I have an early (pre 1909) 8.5 ft. FE Thomas Dirigo that was "restored" but I don't think the resto is correct.
Does anyone have pics of what we think are the correct wraps/colors?
Early FET
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Re: Early FET
#2The 2015 Stewart & Girard book provides that there was no common signature pattern for them, although the most common ones were groups of three and groups of five, seven, and nine wraps above a thick wrap at the winding check.
The pattern of the signature wrap was approved by Fred (at the time of your rod) or Leon and was usually associated with the particular woman who was wrapping the rod. The women were provided pattern "storyboard" sticks showing the placement and length of the guide wraps and the spacing for the intermediates. The standard colors of the early Dirigo rods was red with no tipping wraps, although by 1912 or 1913 gold had replaced red as the primary color on the Dirigo rod. The intermediate wraps were four or five revolutions and always done in the primary color for the particular model of rod. Black and white Jasper has been found on some pre-1910 Dirigo rods. Most of the pre-1910 rods used size A Meyers silk thread. After 1920, Belding.
Stewart & Girard, F. E. Thomas: The Man & His Rods, pp. 176-180 (2015).
The pattern of the signature wrap was approved by Fred (at the time of your rod) or Leon and was usually associated with the particular woman who was wrapping the rod. The women were provided pattern "storyboard" sticks showing the placement and length of the guide wraps and the spacing for the intermediates. The standard colors of the early Dirigo rods was red with no tipping wraps, although by 1912 or 1913 gold had replaced red as the primary color on the Dirigo rod. The intermediate wraps were four or five revolutions and always done in the primary color for the particular model of rod. Black and white Jasper has been found on some pre-1910 Dirigo rods. Most of the pre-1910 rods used size A Meyers silk thread. After 1920, Belding.
Stewart & Girard, F. E. Thomas: The Man & His Rods, pp. 176-180 (2015).
Re: Early FET
#3Very early 8'3" Dirigo. Tips look fresher than the butt and mid, since they were in the tip tube. It has had some work done but seems mostly original.
Re: Early FET
#5Short Tip, could you get met the measurement of the stripper guide (from the RS or top of ferrule)? Looks like the old resto person took some liberties with the placements, and the resto was done long enough ago I've got multiple ghostings on the rod. Some don't match what was done, so most likely original.
Oh, and can anyone point me in the direction of a good tutorial on intermediate wrapping tech? I've got my own I came up with but it's rather laborious.
Oh, and can anyone point me in the direction of a good tutorial on intermediate wrapping tech? I've got my own I came up with but it's rather laborious.
Re: Early FET
#6I have an 8' Dirigo that FET made for a sporting goods store in Boston. I'll send you pix and measurements that I took. Attached is a pic of the signature wraps with a hookkeeper that someone added. Steve Campbell said that the rod had been redone once because the stripper and guides were incorrect. It'll take me a couple of days to get it all to you but it may help with deciding on spacing between intermediates.
