14 foot Featherlite

[AshbyCut]

After the way my 10ft 6in version of this rod has handled, I simply couldn't resist taking a punt when I saw this 14 foot version come up as part of a pair with a Dawson's of Bromley 14 foot "Elaine." It will be fascinating to compare the two rods of identical configuration but from different makers side by side.

This is the best I can do for a picture until it arrives ...

[Robbi]

any idea what length the handle is on that AC ?

[AshbyCut]

any idea what length the handle is on that AC ?

I'm guessing about 28 inches, Sir ... unless others can be more precise ? Time will tell ... all part of the fascination.

[Nobby]

The Featherlite was indeed made at 14 foot and was an unusual rod in that the three sections were not all the same length. The 14 foot Senior Featherlite was the most expensive rod Milwards ever made.

[AshbyCut]

The Featherlite was indeed made at 14 foot and was an unusual rod in that the three sections were not all the same length.

I wondered if that was one of the reasons no-one else bid on the rods, Sir ... making the assumption that the tip section was broken off short.

[Nobby]

I think you're right AC......people always assume a bit is broken off, but the image in the catalogue makes it clear.


Not that light at 14 foot....anything over 11'6" get's a bit heavy tbh. Definitely a banksticks job.

[Kingfisher]

I saw a 12 ft version on the bay last night. A bit pricey to my mind though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-MILWA ... 498wt_1174

[AshbyCut]

The Senior Featherlite arrived today and it does need a little work.

On the plus side ... it's a full 14ft when put up, it's perfectly straight, The tip and the butt rings are fine, the cane and cork are good, as are the ferrules, and the transfers and hand written information are very good. The twin taper tip is super ... a real 'beefed up' version of that on my 10ft 6in version.

Sadly, almost all the guides are either rusty, or bent, or both ... so I'll replace them all. Fortunately, I have more than enough in my little box of bits to sort it. To get it into a usable state a.s.a.p. I'll replace them all but leave all the other whippings and varnish in place so that I can use it this summer, and consider doing a full rebuild over winter.

[Nobby]

Believe it or not that silk is dark blue, but it always ends up black...whether that was with time or poor sealing I don't know....did rod makers really bother sealing their whipping as we do now? Did they even have the time to do so?


And I think the rings would have been black, not chrome. I bet the expensive aluminium fittings are really fancy work?

[AshbyCut]

Nobby, Sir ... you are, of course, correct about the whippings. Underneath they are a very deep bluebottle blue. I shall be looking to try to find the nearest match I can get to it. The closest I can see is Pac Bay "Dark Navy" from GuidesnBlanks.



As for the butt furniture, here's a photo of them. It's interesting that they didn't make the butt cap black to match.



As far as the guides are concerned, there is only one which has a black enamel finish. The others appear to have no trace of black on them, and from the colour of the whippings underneath they all seem to be original ... so I'm a tad confused about that. As the butt and tip guides are in re-usable condition with the agate in all present and correct, I'll replace the intermediate guides with my usual set of 617 HC's from Chapman's.