When it arrived all seemed fine. The cane was straight, the joints fitted securely and I could see no delamination which Aspindales are infamous for. But the varnish was chipped and scratched and the whipping had seen better days.
The first stage was to cut off all the old whipping using a sharp knife, taking care to cut away from the joints to avoid getting the knife between the spikes of the joint that are whipped over to hold it on.
With these removed it was time to remove the old varnish. I did this with B&Q own brand paint and varnish remover. I paint it on thick across the blank and leave it for 25-30 minutes. I then, very gently, scrape it off with the flat side of a plastic protractor. Anything plastic will do. I don't use metal because I think it would be easier to damage the outer layers of the cane with it. I always do 1/2 a section at a time, so I have part of a section to hold when scraping the stripper off. I also never apply stripper next to the labels or script because it may remove those. Instead I leave that area alone and simply varnish over the top of the old stuff.
The next stage is whipping on the eyes. Mine were good on the rod so I will reuse these. but new ones can be purchased from Hopkins and Holloway or eBay. This video shows the correct method for whipping. It means that there is no need for glue, which might spoil the colour of your whippings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOtKuuhgf9A
A freshly whipped on eye:
After whipping all the eyes and over the joints on the butt and middle sections I came to do the tip section. However I noticed a problem. A black line had appeared down the edge of the strips of cane that make up the blank. This is generally a sign of delamination, where the glue has failed and the sections start coming apart. Investigating, I bent the cane in my hands and the sections opened up considerably. Obviously removing the varnish and the whipping had been all that was needed to make the sections open up.
In order to attempt a fix the joint at the bottom of the tip section had to be removed so the strips in the cane could be opened up fully for re-gluing. The old glue that holds on the joint was stiff holding tight, so it needed to be weakened with heat. To do this I hold the joint a few inches above a ring on my stove. I rotate the cane in my hands to ensure even heating. Remember to keep trying to pull the joint off. At some point the glue will soften and the joint will pull of simply and easily. Overheating can damage the came so don't do it for longer than required and perhaps wrap the cane in a damp cloth to protect it.
Next the sections required opening up so the glue could be pushed in between the strips of cane and into gaps. This is done with pins. I used safety pins because it is what I had. I have never done this before and so I asked on here for advice about which glue to use. Thanks to the generosity of the members I didn't have to wait long before I had a few recommendations. I decided to go with cascamite. Cascamite is a powdered glue that you mix with water. I chose it because it remains workable for an hour and so it gave me plenty of time and I would not have to rush a job I was unsure about.
The strips opened up:
I pushed the glue into the gaps with the end of a cable tie and a pin. I really coated the strips and it looked a right sticky mess. I the removed the safety pins and wiped the excess off. The logical way to do this was from the good section, towards the butt end of the section. As I did this the sections went back together nicely and excess seeped from between the strips. this reassured me there must be enough in there. I then bound the section tightly with many cable ties. They are only cheap. About 70p for 60 ish. More excess came out as I did this and I wiped between the ties with wet cotton buds. I put it in a vase on my windowsill where it is nice and warm for it to dry.
Next is varnishing. The varnish I use is Blackfriers Super Yacht Varnish in clear. I thin this down with a little white spirit so that it does on better and set it spinning in a rod turner for a couple of hours in the shed. I wait until the surface has started to harden and then I take it inside to cure properly in the warmth. I will not touch it again until I am confident it has fully cured, which may take as long as a week in a shed or 1/2 a week or so inside. If you rush to do another coat before it has fully dried you run the risk of very wrinkly, and unpleasant finish. I've been there and it is disappointing after putting the time and effort in!
The thread I have chosen is a cheap one from eBay. It goes slightly translucent but still close to the colour of the cane when varnished without sealer. I think. I'm actually slightly colour blind, but I like the look of it anyway. I tipped the main whipping in black to finish it of neatly.
A freshly whipped on and varnish eye:
Most threads need sealing. I have found the best way to do this, if your thread needs it is to use lots of coats of very thin banana oil. It is thinned with cellulose thinners. However this for me was always the most tricky part of rod restoration. It is difficult to get it right and if not done correctly you will end up with sports of whipping that are darker than the rest.
I spoke about this on here recently and was advised to use thread used a lot in America called Fishhawk thread, available from Hopkins and Holloway. This will change colour slightly if varnished over without sealer, but will not go black like most would. However, even though it darkens a little, all of the unsealed thread will go the same colour and it will not be patchy. I cannot recommend this thread enough. It is so much easier than sealing other brands of thread!! Just remember when you buy it to buy a colour a few shade lighter than what you want and do a test before putting it on your rod.
That's everything I have done so far. Next time I will be gluing the joint back onto the tip section and whipping on the eyes. Then I will be finishing the varnishing before eventually taking the rod out and having a fish with it.
