Rod restoration question

[kevinhaney1]

Hello everyone! I just joined ORCA and this is my first post. I'm hoping you guys will be a veritable fountain of good information. I just got a vintage Heddon Mark IV Pal spinning rod (#7514) and it has old varnish encrusting some of the guides. What is the best way to safely remove old varnish in this situation? Also, would anyone have any information as to what years this particular rod was produced? Thanks!

Kevin

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[john elder]

0000 steel wool will work and also isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol will generally cut the varnish. Just take care to minimize exposure of the rod to action of either one. I’m betting that Mark will come along with that production date.

[Bill Sonnett]

if it is varnish and not shellac a bit of ammonia on a washcloth should make fast work of it. The older, the darker, the faster it disappears. Do not soak down the rod as the varnish on the fiberglass will eventually dissolve too. As soon as you have completed the work, rinse the area with cold water.

I have used this on very old bamboo rods with layers of dark checked over varnish. In a matter of minutes, you are down to the original varnish which almost always a much higher grade than the over varnish fishermen have added.

[Harry Verdurchi]

As for the year it was made the Mark IV was 1950's .

Edit
Correction below by Wrong99 makes it later in the 60's

[kevinhaney1]

Thanks for the info. How do you tell if it is varnish or shellac, and what would you use if it was shellac?

Kevin

[Midway Tommy D]

Thanks for the info. How do you tell if it is varnish or shellac, and what would you use if it was shellac?

Kevin

Denatured Alcohol, gingerly using a small brush and allowing it to penetrate for a short time before wiping it off.

Personally, though, I have never run across a woven glass rod with shellaced wraps. Every one I have refinished have had varnished wraps.

[wrong99]

The No.7514 was produced from 1962-1967.

[Harry Verdurchi]

The No.7514 was produced from 1962-1967.

Wrong is Right again
Here is a copy of a Wiki I found


1960s Fiberglass Models

By the mid 60s, Heddon made a wide range of fly rods. They sold the Pal, Pal Mark I, II, III, and IV rods, as well as the Pro Weight, Mark I Custom, and Lifetime Pal Stainless Steel models. Like the earlier rods, the various models may have been made on the same blanks with the variations in price simply due to the cosmetics and hardware.



The Pal rods were the economy models, with with olive painted blanks, black wraps over a white backing, nickel silver ferrules, and an anodized black reelseat with silver hoods.

The Mark I Pal rods had brown blanks, black wraps over a white backing, nickel silver ferrules, and an anodized silver reelseat with black hoods.
The Mark I Custom rods had yellow blanks, maroon wraps over a mylar backing, nickel silver ferrules, and a maroon anodized reelseat with silver hoods.
The Mark II rods had an olive blank, all black hardware (reelseat and guides, and ferrules), and black wraps over a dark red backing.
The Pro Weight rods were advertised as 1/3 lighter than other rods. They had an yellow or translucent brown blank, maroon anodized reelseat, maroon Sizematic O-ring ferrules with reddish silk wraps and black tipping.
The Lifetime Pal rods had an bronze blank, silver anodized reelseat with black hoods, burnt cork grips, black nickel silver ferrules, and stainless steel wraps over a black backing.
The Mark III rods had an olive blank, gold anodized reelseat and Sizematic O-ring ferrules with reddish silk wraps and black tipping.
The Mark IV rods had an yellowish blank, silver anodized reelseat, walnut-trimmed cork grip, silver Sizematic O-ring ferrules, and dark maroon silk wraps over a white thread background.