Chapter VII: Rod-Making: Ferrules and Their Fitting; One-Piece and Spliced Rods

Rod ferrules, the metal tubular fittings attached to the ends of rod-joints, by means of which the rod is jointed up or assembled for use, are made preferably of German-silver (white-metal) or of gun-metal. Many high-grade English rods are made up with the gun-metal ferrules, reelseat, etc., and in this dead black finish they are both very suitable and elegant. It would be somewhat difficult to obtain these latter from domestic tackle-dealers; possibly they might be supplied to special order through some of the more prominent anglers’ supply-houses. Handmade German-silver ferrules are readily obtained on special order, the price[6] being from one to two dollars a pair and may include waterproofing and serration. Stock ferrules in this metal are kept by all of the larger tackle-dealers, the variety and grade of some being much better than those of others. With the best of these available, the writer would deem the handmade article a luxury except for the very practical advantage of being able to obtain them in any diameter desired, exactly gauged to one-thousandth of an inch. The reader interested in exceptionally high-class rod-accessories, will do well to consult John G. Landman, 59 Cedar Street, Brooklyn, New York. Edward vom Hofe and Co. also manufacture certain fittings on their own premises, at 112 Fulton Street, New York; and we have found Ogilvie’s, at 79 Chambers Street, New York, very satisfactory for some things. Ferrules carried in stock may be bought at prices ranging from fifteen to seventy-five cents per pair, according to size and style.

The British taste in ferrules tends strongly to those furnished with some sort of locking device--“lockfast” joints. These are made abroad in great variety, but to American eyes they seem cumbersome, unsightly, and altogether unnecessary. The plain American, friction (suction or vacuum) ferrule, depending for its holding power wholly upon mechanically exact fitting, looks pretty good to the American angler, who never has had legitimate cause to worry about any tendency in it to throw apart.

Ferrules come in pairs consisting of the male (center or inner) ferrule and the female (outer or receiving) half, the outside diameter of a male ferrule being identical with the inside measurement of its mating section. Either the male or female ferrules may be purchased separately. This is a convenience, especially in the case of male ferrules, because of the customary duplication of the top-joints of rods, for the purpose of having one in reserve against a smash-up. The male ferrule is attached to the butt or larger end of a rod-joint.

As ferrules constitute rigid portions of the rod, which otherwise is uniformly flexible from butt to tip, it is evident that _it is a mistake to have them any longer than is necessary for efficient service_. For rods eight to ten feet in length, a union of one and one-eighth to one and one-quarter inches--depth of penetration of male ferrule--is sufficient at the joint between the butt- and middle-sections of the rod, and of three-quarters to an inch between the middle-joint and top. This will give a desirable over-all length of at least about two and one-half inches for the larger female ferrule of a ten-foot rod.

Waterproof ferrules are supplied at an extra cost; they are made by soldering a disk of metal within the female ferrule at the point where it is intended that this partition shall come down against the end of the rod-joint, in order to prevent access of water to the otherwise unprotected wood here; and wood absorbs moisture more rapidly from the ends than from the sides, and especially at these bamboo-ends unprotected by enamel. However, neither does the author consider these are a necessity, as he is willing to take the risk of any water finding its way into the joint of a rod that is fitted with ordinary ferrules set on after the manner which will be recommended.

Varieties of ferrules: (1) Plain straight; (2) Shouldered, swelled or capped; (3) Capped with rim welt; (4) Straight with welt, and capped and closed center; (5) Hexagonal ends ]

Ferrules are cataloged as plain straight; shouldered, capped or swelled; straight with rim or welt; and shouldered with welt. And some have hexagonal proximal or rod-joint ends--which do not appeal strongly to the majority of experienced anglers. The accompanying illustrations show exactly what is understood by the above terms. The kind here recommended (number 4 in the illustration) has a straight-sided female member, and a shouldered male member that is closed at the distal end--“closed-end center.” They are obtainable from Abbey and Imbrie, at 97 Chambers Street, New York City, under the name of “bamboo” ferrules. We also have obtained similar satisfactory ferrules from the T. H. Chubb Rod Co., of Post Mills, Vermont, which that firm catalogs as their “special short, straight, welted ferrule, with capped and closed-end center.” The Abbey and Imbrie ferrules, at the time of this writing, were supplied in the following sizes, the figures denoting in fractions of an inch the outside diameter of the male or inside diameter of the female or outer member: 9/64, 11/64, 3/16, 7/32, 15/64, 1/4, 17/64, 19/64, 11/32, 3/8, 27/64, 15/32, 1/2, 35/64, 19/32, 5/8, 43/64, 23/32, 3/4, 51/64, 55/64, 7/8, 61/64, 63/64, 1-1/32. The Chubb article ran in somewhat different sizes, namely: 5/32, 3/16, 13/64, 15/64, 17/64, 19/64, 11/32, 3/8, 13/32, 7/16, 15/32, 17/32, 19/32, 5/8, 23/32, 13/16. Once again the reader is cautioned that he should be prepared to find that actual _diameters of stock ferrules may vary_ minutely from the sizes as listed.

