale. It is a south bend model 57-bass rod i think.

It needs a new guides but the grip, reel seat, finish on the bamboo is fine.

Can I replace the guides with out refinishing the rod? Who makes a good set of replacement guides at a decent price? What else do I need (silk, vanish?). 

Also thinking of adding a hook keeper.

Can old ferrules be cleaned up-not rusted or pitted but the are real tight when I put the rod together.

I understand these rods are not supper sought after but I thought If I could do the whole thing for around $30 it would be a cool winter project and I can get it out on my local flow!

Any advice is appreciated.


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## Jim Paden (Feb 28, 2014)

Nice old classic, especially since it sounds like it's in fairly good condition. If all sections are the same length that would indicate that nothing has been broken and repaired. The fact that it needs the guides re-wrapped is not surprising considering its age. The ferrules sound like they are in good condition also. You did not mention a storage tube,bag or an extra tip which the rod probably came with.

Some other things to consider will be to make sure the ferrules are tight and that there are no loose glue joints anywhere up and down the bamboo blank. Put it together and do a gentle mock cast with out line. If you feel any looseness or hear any clicking sounds stop and find the problem area. Save few pieces of the removed thread for accurate size and color replacement.

You will also want to make yourself a lay out guide for each section with the exact position of each guide wrap and trim band so you can re-wrap back to original specs. The condition of the original finish will dictate whether or not the existing finish will need to be removed. Bamboo rods are seldom refinished with epoxy thread finish. A bottle of Casey's True Oil will be a good finish for the bamboo blank and the thread wraps as well.

How about posting some close up views. Sounds like a nice project, I have built a few bamboo rods from scratch. Your project at hand is not much different than building any other rod if the bamboo is in good condition and not covered with a cracked thick finish or grossly discolored. That would require more work. Good luck!


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## gahannafly (Aug 11, 2012)

Here are some photos


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## Jim Paden (Feb 28, 2014)

Great, 

You have the extra tip 

Everything looks to be full length 

The bamboo does not seem to have a heavy thick finish which would make me thing someone refinished it already
The logo seems largely intact
The male ferrule on the mid section looks like it might be loose, fixable if indeed loose.

Here is a link to a site about bamboo rods. Lurk around for a while to learn more about your task at hand. Sign up is free and encouraged to get full benefits of the site 
http://classicflyrodforum.com/

Here is a link to a search about the "South Bend 57" (5 pages - some were built with walnut grips)
http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum...t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search


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## gahannafly (Aug 11, 2012)

Jim Paden said:


> Great,
> 
> You have the extra tip
> 
> ...


Thanks for being so helpful. It does have two tips but hard to tell if one is heavier.
I will look at the link and sign up to the forum.


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