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Threaded Reel Seat Options For Graduation Gift

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for gift reel seat
2K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  weiliwen 
#1 ·
My son will be graduating from college end of April and I've been thinking about a special graduation gift. He somehow got bit by the fly fishing bug, and thinks bamboo rods are great to cast too. Thankfully, my wife easily gave in when I told her I wanted to build a rod for his present. So far, here's the plan:

8' granger 8040 taper in a 3/2 configuration, blank to be made by Dennis Stone

Ammoniated treatment to give it a rich, medium-brown tone

Thread probably dark red with gold tips (like a Heddon #20)

Reel Seat??? 1) Gotta' be down locking. 2) I don't like slide ring seats. Just am not comfortable with them. 3) Want a vintage look, not Sage Rod modern. 4) Needs to have wood insert that blends well with the ammoniated bamboo color. My favorite seats are the threaded vintage seats used on Paynes and the like with simple wood, not the wildly figured woods so popular.

So how come I can't find these online? Where should I look? Any ideas are welcome. Ron
 
#7 ·
You can have the real thing, NOS. Been sitting around in warehouses, and closets, for ... oh, the last 60 years. Has the real "Victory" stamp, too.:)

BTW, what cool gift! Mine was the parental unit writing off a loan for my first home. An "antique", er.. surplus research trailer. Flipped it a few hours later.
 
#8 ·
Ron,
I'm a big fan of Bellinger hardware and reel seats. They seem to have a good balance between ascetics and light weight. I'm not exactly sure what hbmc (above) is referencing but in general I agree that you can locate original Wright McGill/Granger reels seats from salvaged glass or bamboo rods pretty reasonably. Granger reel seats look heavy but when you take them off and handle them they are incredibly light, and well made.
Good luck with a very cool project.
Ray
 
#9 ·
Ray, as usual you are right on target. The rod will be an 8040 granger taper and I have a W&M seat in excellent condition...even polished it up til it shined. But after thinking long and hard, I realized that putting the W&M seat on the rod would satisfy my personal preference to match the seat to the historical taper, but my son would probably care less about that match. And I want him to think this rod is the most beautiful in the world when we pulls it out of its rod sack after graduation in spring, so I ordered this Bellinger, with Koa just like the photo:

http://www.genuinebellinger.com/store/down-locking-threaded-barrel-690.html

Ron
 
#12 ·
Well, the blank arrived from Dennis Stone and the reel seat arrived from Bellinger after traveling back and forth from Oregon to here to Oregon to a different part of Oregon to here (they typo'd one digit off on our house number). Spent some time trying out a half dozen thread colors under straight varnish last night to decide which shade of red to dark red I'll choose (wraps were in the butt section where the cork and handle will be).

With possible significant snow forecast for later part of next week, if I do get a "snow day" I'll have a fun project to work on while heating up lots of hot coffee.
 
#13 ·
Looks like there is a "fish Oregon" message.

You need to OD on caffeine to wrap? Or, dying the thread? Have used tea before [another life]. They are an option for shifting color hue(?) tint(?). I don't think there is any fade with coffee or tea stains.

Thanks for keeping us in the Loop on your project, Ron.
 
#14 ·
Hurray! After taking all winter my son's graduation gift is finally pretty much done. A little more fine steel wool and polishing and I'll call it good. The seat ended up a Bellinger with Koa insert. The blank was from Dennis Stone, a Granger 8040 clone. And a custom sewn rod bag by my wife. It's gonna' be a sweet casting rod:

Wood Table Hardwood Wood stain Varnish
Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle Wood stain
Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Plank
Wood Hardwood Musical instrument Varnish Art
Wood Hardwood Wood stain Plank Varnish
Musical instrument Wood Table Wind instrument Tool
 

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#21 ·
I debated what to write. D. R. Stone blank? too much info. Nothing? But then you have no idea about the rod's character. Settled on "Granger 8040 taper." Hopefully my son will like the way it casts. I'm just thankful he somehow decided he likes fly fishing and wants to fish with me when he's in town.
 
#22 ·
What a wonderful gift. A labor of love. Nice to see colors outside of contemporary standards that still look great.

TC
 
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