The sizes used by the writer for the ten-foot fly, nine- and nine and one-half-foot fly, and five and one-quarter-foot bait-casting rods mentioned in a previous chapter, are respectively 21/64 and 13/64 inch; 9/32 and 11/64; and 19/64 inch. For the independent-handgrasp joint, for the fly-rods, 7/16 and 3/8 inch.

Ferrules that are a _trifle_ large should be selected, rather than those a bit undersized for the joint at the place where they are to be fitted--when compelled to make the choice--as but a minimum amount of the wood should be cut away, _especially in fitting the female ferrules_, which preferably are without a shoulder, as already noted. The ferrule diameter should on no account be _materially less than the rod diameter_ as measured, this time, between _flat surfaces_, at the meeting ends of the rod-joints where the ferrule is to be used; hence calipering these ends in this way will inform you of the ferrule sizes required. An expedient sometimes of value when fitting to old joints new ferrules that are a trifle large, is to wind the joint-ends with waxed silk or fine linen-thread before applying the cement, and then to force the ferrules on over this.

_Only ferrules whose parts fit snugly together should be accepted and used._ If too tight, the male ferrule is easily dressed down by turning it, together with its attached rod-joint, inside of a folded piece of fine emery-cloth held tightly between the fingers, finishing the process by rubbing it with a mixture of powdered chalk and linseed oil. _Never use a file for this purpose._

The proximal ends of ferrules--ends toward the rod-joints--should be either _split or serrated_ for a short distance, in order to modify rigidity here. If this be not done, there are created abrupt lines of demarkation around the rod at every point where the flexible bamboo emerges from the rigid metal tubing; and it is at one of these places that the rod is most likely to give way under exceptional stress. A further good expedient to relieve the strain at joint connections, is to _locate a line-guide at the lower end of each female ferrule_, so that the line pull at these ferrule guides will come more directly against the stronger side of the joints between the separate pieces of the rod.

The amateur rod-tinker need not however pay the dealer the very considerable cost of ferrules having flexible ends--fifty or seventy-five cents more a pair--but, with the use either of a fine hack-saw or a small triangular saw-file, he may proceed to do his own splitting or serrating, as the case may be. When using the saw, it is advisable first to fit a plug of soft wood snugly within the ferrule-end to be sawed and to cut it off flush with the metal. In using the file, first notch the ferrule-end in two places, corresponding to its exact middle diameter, by one stroke of the tool held horizontally (Fig. 1). Next, divide each half of the circle, by notches, equally into three arcs, by two additional file-strokes (Figures 2 and 3). You now have made your six guiding-notches with but three strokes. Deepen these notches a little, and then be sure to _equalize them, by directing the side pressure of the file_ as required, before completing the cutting to the full depth. For this the file now is held in an inclined position, as the illustration depicts, and you make short strokes away from you.

For securing the ferrules in the vise without injury while sawing slits or filing notches, make a little holder from two pieces of soft wood, by chiseling a V-groove along a side of each, as represented in Fig. 4.

Several kinds of preparations are in use for cementing the ferrules onto the rod-joints, among them being common thick shellac, sealing-wax, bicycle-tire and gutta-percha dental cements. As an excellent and inexpensive ready-prepared article may be had in the shops, we never have bothered about cement recipes; the author uses Dodge’s ferrule cement, which he buys at William Mills and Son’s, 21 Park Place, New York City, for twenty-five cents a stick--enough to last a long time. Doubtless it may be obtained in many places, or a similar preparation that will serve as well. Whatever else you do in securing the ferrules to the wood, do _not_ make use of any metal pins; they weaken the rod, are no effective preventive against loosening, and they constitute an annoying obstruction when the re-cementing of a ferrule is indicated. And do not use doweled ferrules.

In fitting your ferrules, be sure that the female section is not thrust too far down over its joint-end, and so _prevents the male ferrule from being seated the full depth_; by placing the smaller (seating) part of the male ferrule alongside the outer end of the female, measure the distance down on the joint that the bottom of the female ferrule should extend, and mark this point on the wood. Allow for the least bit of space between the wood end within the female ferrule and the butt end of the male, when the rod is jointed up. Cut the wood down by careful cross-filing--as you roll the end of the joint on the workbench, followed by turning it within a fold of sandpaper--only sufficient for a good snug fit of metal over the wood; and remember that the ferrule will expand a bit when heated. Be especially careful to _have the female ferrule fit the wood as tightly as possible_, for it is this ferrule that is more likely to work loose from its attachment. As you file and sandpaper, pause now and then to try on the ferrule, giving to it a twisting motion, which will leave black rubbing-marks on the wood that indicate the high spots requiring further cutting away.

