As requested on my original post by some members regarding this rod here is an account of its restoration.Early B James Avocet Restoration.
Introduction
I have always wanted one of these rods. Very early on at the start of my cane interest whilst doing some research on MKIV’s, I stumbled onto a website extolling the virtues of these rods. Even the name Avocet is quite evocative. I remember the author singing the praises of these rods, especially the early ones which he described as the Holy Grail of cane rods. I was hooked from that moment. However, seeing as the most I’ve ever paid for a cane rod was £80 for a MKIV before the gold rush started, and most of my other purchases never topped £30, the chance seemed somewhat remote.
A couple of months ago I was extremely fortunate to stumble across a rod which I bought as a curiosity whilst sheltering in from the rain in a building which contains several antique shop units. Full details are here:
viewtopic.php?f=38&t=24191
It had an inscription on the butt cap which seemed to annotate it was some sort of prize rod. Once home on closer inspection it began to dawn that I had stumbled on an extremely rare example of an early B James Avocet which was a Daily Mirror Prize rod dating back to the very early 50’s. Although my early instincts were screaming out that this was a very,very rare rod, a Southwell blank rod and possibly a very rare “Built To Endure version, I was extremely wary of coming up with a theory and then making the facts fit it. However, most early requests for identification all agreed B. James Avocet, very early version. A few more people actually stated it to be an early ‘Built to Endure’model”, including rod restorers and rod builders who had handled examples of these early rods.
Obviously I am putting all this information out on the web and asking for any other confirmation or even disagreements. So far all are in agreement with no dissenters to date, although a couple of queries on individual aspects have arisen and I have been able to show other examples exactly the same which has satisfied queries. There is no desire to make false claims and as it will never be sold in my lifetime so no financial gain to be had by stating it to be other than the evidence points to.
Other research also unearthed details of these early rods including a detailed breakdown by John Olliff-Cooper on the now defunct www.fishing.co.uk website. All efforts to contact John or queries to any remaining website moderators have proved unsuccessful. I don’t wish to copy someone else work verbatim so below is a link to the site and a brief synopsis is thus:
http://www.interalpha.co.uk/customer/cane-rods/
There are various versions of this rod and similar to the Mitchell Museum method they can be split down into versions. I’m sure there are rods which fall somewhere in between as old stock and new stock was used on a commercial basis. However in this particular case this doesn’t apply as it falls distinctly into one category. Here is a tick list of the matches.
Rod Sections.
Whole cane butt section with middle and tip section in built cane. TICK
Bob Southwell Built Blanks
Dark coloured Southwell blanks. These blanks are very dark in colour. Forget ‘honey’ or caramel’ coloured descriptions, these are light chocolate. Very steely and crisp. TICK
Badges
Unfortunately if still attached this would make life easier. All transfers are missing but on stripping the layers of varnish outlines can be seen of the original transfer marks. The badges on the first version were black writing on gold bands, the second version utilised the more familiar black text directly on the rod blank without any gold background. Again positioning of text bands can be directly measured against known examples perfectly. TICK .
Avocet logo
B James logo
Barder restored Avocet of same vintage version for comparison
Ferrules
Spigot ferrules denoting it could only be a first or second version. As the whippings were cut away each ferrule could be seen to have silver paint on the serrated edge and the blank showing them to be original fitments. Inside the ferrules thread had been used to assist seating and gluing in the approved manner. Middle section was burgundy red wine colour and butt and tip had green used. Very much a case of using what was to hand. The butt ferrule appeared to have had a coat of gold paint somewhere along the line, not very well applied so not factory finish. TICK
Handle
23 inch full cork. Front collar exact match as are the reel bands. Butt cap is as per original and adds the added pedigree that it is a Daily Mirror Prize Rod. These were noted to be Avocets and other examples exist.. TICK
Ringing
All ring s are open bridge low riders as per other known examples. Butt ring is clear agate (not white porcelain) although tip ring has been replaced with a red agate. On removal all rings less the tip were seen to be originals, some slight staining on one and marking left on blank to show that these were as per original fit. TICK
Whippings
The rod was whipped in Jasper thread as per a first version. Although on first glance these appeared to be green subsequent inspection showed them to be a very discoloured jasper thread. Once cut off and the underside revealed and individual threads teased out they were black and silver Jasper on both ring whipping and intermediates , again pointing to a version 1 as the version 2 sported solid green whippings. TICK
Butt cap
The addition of the Daily Mirror Prize rod engraved on the butt cap gives added provenance. The butt cap is split into three pieces and cannot be re-used on the refurbish rod so is kept separate with other removed items including examples of removed whippings and male ferrules. Full pictorial evidence has also been taken of the strip down and subsequent rebuild for any post refurbishment assessment. TICK
The only downside at present is that the rod is 11 foot. Most examples state 11 foot three inches. There are also examples of 11 foot six and even a 12 footer as a special build, so maybe 11 foot is also possible. More of this later.
Because of the initial state of the rod it wasn’t known if the blanks had been damaged beyond repair and as such it wasn’t economically viable to send to a restorer, as quite a lot could be spent and then the rod declared beyond repair. With this in mind I started the strip down myself and the following plan put in place.
