Dawsons of Bromley

The Dawsons of Bromley Rods forum.
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J.T
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Re: Dawsons of Bromley

Post by J.T »

Sent him a message, will see what he replies with.

I wish I knew more about cane rods to tell if its worth spending the money on to restore, to me the cane its self looks ok and the rod is straight its just the dodgy flurral’s (section two and three also knock) that appears to be the issue, although like I said I am no expert but I think it has potential assuming it can be fixed. :(

Would any of you more knowledgeable chaps be willing to take a look at it at all?
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SeanM
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Re: Dawsons of Bromley

Post by SeanM »

Personally I'd send it back JT. There are plenty of decent Sab(r)inas out there and unless you are going to do the restoration yourself it just won't be worth it. If you do want to try a restoration then your main problem will be sourcing the new ferrules and it might be best replacing both sets so that the rod looks right.

On the subject of Sabrinas, my own preference is for the 10ft 6in version. These make a half decent ledger rod for chub and light barbel and they are little more weildy than the 12ft ones.
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J.T
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Re: Dawsons of Bromley

Post by J.T »

I am tempted to try a restoration myself.... :think:

All be it a bit scared... :oops:
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Nobby
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Re: Dawsons of Bromley

Post by Nobby »

Ferrules can be a git to fit true and straight...they can also be a bit hard to find, in brass anyway.

The only way I get them straight is to lay them on a white-painted window sill and rotate them to see how true they are. Then you have to actually assemble the rod and check again. This is a bit awkward if you are doing doth the ferrule and its counter. It's tempting to use a modern epoxy and have ferrules tight to the cane, but if you do it that way( and I usually do) thay ain't coming off again. Not good if you get it wrong.

I guess it would be better to do it the old way with thin, thin string whipped around the cane to hold tight an otherwise loose ferrule...at least you can get it off again. Trouble is, I am convinced its that string that is putting my ferrules off-true in the first place.

You can always correct a bit of a 'kick' with heat on the cane...I use a night-light candle.


Ferrules and straightening cane are new skills for me, but if I can do it anyone can, but I do feel this rod is a bit of a challenge for your first go. But if you decide to go for it, there's loads of help on forums like this and even if it takes you a month or two in your spare time, you will always have the satisfaction of having done it yourself.

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J.T
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Re: Dawsons of Bromley

Post by J.T »

Thanks Nobby. :thumb:

There are a couple of things that appear to be “right” with this rod, one being it appears to be straight and two the rings and most of the whipping appear to be in good shape, the main bad points are the ferrules and varnish (assuming the actual cane is ok).

Assuming the cane is good (and again I am no expert on this) and assuming I can replace the ferrules and ferrule whipping and do a good job on the varnish (scared) then it should in theory be a nice rod.
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SeanM
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Re: Dawsons of Bromley

Post by SeanM »

I'm experimenting with hot melt glue for ferrule fitting. Warm up the cane and smear it thinly with hot melt glue, then push on the warmed ferrule. The hot melt fills gaps nicely and the ferrule can be removed if you're not happy. My first attemt was on the butt ferrule of my Chapmans 700 and it seems to have worked well. Time will tell of its durability.
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J.T
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Re: Dawsons of Bromley

Post by J.T »

Sounds good Sean, guess I better get my self a book on Cane restoration then. :think:
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Haydn Clarke

Re: Dawsons of Bromley

Post by Haydn Clarke »

If you are going to the trouble to revarnish the rod then it doesn't matter if the whippings are good or not becuase they certainly won't be any good after you've stripped the old varnish. That is unless you plan to just key it up then over-varnish the rod. this will make the finish better but if you want it absolutely pukka then best to give it a full strip down.

Depending on how handy you are, and if you are going to keep it, then it's probably better to just do the whole thing from scratch. Once you've done it there won't be another rod in your kit that you'll love more. If you do strip it make sure you get some more info before proceeding, things like labels are very easy to strip. Lose that and your rod is worthless.

Haydn Clarke

Re: Dawsons of Bromley

Post by Haydn Clarke »

One other thing, I did actually manage to get an epoxied ferrul back of with some heat and gentle persuasion. It is do-able, though not easy and far from ideal.


P.S What did your seller have to say about the return, J.T?

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J.T
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Re: Dawsons of Bromley

Post by J.T »

The sod still hasn’t got back to me! :(

Will give him until this evening and then leave neutral feedback.
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