In your filing of the joint, endeavor to remove the wood _equally on all sides_, in order that the ferrules will be _centered_, and thus bring the whole rod into true alignment when its sections are jointed together.

In applying the cement, be careful to avoid getting any upon that inside part of the outer ferrule which receives the male (inner) section. Soften the stick of cement in the flame of an alcohol lamp, a gas- or candle-flame; stick a few small gobs on the wood, and heat the cement and joint-end over the flame carefully, turning the joint to and fro the while, till the cement flows; spread the now liquefied cement evenly over the wood by stroking lengthwise with a match, toothpick, or sliver of bamboo; slip the ferrule on as far as it readily will go; heat ferrule and all again _over_ the flame a moment, then by firmly pushing against the floor or some other solid object, as the door-jamb, quickly force the ferrule home to your mark. The excess of cement exuding from between the ferrule-end and the wood is best removed while yet hot and semi-liquid, by a circular wiping stroke with a rag, or better, by turning the joint against the rag; and when cold and hard, it easily is chipped off with a knife-blade manipulated cautiously.

As German-silver ferrules are _tempered, overheating directly in a flame is injurious to the metal_.

File down paper-thin the extreme ends of the teeth made in serrating, as the silk-winding is to extend up over them onto the solid metal; and, to make a “very particular job,” you also may file down the whole length of the outside surface of the teeth or slit portions to just beyond their bases, so that the silk-wrapping, at its termination on the ferrule, will lie nearly or quite flush with the metal surface it butts against. The shaded portions of the illustrations of serrated and split ferrules represent this area of superficial filing. One of the teeth or sections between slits will lie against each flat surface of the rod-joint, except that in the case of the smaller-top ferrules you may make but three serrations and have a tooth lie along each alternate flat face of the rod.

As a precaution against dampness, you may varnish the extreme joint-ends, which receive the female ferrules, before attaching the ferrules, and then when applying the cement to the joint you also can spread a smooth coating of this over the same place. There are yet other devices. Mr. W. L. Aylesworth, an English authority, states that paraffine or type-metal is much more penetrating than either varnish, shellac, or most any other coating compound, and that if the paraffine be melted, the ferrule heated, and the paraffine poured into the ferrule onto the bare wood, it will penetrate for a considerable distance and renders it absolutely waterproof. A warmed glass medicine-dropper is a handy tool with which to introduce your paraffine.

Mr. Aylesworth further remarks: “In fact, it is difficult to say which is the better compound, for both are very penetrating and satisfactory for this purpose. The neglect to waterproof wood at the ferrules and protect it from moisture probably has more to do with the joints breaking at these places than the angler is aware of. It also is a good plan to turn or file a small groove around the joint, at about an eighth of an inch from the end entering the female ferrule, and to turn the end down slightly so that the type-metal, if used, will run down between the wood and the ferrule and into the groove. This will have a tendency to solder the ferrule onto the wood. Melt the type-metal in a spoon or ladle and pour it in the ferrule on the wood after cementing, by use of a small funnel.”

The present writer prefers to rely for fixation of ferrules wholly upon snug fitting and cement, and he uses the paraffine for waterproofing the bare wood at the joint-ends.

When all your ferrules are fitted, you can make some little wooden plugs for the open ends of the female ferrules, both to guard them against injury and to keep out dirt and dust. Stock ferrules are not supplied with any sealing device, but handmade ferrules may have little caps (grease-caps) that fit snugly within their ends, and which may be slightly greased or oiled before inserting, when the rod is disjointed.

_One-Piece and Spliced Rods._--In the endeavor wholly to obviate this rigid feature of metal ferrule connections in rod construction, some rods--especially veteran salmon-rods of English, Scotch, or Irish manufacture, are without ferrules of any kind, being made to joint up by a whipped splice; or again, rods are made, even up to eleven feet long, in one clear length of split-bamboo--one-piece or one-joint rods. You rarely see today a rod of either description, and almost never in America, as any slight advantage of such construction is not at all commensurate either with the greatly-increased difficulty of building and the consequent extremely high cost, or with the inconvenience entailed in the transportation of or in the putting-up and taking-down of the rod. A ferruled rod, built with the precautions that have been noted, is good enough for the most fastidious angler; beyond a certain point, additional refinements belong within the category of the exquisite rather than the useful.

The manner of jointing the spliced rod may be of interest to the reader. The splicing ends of the joints have long bevels, of several inches; these are reinforced by fine silk-whippings, and may be protected when the rod is not in use by metal caps which slip over them. Before splicing the joints in the preparation of the rod for use, warmed shoemakers’-wax or beeswax is thoroughly applied both to the beveled surfaces of the wood and to the linen-thread which binds the splice together. In addition to the circular turns of this wrapping-thread, lashings running lengthwise under the former are sometimes used, which pass through little metal rings or around hooks for further security against the joints throwing apart. (Our diagrammatic sketch shows the splice rather short.)

ROD-MAKING:

WINDINGS AND GUIDES