Mk IV Carp - Compound Taper

[Nobby]

I'd say you don't need a micrometer, just a set of vernier calipers:

http://www.tesco.com/direct/am-tech-dig ... wgodHUMAIQ

£13 and it does metric and imperial at the push of a button!

My old set are not digital and take a little more time to read...especially in Imperial, but I utterly couldn't do without them. I must picke them up 20 times a day.


There's a number of ways different people use to measure a rod taper, including the frankly daft, point to point of the hexagons. A bit silly when so many rods have had them rounded off somewhat...it has to be flat to flat.


I personally prefer a measurement every four inches....six could miss something...it would certainly miss the two changes in profile of a Milwards' 'twin taper tip'...though the eye could never miss them!

One might measure for comparison in two ways.....either giving the departure from a straight line in distance of deviance or my giving the total thickness. I think the former is of more use when looking for compound tapers, but the latter more use if you are actually building a rod...not that I have!

I once measured a Wizard and was convinced there was a slight change in taper, twice, over about 6 inches .... after which the taper returned to the original straight line. One might describe it as a sudden step down for about an inch and the other 5 inches more close to parallel to 'correct' it again. I'd imagine this would give a slight tip action to assist casting as the change was about a third of the way up that tip.

[Ryeman]

No I'm not from Rye. It's the River Rye. It's at the bottom of my garden. Well, half way up it sometimes....

Alan

[Nigel Rainton]

Nobby, thanks, I will get the calipers :-)

[SeanM]

I agree with Nobby - a set of digital callers are really useful for vintage tackle restorers. I haven't measured my Chapman 550 as it was in great condition when I bought it. I have measured my Chapman 500 though and that was pretty much bang on Chapmans' published taper.

I measure every rod I restore once I've stripped the varnish and keep these measurements, together with ring spacing, intermediate spacing and thread colour in a log book. Hand planed rods do seem to be a little inexact, which I suppose is only to be expected.

[Aquaerial]

This one should keep you guys occupied for hours...its certainly original.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Richa ... s_RL&hash=

[Nigel Rainton]

The tip eye is not lined and the whipping looks amateurish. Did they make a rod of unequal length sections totalling 9' 7 3/4" ?

[Santiago]

Still regardless if the handle is genuine! ! The last one like this went for about £150.

Anyway it's silly money! II'd pay £20 and no more for that bean pole!!

[Nigel Rainton]

I can't imagine why they would make a rod of unequal section lengths and such an odd overall length. It looks like a normal MkIV with a broken tip. I shall 'watch' it to see what happens :-)

[Barbulus]

I agree there. A new tip required from Chapmans but...it certainly is "original"....

[Santiago]

Regarding my earlier post I'll be posting on this topic tomorrow!