David wrote: ↑Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:08 pm
Hi. I know this is an old subject but can anyone inform me please. What components actually came in a J B Walker kit MK1V Carp rod ?
Hi. I have a JB Walker kit rod - and I know it is one, as I bought it and completed the rod in 1969. Mine is a S/U Mk IV, not the Mk IV Carp, as I got it with pike fishing in mind. However I am confident the kits for the Carp version would have contained the same components. From memory, my kit included:
The split-cane two section blank
Ferrules (good quality with serrated ends to be whipped over; but not having the bulge in the middle of the female where other makers like B James reinforced their ferrules)
Sufficient bored corks to make a long cork handle
Butt fitting with rubber button
Reel fittings (plain duralumin sliding bands were standard, but one could opt for a screw fitting at extra cost)
Rod rings set (plain chromed, rather wide low bells type rings for intermediates, plus agate lined butt and tip rings. There was a de-luxe option to have lined agate rings throughout)
Whipping thread (nylon, to ones chosen colour. I am not sure if they supplied enough for intermediate whippings - I decided not to attempt this on my rod, following the great R.W. dictum that with modern glues, intermediate whippings on cane were just unnecessary weight).
Two different varnishes, for the rod itself and for the whippings
Glue
A useful booklet produced by JB Walker on rod building for the practical angler.
All the above came in a strong cardboard box, and even included some lengths of whole cane to add strength to the package; a nice bonus as I used mine to make a net handle!
This kit was a good purchase which I never regretted; as a schoolboy I was able to finish it without difficulty if a bit crudely for the whippings! The rod is still useable today. My only wish now is that I would have done ever better to choose the Carp version. The S/U Mk IV is really a bit of a stiff beast, and I would have found more uses over the years for the classic, and nicer to use Mk IV.