Bob Southwell Rods

[Bumble]

Beresford wrote:

I'd love to know how to tell a Southwell blank apart from others. If it's purely on how steely the cane is then I suspect a friends B. James that was so much better than any other James MkIV I've ever come across may well have been a Southwell. It was alive and really steely.

Bob you are so right wonderful thread I have said many times before we are so lucky with the depth of knowledge on this forum long mat it continue.
Beresford I have found away that works for me, I believe I have a 1953 Avocet, Ogden Smith Arun and 3 Ted Oliver rods all of which I believe are Southwell blanks why I am convinced when I show them to people I trust like Jason White and Andrew Davis they look at the rod waggle the rod and instantly say Southwell blank. Guys like these 2 who see so many rods in a month let alone a year clearly know what they are talking about so I never question.
Bumble

[Beresford]

Bumble,
Is it just that then: the special feel that a waggle gives away? Or does the appearance of the cane alert their suspicions of its heritage? The James rod that I refer to was a darker coloured cane than I usually associate with their typical output.

Were any Olivers rods built on Southwell cane of were they all of Ted's creation?

[Vagabond]

Vagabond were you on the Bluebell? I've spent many happy days there. I've had a footplate experience on the Nene and throughly enjoyed it.

Yes I was, and deeply regret having to give up work on the footplate. But once I started losing my hearing, it was no longer safe, as I would not be able to detect high pressure steam escaping - nor be able to tell if the injectors were working. Steam locomotives are a lot more hazardous than most people realise - its only the vigilance of their crews that keeps them safe.

[Bumble]

Beresford most of Teds early rods were all built on Southwell cane not sure of the total history the cane is always Dark but the experts will always say it's down to the feel
Bumble

[Beresford]

Vagabond – a lovely way to spend time steaming through Sussex!

Bumble – thank you. I am now more convinced then that the Olivers finished Avon MkV I waggled was a Southwell built rod.

[Nobby]

Ted tells me he learned his craft from Bob Southwell so it's no surprise the rods look similar. It's all about the way the cane was heated to remove the moisture, it seems.
Ted has very strong opinions on how it should be done so as to not allow the moisture to run back in where you just chased it out from.
He also tells me he used a flame and a vice to compress the nodes, just as Mr.Southwell showed him.

Naturally I asked him about a hot node press and he tells me he never saw such a thing there. He also gave me the names of the other employees during his time at Station Road.

Where Ted's rods do differ, later on, is the use of modern glues and Ted's choice of light, natural coloured silks. Not gaudy at all, his rods look first class to my eyes, but in a pleasing and understated way.


That's another thing Ted has strong opinions about....he wants his silk so tight it must have sung!

[Vagabond]

Ted tells me he learned his craft from Bob Southwell

Very interesting post. Is there a younger person learning the craft from Ted ?

Bearing in mind my experiences in steam locomotive preservation, it is vital that skills are passed on and not lost.

[Nobby]

Sadly not, though Ted must still 'do a bit' as he keeps some rod furniture in stock. He sold his company, " Oliver's of Knebworth" to Peter Johnson, who now trades as " Oliver's Rods".

Fortunately, there's still a few soldiering on...Chapman's of Ware, for instance, but they too have no apprentices.

[Nailbourne]

How I agree with Vagabond over the preservation of old skills. However, so many of these can only ever be niche enterprises - there is simply no longer the demand for hand-made products. Glass and carbon blanks an be churned out by the thousand in factories and, for the majority of anglers, they're 'good enough' and cheap. Craft skills no longer form part of the school curriculum, so school-leavers have no idea that craftsmanship can be rewarding.

Milling machines have been used in split-cane manufacture for decades, so there is no stigma in their use if the end product is good. But the main criterion is cost. Take this example:

A British maker will charge around £25 - £30 per foot for a blank.
I contacted Zhu in China to see whether he'd make me blanks to a supplied taper - a swelled-butt 8' fly blank. No problem, he said, price depending on quantity ordered. For a small run, £55 per blank; for a larger run, £45 per blank! And these would be supplied ferruled!

OK - I know that wages, etc., are lower in China, but . . .

[Beresford]

Nailbourne,

I know Zhu's rods get good reviews on the fly fishing forums. The general view is that they are unbeatable for the money. Perhaps we should have a TTF batch of blanks made up?