The one that landed Clarissa

[PDuffield]

But the MKIV he claimed to catch Ravioli on was marketed by JB Walker and not B.James. If it was a purely marketing ploy and a fib, then why didn't Walker claim he used the B.James version. I imagine B.James were actually quite annoyed with Walker because some of their customers would have been attracted away to buying JB Walker's kit version. Seriously, if he fibbed as a marketing ploy to increase B.James sales then why would he write to JB Walker endorsing their product with the capture of Ravioli? With no endorsement for the B.James version?

My understanding has always been that J B Walker supplied RW with the culms that he split to make his own MKIV and that these culms are the 'materials' that RW refers to in his letter to JB Walker.

[Nobby]

That's not correct. We have been shown a letter he wrote to Mike Wilson in 1983 detailing the rods he made.








He states that the rods he made from J.B.Walker supplied blanks had been built up by Bob Southwell.

Now I don't quite know how this situation came about; J.B.Walker had two mills to machine their own cane, why would they buy in ready built blanks just to sell on to Richard Walker? Unless it's something to do with Bob possibly not dealing with the public directly, so RW had to go through a Southwell account holder, possibly. Of course, in so doing RW got blanks built by the man who would go on to be possibly the best rod maker in this country, hot pressing nodes, a weak-point, rather than just milling them out flat.

RW had earlier made rods "from the pole", to use his own expression. These culms as we would call them now were supplied by Allcocks. Nevertheless, RW felt no great debt to Allcocks for these culms, writing that he intended to only support J.B.Walker and B.James in the production of Mk.IV rods. He speculated that others would want to build them, but he never patented the taper to stop them doing so...and tapers could be patented...Milwards did it in 1963....but RW felt " there will never be an enormous sale for the rods" . In that he was wrong of course, they're still being made today!

Double built is where another layer of cane is built-up over an existing hexagonal blank. The power fibres that give the cane is strength are clustered densely near the surface...you can't just make a bigger hexagonal cross-section of rod if you want power...you have to lay another layer of dense stuff on top of the first. In theory, you could double build any existing cane rod.


Here's the illustration form RW's own book, Rod Building For Amateurs:




RW's illustration is important. One might think from my description that one would end up with a big fat rod. In fact the inner cane section has replaced the fewer power fibres of the ordinary cane centre with denser outer fibres...the rod has twice the fibres, but the two blanks are the same size. In fact a single built rod is naturally slightly 'hollow built'.


You can read all about RW's early carp rods in the PDF files on the Bruce and walker site, with an article by our own Chris Ball:

You want the top four of the list at the bottom, a Classic Angling article.....

http://bruceandwalker.co.uk/about_us


You'll see the Mk.III was double built. The Mk.IV was not, but it did have a compound taper. This is where the 'slope' of the rod changes at least once. It changes the rod action.


Here is RW's hugely exaggerated taper illustrations from the same book as the last :




It might help if I also add the images of the 'translation' of RW's letter to B.James..the original hand-writing defeated me but one of out members managed it





Please not the ferrule illustrations are mistakenly the same...the second should show RW's idea for 12 pointed 'spikes'.





[/I do find it amusing that despite granting B.James the right to make his rod design, RW has no idea his real name is not Mr.James, but James Bruce. You'll also note RW doesn't think much of 'Mr.James' handwriting.
B.James & Son went on to sell over 15,000 Mk.IV rods including Avons and Stepped Up versions. Jim Bruce Senior initially bought in all the blanks from Bob Southwell and asked Bob to work for him exclusively as demand increased. Bob Southwell declined, not wanting to put all his eggs in one basket, as Ted Oliver put it to me.

i]

[PDuffield]

So what were the 'materials' RW credits JB Walker as having supplied? Ferrules, rings? certainly not a made up blank as RW's letter confirms he only started to use those when demand exceeded his ability to build them himself.

[JohnN]

Oh dear! When RW built his first Mk4 he made a comment about It "not being able to be built commercially for under £10". Jimmy James then contacted him and said he could do it for under £10, and came up with a price of £8 15s, which is what I paid for mine.I don't think JBW ever sold complete Mk4s, only kits, and RW's arrangement to produce the finished rod was with B.James.

[Mark_N]

What a fascinating thread.
I had no idea there was this amount of debate about the Mk IV.

looking forward to the next exchange.

[Paul D]

What a fascinating thread.
I had no idea there was this amount of debate about the Mk IV.

looking forward to the next exchange.

Quite right Mark, I find it fascinating

[Dokterhoo]

Regarding J.B. Walkers rods, I have a MkIV and a S/U MkIV completed by JBW and labled with a transfer as such and their catalogues certainly offered MkIV's as a kit OR a completed rod if required. As indeed they offered with most of their models.
Dok

[Gary Bills]

How many MK III rods were built?

One only, not counting the odd modern repro....It's currently owned by Chris Ball, I think, who has used it....

[JohnN]

I sold my original B James Mk4 because it had developed a "set" in the top joint, perhaps due to Raspberry! I don't think the cane was of the best so probably not Southwell's. In 1966 I heard about "Weasel Cane", devised by Walker and Fred Buller, where built cane was pressed with a hot iron (hence the name) to make it "steelier" and, it was said, "virtually unbreakable". Fred let me have a "Richard Walker Weasel Carp Rod Mk4", but a couple of years later the top joint shattered into six separate strips - the rod was only slightly bent at the time! I took it to Bob Southwell who built me another top joint - and refused to accept any money! Whether that was because he knew I was in the angling press or because it was originally his cane, I don't know. I still use that rod today.

[Jardine]

How many MK III rods were built?

One only, not counting the odd modern repro....It's currently owned by Chris Ball, I think, who has used it....

Was Maurice Inghams rod a MK III or a MK IV?
Best regards
Jardine