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Picked up a couple of Steel rods awhile back. Frankly one was very good with an extremely good action, the other unmarked was of earlier orginal and a total dog. The better one Im told was actually made about the same time as premium golf clubs by the same company, the rod was and is and excellent fishing rod.

The Rod a True Temper Professional was Im told a high grade rod, based on extruded SS hollow tube tec
just like their golf clubs, very lightweight and very flexable. The rod had some sort of Rubberized paint coating
and had been well used. I did rewrap most of the snakes do to bad wraps and missing guides, and clean the ferrule, beyond that I simply fished it some. At 8ft it took a 6 and 7wt line nicely, both Young and Hardy reels balanced it well and
it was an easy and comfortable rod to cast and fish. An experence for sure.
Richard

Hi Dave, its really a good fishing rod, not heavy or hard to fish at all. I believe the True Temper is made of drawn and extruded SS, just like the golf clubs of the same period. Many many steps in the taper. I have fished it with a DT6F and a WF7S and it performs as good as many of the period glass rods.
I wanted to clean off the rubberized coating but after a few members here cautioned me on the possibility of fumes and some possible ways to strip it I decided to just wash it off good, then I stripped off all the guide wraps and replaced all the guides in the original locations and did simple black silk wraps like it was originally. Other than all the rubs on the rubberized coating its a pretty fishable rod.
The other one I picked up at the same time was also 8ft however it is painted to look like bamboo and quite a bit heavier and not nearly as tapered as the True Temper. From a few places were paint was missing there was surface rust so Im guessing its just carbon steel. A real clunker, Heavy, you need to tie a brink to the reel seat get any kind of balance at all and the only line I could cast decently was a 9wt and man or man did your arm get tired slinging all that rod and reel weight around. Think that one might make a great tomatoe stake or BBQ set for the grand kids to roast MMs with.
After I posted these pictures earlier some of the guys told me True Temper also made its high end SS rods in unpainted versions sort of looks like a fensing foil but I have seen a picture of one on Ebay sense and its really a good looking rod without the paint. I might add it went for quite a few bucks in mint or near mint condition. I believe it was Jester that said these were possibly made in the 70s or perhaps even the early 80s. The older bamboo painted rod I feel was most definately Post WWII but barely.
I do watch occasionally now for one of the unpainted True Temper SS rods on Ebay but so far the few Ive seen appear to be real collectors items in minty condition. I picked up these two and a solid glass fly rod at a local church yard sale for a couple of bucks each, the solid glass was gonna be turned into spigot ferruling material, however I cast it (definately a bass rod type took an 8wt to cast it well, but it really wasn't that clunky like the old steel rod) so it sets in the rack for further thought.
Its interesting to take the two rods along for some of our scouting meetings with the young boys, let them try a steel or solid glass rod for comparision to what we have available to fish with today.
Richard