Octofloat deluxe

[Wanderer]

I'm looking forward to seeing the completed rod Josh.
All the best.

[Wallys-Cast]

Its probably just me but I find the standard version whipped in garnet nicer.
The jasper whipping on some rods looks lovely but doesn't suit all for some reason. Anyone else find this.

Wal.

[BreadFlake]

I'm looking forward to seeing the completed rod Josh.
All the best.

Yes, ive been looking forward to finding the time since the fair, ill be sure to post pictures

Its probably just me but I find the standard version whipped in garnet nicer.
The jasper whipping on some rods looks lovely but doesn't suit all for some reason. Anyone else find this.

Wal.

Wal, i completely agree, tbh im really tempted to just refurbish it in a colour i like rather than a true restoration

[EricW]

I'm not particularly enthused about the green and red tbh either and wholeheartedly agree that garnet suits them well. Out of interest two of my octofloats do not have reinforced ferrules, the third is in a stack somewhere. My Rover does, but I don't think it pays to be over pedantic about these things. The manufacturers would have been nothing if not pragmatic, varying colours and components during a production run either to shift remaining stock towards the end of the model's life or due to stock shortages. There are a host of practical reasons why things are not always as definitive as we would like. It's your rod do your own thing. Personally, I consider preserving the cane to be most important, the whippings could always be reinstated by the next owner if it bothers them. Get it fixed, get it back in action I say.

[MWithell]

Just to resurrect this thread (sorry), is this as close as I'm likely to get to the original twist? A picture of my rod is on the previous page.

[Northern_Nomad]

Unfortunately the Pro Wrap Tiger thread ends up being really dark no matter how you preserve and varnish it. Rather than black silver it ends up black and very dark grey which is at odds with the finish you are trying to get

Also on very old rods which appear to have light green and black Jasper, the light green is actually silver where the thread and varnish has aged and discoloured over 50+ years. Yes you can get light green Jasper threads, Elephant silk do one, but it won’t match up with discoloured silver. This is why you sometimes see refurbed rods done entirely in light green and black Elephant silk as this was the only way out of this dilemma. How do I know - it’s caught me out before and a simple ring replacement has turned into a total thread refurb

Just to confuse and confound matters further, the original silver/black thread used on the Sealey’s and early B James Avocets is a much finer thread and twist pattern than the later Elephant silks so you are buggered if you try going down that route.

Again, how do I know this……..



From left to right:

Fine silver/black Jasper thread, probably Pearsalls. Discontinued.

Guderbrod silver/ black nylon, slightly thicker. The top layer is dirty, it’s lighter underneath. It’s a heavier gauge thread but a feasible replacement but again - discontinued.

Elephant silk. Good colour match but much thicker thread. Discontinued.

Pro wrap Tiger Thread. Much, much darker and not a match. Even on a fully rewhipped vintage rod it just doesn’t look correct

Labels



Here is a thread removed from a 1947 first version BJames Avocet. These are catalogued as silver/black Jasper twist for only a couple of years until the second version in plain dark green arrived. Looks like light green but other examples removed during restoration show it’s actually silver which has discoloured.



It’s a minefield out there

[Harry H]

Unfortunately the Pro Wrap Tiger thread ends up being really dark no matter how you preserve and varnish it. Rather than black silver it ends up black and very dark grey which is at odds with the finish you are trying to get

Also on very old rods which appear to have light green and black Jasper, the light green is actually silver where the thread and varnish has aged and discoloured over 50+ years. Yes you can get light green Jasper threads, Elephant silk do one, but it won’t match up with discoloured silver. This is why you sometimes see refurbed rods done entirely in light green and black Elephant silk as this was the only way out of this dilemma. How do I know - it’s caught me out before and a simple ring replacement has turned into a total thread refurb

Just to confuse and confound matters further, the original silver/black thread used on the Sealey’s and early B James Avocets is a much finer thread and twist pattern than the later Elephant silks so you are buggered if you try going down that route.

Again, how do I know this……..



From left to right:

Fine silver/black Jasper thread, probably Pearsalls. Discontinued.

Guderbrod silver/ black nylon, slightly thicker. The top layer is dirty, it’s lighter underneath. It’s a heavier gauge thread but a feasible replacement but again - discontinued.

Elephant silk. Good colour match but much thicker thread. Discontinued.

Pro wrap Tiger Thread. Much, much darker and not a match. Even on a fully rewhipped vintage rod it just doesn’t look correct

Labels



Here is a thread removed from a 1947 first version BJames Avocet. These are catalogued as silver/black Jasper twist for only a couple of years until the second version in plain dark green arrived. Looks like light green but other examples removed during restoration show it’s actually silver which has discoloured.



It’s a minefield out there

I think Peter Johnson still has elephant Black/white Jasper threads (oliversrods@tiscali.co.uk ) if you need any

[BoltonBullfinch]

Josh, wrap the rod how it pleases you, the chances of getting it spot on original are very slim. It will still catch the same number of fish, like mine do, which is usually zero this season.

Thanks
BB

[MWithell]

Many thanks for sharing your considerable experience. It looks as though I either go for replacing a few rings and trying not to worry about the difference, or for redoing the whole rod. However, I'm not going to redo the intermediate whippings or the decorative ones around the logo! Perhaps a light olive green thread tipped with black is the way to go. The state of the varnishing is good so I'm not going to disturb that.

[Andyman]

When I refurbished my Octofloat De Luxe the olive/black thread was available from Peter Johnson. Pretty sure he still has stock.
I also left the original around logo intact. Obviously this looks slightly different to new thread due to age fading.