Stage 1
This was to be a strip and replacement of the ‘mechanics’ of the rod. This would include:
Strip down and assess damage
If the cane was still sound then the following would be tackled:
Delamination
Middle and tip section would have the delamination addressed and re-glued.
Ferrules.
Ferrules were loose between male and female and were knocking. and needed sorting. Ferrules were also loose onto the rod.
Handle.
Reels seats had started to corrode and eat into the cork handle. Bottom 10 shives needed replacement. Butt cap needed replacement made and fitted.
Dilemma No1
The first of a few dilemmas on this build. I wanted to keep it original as possible. For example replacing the whole handle with a new one would make it look very neat, but the rod is seventy years old and shouldn’t really look like it was just out of the factory. With this in mind all parts would be re-used where possible and only replaced if there was no option. Minimal restoration of parts would be the order of the day.
The Start.
First off the rod was stripped. As I couldn’t devote time to it straight away and it has come from a damp environment, into a cold unheated antiques hall for who knows how long, then into a heated house care, needed to be taken that any further damage was not exacerbated. My rod room is at the top of the house so benefits from rising heat and although has its own radiator I don’t have this switched on in deference to the cane rods. It is however, warmer than it previous environment so plastic ties were employed to negate any detrimental effects of it adapting to its new surroundings before work started.
First off the whippings and intermediates were removed. These were inspected and found to be as already stated above – silver and black jasper turned through gold to light green through age. Samples were kept for provenance.
The blank was then stripped of its varnish using a small scraper with very light strokes and thankfully the varnish including a pretty scummy post build layer. This exposed the cane and I was delighted to see the white marks near the ferrules come off with the varnish and sound dark wood left in view.
Now was the time to tackle the delaminated parts. There was one just above the bottom ferrule on the middle section and two on the tip section both above the ferrule again.
I started on the middle section first. The unglued section was gently pared open and toothpicks inserted to keep the gap open and any detritus was blown out with compressed air. I have done quite a few restorations including delaminated sections but on this occasion I was extremely nervous as I was more than aware that the last man to do this on this rod was probably Bob Southwell himself. Once it was clean, glue was flooded in to the open cane, ensuring that all faces were done in turn and completely covered. At this stage the nervousness went as became absorbed in getting it right first time. The section was then bound up tightly, rolled along a straight surface area to ensure it was aligned correctly and then left for 24 hours to dry. The same procedure was employed for the tip section, this time two areas being re-glued. After 24 hours both sections had the binding removed and were sound. Gentle flexing at this stage showed nothing untoward.
Next job was the ferrules. The male was a sloppy fit in the female denoting wear and also knocked. The butt female ferrule was also loose so was removed at this stage. None of the ferrules had any cracks which was a relief after nearly 70 years so in keeping with the ethos of the build I decided to retain both the female ferrules and make new male counter ferrules to the same pattern on the lathe. These were duly done. They were made a couple of thou too big and lapped in to fit the female.
These were taped in place for a test fit and the rod assembled for a quick check. As you can see it has fared well after a hard life and the last few years being neglected. There is a slight droop of about 1/8 inch which isn’t noticeable when it’s furnished with rings and intermediate whippings. There is also a tiny little kink in it at one of the nodal points but clear of any repaired delamination, so has occurred naturally over the years. Due to the droop being virtually unnoticeable when fully rung and I would rotate the tip anyway and the little kink also unnoticeable when finished I decided that leaving it alone and not tempting fate by any heating and straightening actions would be the wisest move.
Lastly on the repair side was the handle. The last 10 shives on the handle were cut off and new ones glued in place. It was interesting to see that the maker had scored the handle to improve the surface for the glue to grip. Although perfectly logical I haven’t come across this before. The two original corroded reel bands were cleaned up and were to be re-used as they were the original pattern. The handle end was then shaped to match and prepared for the replacement butt cap. The cork on the rest of the handle was slightly ribbed so this was gently smoothed with 400 grit sandpaper, just enough to removed the ribbing and blend into the new addition.
Dilemma No2.
The top of the handle had been repaired at some point and it looked like cork dust and glue had been used, but had discoloured with age. There also is a bit of a groove where something had worn into the cork slightly. These were old war wounds the rod had suffered in its lifetime and I pondered do I remove them and put on new ones or leave as part of the general ‘feel’ of the rod? Again in keeping with the build ethos I left them. Some days I look at it and am convinced I made the right decision but on other days look at it and I’m not sure. In all probability I’m probably being over picky.
Lastly a new butt cap was made to the original pattern. The old one was beyond use which was a real shame as it is part of the rods pedigree and provenance. All the removed parts will stay with the rod and I will see if I can solder the butt cap together, put in a wooden plug made from Redmire Oak and mount it along with an inscription stating what it is. Along with the spares box, photo evidence, this will also stay with the rod as part of its history and proof.
Once turned the butt cap was tapped out at 3/8 BSF and polished up to show any marks to remove and then sent to the engravers for engraving. Once this was completed the cap was carefully brushed matt to finish it off, original button re-screwed in and was glued back in place on the handle.
This completed the ‘mechanics’ phase and all had gone well, most of the original parts had been saved and refitted and the rod blank was sound. Next part will be the cosmetics.
Thanks for looking
