Chapman Amwell, £20....

[Olly]

[Jeremy Croxall]

Nice fish and photos Wal, these really are greatly underrated rods aren't they.

GB

I waggled Wals Amwell and thought how nice it was......

[Gudgeon Basher]

Update....
Whilst having a go at making some floats this afternoon, I kept glancing at the two sections of the Amwell that I currently have in my possession, and the more I looked, the more I wanted to strip them down to bare cane.
I gave in around teatime and got the old steel 6inch rule and some curly stuff that works like steel wool but doesn't go through me, then set to work removing the guides and removing the varnish. As is sometimes the case, someone in the not too distant past had decided to give the rod a lovely thick coat of yacht varnish over the original covering, it was still sticky under a couple of guide whippings. Anyway, in about 40 minutes the two sections were as naked as the day they were born, except for the ferrules and the handle. The intermediates have left wonderful marks to help when re whipping, and they are not close together like a MKIV, more like a couple of inches apart. I will ask John Chapman next week if he has any of the wine thread used on this rod available, and see if he has any of the Chapmans of Ware stickers available. The ink writing that said The Amwell has come off in the stripping but has also left a nice outline to follow with a pen. I'm not intending doing too much to the rod at the moment until I get my hands on the tip section and see if it's the correct tip and is sound.

Thanks
BB

BB

The inters should be green on an Amwell presuming that you are returning it to original specs, do you know if yours was an Amwell or the Amwell SP?

GB

[Gilbert]

I got my Chapman Amwell on Saturday as my sister did a flying visit back north to fill her lungs with some decent air. What I received was a OK butt section, a OK middle section and three tip sections from god knows what. Although somewhat disappointed by the lack of the correct tip, I decided that the Amwell will be a long term project. I told Ted I had the Amwell and the Aquilla I got off him some time ago, thanking him for the Aquilla and explaining about the Amwell.
Today I got a message from Ted to say he had contacted the guy in the junk shop and there was another tip section that they had not passed on to my brother when he picked up the rod. It would be beyond belief if this tip was correct and serviceable, but one can hope.
I think this rod deserves a refurb no matter what, so if the tip is OK I might get it restored by someone much better than I am at the work, if it needs a new tip making then to keep costs sensible I will probably do it myself.
I will put some before pictures on here at the weekend.

Thanks
BB

i would have thought that the correct tip will be the one that fits the mid section ferrule . chances of a random ferrule fitting the wrong rod must be pretty slim surely?

[BoltonBullfinch]

One of the three tips that came with the rod fits the middle section female ferrule, but it's only about two foot long and the ferrule is of a different design.

Thanks
BB

[Gilbert]

Oooops. if push comes to shove i think Chapmans can still supply a top. you would still be quids in

[Ljm183]

The inters should be green on an Amwell presuming that you are returning it to original specs, do you know if yours was an Amwell or the Amwell SP?

GB

The whipping can be either Wine or Green on the Amwell and the Standard will have intermediate whips and butt cap and button. The SP will have no intermediate whips and no cap or button.

[BoltonBullfinch]

The whippings were wine on the guides and ferrules, the intermediates had been removed before someone covered the rod in a nice thick coat of varnish in the not too distant past but I can see where they were, sadly I can't confirm the intermediate colour.
The rod is the normal Amwell.

Thanks
BB

[BoltonBullfinch]

Just spoke to John Chapman and the correct wine coloured thread and a couple of decals will be on their way north shortly. He also may have a tip section available but he will have to go hunt it down as he isn't certain he has one but can make me one up from something else if needed. John Chapman is one helpful and knowledgeable guy. Next time I'm down south I'm going to call round his and take him a nice bottle of something. He deserves it....

Thanks
BB

[Gudgeon Basher]

Ljm/BB

I'm amazed at this! I must have looked at about 8 of these rods now and every single one has had the same green whipping with the addition of red tips on the standard (non SP) version so I thought this was the same for all of them just goes to show that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and I shouldn't have presumed that this was the case with all Amwells.

Does the wine colour thread mean that BB's rod is a slightly different version as with the 500 deluxe or did they just change colours at some stage?

BB please can you post some photos of your Amwell once it's done I for one would love to see it resplendent in its new threads.

Oh dear if there turns out to be an Amwell deluxe in the range I can see me having to raid SWMBO's purse to try and find a few sheckles to aquire such a beast!!

All the best GB