More questions raised than answered !!!!!

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AshbyCut
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More questions raised than answered !!!!!

Post by AshbyCut »

As someone sensible once said ... 'keep asking questions and you'll learn more and more about less and less until you know everything about nothing' !!!

Having today collected the rod which I know for certain is a 12ft. Precision Rods "R. Sealey's Tudor Supreme" (as it's original inscription is in place and perfect) I now have had confirmed that there are times when I don't check things I should ... but also that the thoughts I put on my website about the 'Un-Named' rod (until now I've referred to it as a 'Supreme') which I've recently had restored by CaneAndAble are 99% correct ... though I can NEVER prove it !!!

Well ... I've had the two rods side by side now for a few hours ... the investigations have begun, and to be honest I feel a bit of a fool initially !!! ("Nothing new there then" I hear you all cry !!!).

1. When the 'Un-Named' rod was listed on ebay it was as a 12ft. rod ... and I simply accepted it was right. I didn't actually put it together, put it on the floor and measure it. Well ... it's not 12ft ... it's actually 12ft. 8in. !!! That'll teach me to check and measure everything in future.

2. If you look at the picture of the two butt sections below, you'll see why I had originally thought that the 'Un-Named' rod was possibly not a named rod ... and why I think it's now proved that it isn't.

You can see the 'shadow' of where the original whipping finished just below the shield ... so CaneAndAble used that as a guide for where to whip to. As you can see in comparison with the 'Supreme' below ... there simply isn't space for an inscription to be written in the way they always were by the Sealey's at Precision. The spacing is too narrow to accommodate it. The same is true of my 'un-named' 10ft. 9in. rod (now known as 'The Princess' thanks to Bumble ! ... which Bernard Sealey's great great grand-daughter told me was therefore 'probably' a 'customer special.')

Image

3. Now we come to the tapers !!! I've had the caliper out, and the results show that the rods have different actions ... very different ... especially in the tip ! (The measurements are taken at the same distances from the tip on both rods ... Butt Centre Tip)

'Tudor Supreme' :- mm ... 1472 - 1396 ... 1124 - 821 ... 732 - 254
inches ... 0.579 - 0.549 ... 0.442 - 0.323 ... 0.288 - 0.100

'Un-named' :- mm ... 1476 - 1322 ... 1170 - 864 ... 805 - 406
inches ... 0.581 - 0.520 ... 0.460 - 0.340 ... 0.317 - 0.160

The 'Supreme' is more 'tip actioned,' though with a powerful butt ... whereas the 'Un-Named' would seem to be more powerful throughout and more evenly actioned ... or is that just me ???

4. Handle length ... very different. 'Tudor Supreme' = 25 inches. 'Un-Named' = 29.5 inches.

5. Weight. Very different ... to be expected. 'Tudor Supreme' = 15.75oz (447gr). 'Un-Named' = 19.00 oz. (538 gr.)

All this leads me to believe that the 'Un-Named' rod is, in fact, a 'customer special' ... possibly a 'barbel special' ... and possibly by someone with the initials 'KB' or 'HB' which can be seen by the whippings at the top of the handle.

Again ... there's no way I can prove any of this ... but I feel safe in saying that the 'Un-Named' is no 'Tudor Supreme' ... not even a 'beefed up' one given what would appear to be very different actions !!!

I did think last night I was going to have two examples of the same rod ... now I'm a VERY Happy Chappy ... with a special 'Tudor Supreme,' AND a very special 'Un-Named' Precision.

If you stuck with this to the very end ... thanks for your patience.

See what happens when 'interest' becomes 'obsession' ????? Now, where's my tincture ????? :Tongue:
"Beside the water I discovered (or maybe rediscovered) the quiet. The sort of quiet that allows one to be woven into the tapestry of nature instead of merely standing next to it." Estaban.

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Bumble
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Re: More questions raised than answered !!!!!

Post by Bumble »

Well you know my feelings my friend having waggled the unnamed rod I can honestly say it's a wonderful piece of cane named or not. The builder was well known for producing bespoke rods and rods that were sent to trade shows to gauge opinion before adding to their catalogue either way a great find.
Bumble

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LuckyLuca
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Re: More questions raised than answered !!!!!

Post by LuckyLuca »

I almost felt sorry for you Mal. You so wanted to prove it a Tudor Supreme!

Now you're "stuck" with a one off, built to order piece of Bernard history!

How will you recover?
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete.

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AshbyCut
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Re: More questions raised than answered !!!!!

Post by AshbyCut »

LuckyLuca wrote:How will you recover?
The gin helps, Sir ... especially since I discovered "The Botanist" ... and "Fever Tree" tonic !!!

Seriously though ... I consider myself fortunate to be the caretaker of these treasures.
"Beside the water I discovered (or maybe rediscovered) the quiet. The sort of quiet that allows one to be woven into the tapestry of nature instead of merely standing next to it." Estaban.

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Kingfisher
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Re: More questions raised than answered !!!!!

Post by Kingfisher »

Little do I know Mal but I would say that the H.B rather than being the name of the owner was more likely to be that of the maker or restorer.

If the new owner wanted their name to be added, then I would have thought it would have been made to stand out more, whereas, if it's the name of the restorer/maker then it may just be added as an aside and therefore wouldn't stand out much atall.

Just my two penneth worth.

God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.

Izaak Walton

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