Kassnar Rod Help

[Fly Fisher]

I recently was given an old Kassnar fly rod from my Father. The rod is pretty well beaten up, and I am trying to find out if it is worth the money to have the guides replaced and the entire rod re-surfaced as the coating appears to be worn off at places. The tip section appears to be a little warped, as does the middle section. Would this affect the fishability of this rod "if" repaired?

I can not find any decent information via a Google serarch to let me know the value of this rod, except that it appears to be made in the Ukraine and sold during the 70's or 80's through K-Mart.

Can anyone with knowledge of this rod please send some guidance?

[TonyM]

This reminds me of the nostalgia tweaks I occasionally feel when I remember my first car - a used 1953 Studebaker Champion - I put a lot of miles on it, drove thru snow/ice/mountains/mud getting to college and hauling our band instruments to jobs, etc. and really loved it. However, when it started to let in cold air thru the rusted open vents and the windows refused to stay in the channels and the holes in the floor splashed my feet in the rain, I decided to upgrade to something more recent. Yes, it might be nice to still have this car for reminiscing after spending maybe $20-$30,000 in restoration, but I sure do like my current Audi better in retrospect.

All comes down to how much you want to spend for the family remembrances, but you will like a modern rod for fishing much better, I suspect.

Tony M

[dudley]

I'm not familiar with the Kassner line
Is it a cane or glass rod?... How are the ferrules? What kind?

Sometimes a rod restoration can be more trouble that it's worth.
A professional restoration of a cheap rod would not be cost effective.
On the other hand, a lot of rod repairs are easily done on your own.
With a little practice, (and this may be a good way to practice),wrapping guides is easier than tying flies
Sets in cane can be worked out with a little heat from a hair drier.
Sets in fiberglass are a bit tougher, but possible
Cane varnish can be smoothed out with a little light solvent
Glass finish can be touched up with model paint or just striped off altogether.
Old cheap rods are a good way to practice new skills and you may end up with a rod you'd be proud to use.
Most of the fresh water rods that I now use are vintage rebuilt glass... some of them are real gems

[ChrisCal]

Try asking on this site.. I am sure you will get some great info!
Chris

http://www.rodbuilding.org/