Azuma Company Japanese Fishing Rod?

Started by Smols, March 31, 2017, 12:13:13 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Smols

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/spo/6062785319.html

Does anyone know anything about the Azuma Company - Japan?  Ran across this on local CL and it looks nice - I tried an internet search, but could not find anything on Azuma Co...

Bryan Young

I have never heard of it but it does look old split cane bamboo rod
:D I talk with every part I send out and each reel I repair so that they perform at the top of their game. :D

oc1

#2
Those kits were popular in the 40's and early 50's.  Yours is unusual because the kit can be configured as either a boat rod or a casting rod.  The kits that can be configured as either a casting rod or fly rod are seen more often.  There were a bunch of different names.  I don't know if each name was a different company but they all seemed to use the same hardware components and boxes.  Look on ebay for Grampus, Kiraku, Sakura, Seal, Mermaid, Mayflower and other kits in those wood boxes to get an idea of what similar items go for.  You will probably see that exact same casting rod handle and that exact same wrapping thread on rods with a different brand name.  Seventy-five bucks is not an unreasonable price.

If it is for fishing rather than a collector/conversation piece then it would be hit or miss.  Some of the rods have dried out and are easily broken.  Others will still do what they were intended to do.  You are in a warm, dry climate.  It might be my imagination, but split bamboo rods from similar areas seem more prone to breakage.  It could help to rub it down with linseed oil or Tru-Oil every few days before putting a lot of strain on the rod.
-steve

Smols

Steve,

I have been interested in these split bamboo rods for a while but I want one to fish and not just have as a display piece. I do not know much about them and am wondering what exactly to look for when trying to determine whether a rod is fishable. I don't want to purchase an old rod and break it on the first fish I catch.

Anyway, thanks for your reply, I enjoy reading about your homemade rods and vintage reels catching fish.

Paul


oc1

#4
Paul, if I ever figure it out I'll let you know.  

I want long rods (8 to 11 ft) for light baitcasting so I buy split bamboo fly rods.  The fly rod collectors let the post-war Japanese Granmpus-like rods and post-war Montague rods go by and they can usually be picked up cheap.

The first thing I do is try to break the rod with a stress test.  About half of them brake but if the brake is right at the ferrule or the ferrule itself cracks it is put back together with duct tape and stressed again.  I don't need or want a heavy duty rod.  If it will dead lift three or four pounds it's good.

After the stress test, I strip the rod down to the blank.  The old finish will come right off with a scraper.  Don't nick or remove any of the outer layer of bamboo (called the enamel).  The reel seat and cork can be removed without damaging the blank.

I don't need a pack rod and don't bother to repair or replace bad ferrules.   The pieces are spliced with a plain scarf joint.  The scarf joint is three inches long so three inches are lost from the total length.  I glue the scarf joint together with vintage ferrule cement... the brown stuff that is heat set like hot glue.  Then the joint is wrapped with thread.  The splice is as strong as a ferrule and lighter than a ferrule.

Once the blank is stripped I build the rod back the way I want it.  I use non-synthetic material and finishes that could pass for vintage folk art, but that's just a personal preference.

Besides the fly rods, you see a lot of split bamboo boat rods with the hard wood handles.  I've never messed with those but, again, the first step would be to try to break it before any time is invested.  If you pull the maximum anticipated drag before the rod breaks then you should be good to go.

One other thing is that the post-war rods often have the ferrules and reel seat pinned.  They drilled a hole through the metal and into the bamboo and pressed in a hard wire pin.  You can grind the pin protrusion flush and rap it with a punch to free it from the metal.  Then gently heat the metal to soften the brown ferrule cement and it should come off without damaging the bamboo.

Finally, you can buy brand new split bamboo blanks from China.  They cost about sixty bucks and there is not much selection.  But, the quality is good and you know what you're getting.
-steve

Smols

Steve,

Thank for the education on the split bamboo rods that you like to fish, I appreciate your advice. I will someday venture into such a project and now I have a better idea of how it might be done.

I will have to search your posts for a picture of your scarf joint. Do you pin the joint or just glue and thread? Also, what orientation is the flat cut relative to the spine or direction of bend? Do the two pieces at the joint lay vertically or horizontally to the direction the rod bends?

Regards,
Paul

oc1

They lay horizontal with the rod in the upright position and do not have a pin.  There's no good guidance or rational there.  It just seemed like the thing to do.

Before ferrules it was common practice to splice pieces of rod together.  Especially adding a tip section to a hardwood rod.  It was done seasonally and the rod was disassembled for winter storage.  From photos, they sometimes put a long round taper (like sharpening a pencil) on both sections before lashing them together.

Making a hardwood rod could be fun, or perhaps just frustrating.

I've been reading about impregnating split bamboo with bakelite to prevent rot.  There are patents that describe the process in great detail but little information about how to tell if a vintage rod was impregnated or not.  There is a lot of debate about how much weight is added and if it is worth the added weight.  I suspect that I have never seen a split bamboo rod that was not impregnated but cannot be sure.  The modern Chinese blanks are probably impregnated, but with a more modern plastic.

-steve

oc1

#7
After screwing around with split bamboo fly blanks for a few more weeks my perception is changing.  I think I bought seven or eight of these things but it is all becoming a blur.  

At present, all of them are broken.  Included was a brand new Chinese blank, but at least it broke at the fore grip where a rod is supposed to break.  There are several 1940's Montague, several no-name, a post-war Grampas-like rod and a earlier Horrocks Ibbotson.  

The Horrocks Ibbotson is interesting.  It was so grungy that you could not tell anything about it from the auction but I found the remnants of the HI trout logo which makes it about 1931 vintage.  A little cleaning with alcohol bought a up a beautiful patina. It was not impregnated and the texture of the bamboo when carved is very different from the later impregnated rods.  The Horrocks Ibbotson was put together with hide glue or bone glue while the later rods are glued up with something synthetic and ferrule cement.  It was finished with spirit shellac instead of petroleum-based varnish.  Spirit shellac can be easily renewed by rubbing with shellac and a little oil.  I broke it with the first stress test and it was spliced back together.  It broke again just above the splice and it was put back together.  It broke just above a ferrule and was fixed again.  Finally, I thought it was sound enough to go fishing it broke after about an hour of casting.  Too bad because I liked that one but now the taper is screwed up and it is too short to be of use.

It's funny, because I haven't broken any of them fighting a fish or snagged on the bottom.  They just break unexpectedly and for no apparent reason when casting.  I think the stress test, hooking fish, snagging the bottom and repetitive casting must weaken them.  One broke near the tip, one broke near the butt, but most break in the mid sections.

There is one more vintage split bamboo coming in the mail and if it doesn't work out I'm done with them.  Been thinking about either going back to whole cane or making my own split bamboo.  Either of those options would be a lot cheaper than continually buying and breaking the vintage stuff.
-steve