Marco 'The Exe'

[The Old Buffer]

Its all going very nicely. How do you see yourself using the rod when it is finished?

[Nailbourne]

You know something, OB - I don't know! I'll wait until I can measure its test-curve - I have a feeling it'll be approaching 3 - 4lb, so should be ideal for pike or salmon with (say) an ABU 5000.

A pal of mine who lectures in - among other things - fishery management has offered to field-test my rods and show his carp/carbon-fixated students what real tackle is!

[Barbulus]

Wow...you have been busy while some of us are just "coming round" from the night before ! It looks really great and as is so often the case, I admire the tenacity and skill in giving this a new lease of life.
As you say, £ 25 and some skill and work and you will have a terrific rod. Next stop for me....the coffee machine !

[The Old Buffer]

I really do like Marco rods and have been able to pick a few up from the bay of e at very reasonable prices. I am now getting the feeling that they are beginning to appreciate in value as it slowly dawns on folk how good they really are. I look forward to seeing the finished rod.

[Nailbourne]

The main reason I'm posting all this is to encourage others to do the same thing - quite a few members are frightened to work on their own rods 'in case'. I don't have a workshop, or power tools. Just my desk and the kitchen worktop! The hand-tools are basic in the extreme. If I can re-furbish a rod, anyone can - but I can't Wallis-cast!

[Nailbourne]

Well, the rod is now complete. I'm quite pleased with it, even though it hasn't been Barderised! It has a few cosmetic faults - a couple of cross threads in the whipping, some (but not too much) dust spots in the varnish, a bit of roughness in the cork. But, what the hell. . .

Some pics:



The re-shaped handle. I kept the original butt cap and button, removed the original shoulder ferrule and added a couple of extra shives at the top, finishing with a mushroom. New sliding reel fittings. The handle is slightly thinner than before, parallel except for a unnoticeable swell above the butt cap.



Showing the new tip ring, female ferrule, and Agatine-lined bridge rings. The tip, which I erroneously quoted as 4mm diameter, is, in fact, 6.5mm - a full quarter-inch! This needed a fairly massive tip ring. However, it doesn't look excessive. The four intermediate rings were salvaged from those I took off my previous re-furbishment of a Marco Medway.

There was a third pic., but TinyPic threw a wobbler (again) and I couldn't add it!

To encourage other members to have a go, this is the cost breakdown:

Original rod, inc. p&p - £25
New splint-end ferules and tip ring - £13 inc p&p (Anglers Supplies).
Cork shives, reel fittings, green whipping thread - £12 inc p&p (Ted Oliver).

So, a nice useable rod for heavy pike/salmon (OK - carp stalking, too) for £40.

Daren't think what the test-curve is, though!

[Nobby]

That looks a fine job and at a fantastic price too!

[AshbyCut]

Well done, Sir. It's great to bring a rod back to life.

[Wallys-Cast]

A very useful rod and a very nice job you've made of it too. It would be a brill boat rod for pike.

Wal.

[Santiago]

Very good job there! Well worth the extra effort and one gets the satisfaction of knowing you restored it yourself!