A Chapman's Hunter Pictures included

[Haydn Clarke]

My Chapman Hunter. Another one that's just been tidied up a little. It's pretty much original apart from two guides I had to replace and a light rub down with an over coat or two to build the varnish up a little. It had the original "utilitarian" type of 60's finish and desereved a little better.

[MGs]

Lovely

[Mark]

Again beautiful Haydn.

[Woodytia]

Lovely rod, I managed to get one of these late last year, I got it back after restoration in January, once the evening get lighter my route home will be along the bank of the local reservoir looking for signs of Tench and Carp on the move.

[Julian]

A very fine rod Haydn

[Nobby]

That looks nice.


A sort of dull glaze to the varnish, a muted shine, that is very appealing. Sound, weatherproof but not too bright.


So go on, ...how did you do that then?

[Greentura]

very nice, almost the same as one of mine i'm just about to do up, again just a light rub down and a dab of varnish needed, the other on needs a bit more, a new tip section for a start, and that will have to wait as funds are low after Christmas. I found the hunter to be a great tench float rod, hope you get many years of enjoyment from using it, as i have mine

[Haydn Clarke]

That looks nice.


A sort of dull glaze to the varnish, a muted shine, that is very appealing. Sound, weatherproof but not too bright.


So go on, ...how did you do that then?

I didn't, Nobby. The pictures are not really that good, to be honest. I took them straight after getting the rods in from the cold and under florescent lights in a cold workshop, and with forced flash. I shall take some more pictures outside in the day light and change them. The finish is in fact a high gloss, however, on the Hunter I was going over the top of old stuff and that was definitley a flatter, more matt finish. Not that this should effect it too much.

There is a very easy way to dull down a full gloss finish should you wish to do so. It's completely reversable, too, if you susequently decide you do not like it. I do it all day long on French polish because most people feel that a full gloss on a Victorian table top looks a bit garish, something more akin to what you'd see in one of Gadaffi's palaces, rather than an English stately home. What you need is some 0000 wire wool, Liberon's is the best but failing that Trollul will do and will probably give a slightly duller finish than the former. Then get some bee's wax paste polish, thin it down with some white spirit or turps if it is too thick. Aim for a consictency that is just slightly thinner than boot polish (which you could probably use in it's lighter colours, as it's exactly the same). Make up a pad of wire wool, dip in the wax and then rub up and down the length of each section. The mild cutting action should leave you with a slightly duller finish. Buff it up...job's a good'n.


And then if you want to gloss it back up.... burnish the rod with Brasso and then Silvo. May take a little while but the finer cutting action of these two will bring it back up to a full gloss.

[Nobby]

A most useful 'insider tip' Mr. H.


Not sure I'd have the nerve to rub a cane rod with whippings with wire wool, though.

I recall you mentioning this before and looked in Homebase....whatever they had it didn't look that fine. A local hardware store, perhaps the last in the country, deals with Liberon...I shall have a word.

[Haydn Clarke]

Make sure its 0000 grade. Nothing else will do. I also use it for cutting back between coats when varnishing, Nobby.