The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

OK, here are the photos

An overview



Handle showing ferrule



Some of the sections, you can see the screws on the ferrules, some of which appear original, others seem to have been replaced







I would think that Hillman would be the retailer rather than the maker but I don't know.

I have ordered some Bullards craftsman twist in gold and black, and some replacement high bells. Total outlay, including all of the postage and packing will be in the region of £50, which if I can sort it out, doesn't seem than bad.

Thanks MG's, That looks amazingly similar to the rod I've been trying for weeks to idnetify.
seen in this topic.
viewtopic.php?f=38&t=7293


Mine looks much older but put a button on the bottom and it really would look similar. I wonder if they copied the same rod as I have or if mine is the same but just looks older because it wasn't stored as well?

Could well be. Looking at the fittings on mine, I would say some time in the 1940s or early 1950s

I won't annoy you by telling you mine cost me £4 from oxfam.

Mine does look really old and has black whipping, maybe it was popular enough to make a second run of the rod?

Unless like I said they copied another companies design and that's why the whippings differ?

Your not bonkers MG, I reckon that when you have done the refurb it will look and fish well, with all the old rods there's a lot of pleasure in simply wondering about who first bought it and what happened to it before you got it, if rods could only talk !!!!

Tight lines
Dave

I was a customer of Mr Hillman. my friend Barry and I would cycle to the shop to buy 6d (2.5p) of "gentles" to be shared between us when we went fishing at Penton Hook.In 1951 Barry passed his 11+ and got a bike from his parents,from his Grandfather he got a 10ft 3piece spanish reed with spliced built cane top specially made for him by Mr Hillman.This was 62 years ago and I can still remember that rod.I can say therefore that as Mr Hillman made at least one rod there is potential for others.The shop frontage was so narrow that if there were three people waiting to be served, one had to stand outside.I can't exactly recall when the business closed I believe that it would have been mid 50's.
I hope that the refurb. goes well for you MG

Huttojon

Thanks for the information. That helps a lot. My rod could well be made by Mr Hillman. My rod is whole cane short butt and middle, with the tip being whole cane with a spliced in split cane tip. This also gives me a timeline. So it looks like my guess of 1940s into the 1950s wasn't far out.

I have cleaned the handle, blacked the brass fittings and re-glued and blacked the ferrules. Tomorrow I will fill the large pin holes, which I had to drill out. I will use some black epoxy putty for that. More pictures to follow.

The rod weighs 12oz as 10'6 and 15oz as 12' so will become my grayling trotting rod in its shorter guise.

That is a fabulous story Huttonjohn. I love old stories like that and find them very interesting. I've sat there for hours pondering over my old rod looking for maybe an inscription that I may have missed but not found one. It would be nice to conscider that it may have sported the name Hillman at some point in it's life.

MGs, I'm looking forward to seeing yours refurbed now, I know I won't be able to emulate your work but it'll give me something to go on.

Bang on with fathoming out the era I'd say.

A quick progress update.

The handle has been cleaned and the fittings blacked.


Not sure if you can see, at the top of the picture, one of the male ferrules with the epoxy filling to replace the pins. All of the ferrules were loose. They have been removed and re-glued.

A picture of a couple of the repaired small splits. There were 5 in all


What I thought was black and white jasper, tinted by varnish, is actually black and gold. I now have some black and gold Bullard's craftsman twist. I'll see how it goes. Just waiting for some new rings.

More to follow

I hope the new guides arrive quickly, I can't wait to see the finished product.