Besides Ferdinand Claudio's rods... Did any Fisher based blanks have translucent glass? I don't recall any others... It's a question that I have
thought a little about! If any do, please post pics!
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"Translucent" Fisher based rods
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 fred1369 |
"Translucent" Fisher based rods |
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Master Guide
Posts: 131 (08/28/09 05:44:18) |
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docbluedevil |
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Master Guide
Posts: 621 (08/30/09 19:17:40) |
Interesting. I didn't know that Claudio's blanks were translucent. From pics that I've seen, they seem to look like all the other Fisher blanks.
OK, someone please post a "glowing in the sun" pic of their Claudio. 
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 Duff |
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Master Guide
Posts: 567 (08/30/09 20:52:32) |
Doc, I have a couple of them and have never noticed them being translucent, although I really honestly can't remember holding them up to strong light.
I'm traveling right now and can't get my hands on mine but I would bet that they are opaque. Maybe Jay (Gearboy) can hold his Claudio up to light and
report.
(Fred, I didn't mean to take your post off on a tangent and having thought about it more perhaps they are translucent as they don't seem to be painted, maybe just not as translucent as some blanks, for instance early two-digit Fenwicks.) 
Last Edited By: Duff
08/30/09 21:28:53.
Edited 1 times.
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16 pmd |
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Sport
Posts: 42 (08/30/09 22:03:09) |
Not saying there never were any, but I've seen a lot of Claudio glass rods made on Fisher blanks and have yet to see one I'd call translucent. Ferd did
use other blanks (I think early), but I don't think they were translucent either. I think the lighter line ones had thinner walls, so may have let a little
more light through, but not much.
Last Edited By: 16 pmd
08/30/09 22:06:11.
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fred1369 |
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Master Guide
Posts: 134 (08/31/09 06:40:39) |
Every Claudio that I have handled, was translucent... meaning, not opaque. If you hold a Winston to the light, it's opaque (no light). Claudio's
rods are translucent, like 3-digit Fenwicks... light can be seen through them. I was wondering if any Fisher based blanks had the same translucency of the
Claudio blanks? My question is a leading question... I have experience with Winston and Claudio rods, but not too much time with the others.... so, I wanted to
see if any Fisher based blanks had the translucency, when held to the light. like a Claudio. I know Winston's do not.
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CrustyBugger |
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Master Guide
Posts: 164 (08/31/09 09:16:32) |
Of the ones I have or have handled, Hardy's weren't, SA's weren't, Fisher's weren't, Winston's weren't, at least from what I
can remember or for the ones I have. It's really starting to bother me after writing this that I haven't had the pleasure of handling a Claudio, yet.
CrustyBugger
Last Edited By: CrustyBugger
08/31/09 11:59:52.
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frogmorton |
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Master Guide
Posts: 310 (08/31/09 09:57:44) |
Like Crusty I've never had the pleasure of handling a Claudio, though I'd dearly love to. From Duff's picture it looks as though light penetrates
the surface of the rod but doesn't go all the way through illuminating the fiberglass grid but not being truly translucent. Word definitions aside, the
blank reminds me of my Sceptre which has the same semi translucent quality. I believe Hardy rolled those blanks after Fisher helped them set up a blank rolling
operation.
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fred1369 |
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Master Guide
Posts: 135 (08/31/09 10:09:05) |
As far as Claudio's... I have owned and/or handled quite a few... if you put up to a light, they are translucent. I have not seen any other Fisher based
blanks that had the same translucency. I have no questions about the Claudio's themselves, just the other Fisher based blanks... It's a leading
question, because Jimmy Green of Fenwick had stated that he rolled blanks for Ferdinand... in an interview that I read with "Sexyloops.com". The
Claudio "B" taper has a very similar feel to a Fenwick FF79, a very close taper to that also. I know Ferd and Jimmy were close friends... and I have
always wonder why Claudio's rods were translucent and all the other Fisher based blanks were not. Fisher was a manufacturer, I don't see why they would
have a different glass for one guy, who did not produce a lot of rods... I don't know any of this for sure, it's just a question that has always been
tucked in the back of my mind.
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L Kenney |
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Guide
Posts: 107 (08/31/09 10:23:03) |
My understanding is that Claudio blanks were only clear coated, same with the blanks used on Cortland's Leon Chandler series. Fisher painted their own
blanks to get that dark brown and, presumably, also did so with the Hardy and Winston blanks they rolled. Ken Fisher told me once that blanks were sanded very
lightly, then dipped clear/brown/clear until any traces of shrink tape became invisible.
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fred1369 |
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Master Guide
Posts: 136 (08/31/09 10:26:03) |
Thank you, Larry... that makes sense! -Fred
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16 pmd |
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Sport
Posts: 43 (08/31/09 12:09:34) |
Fred, If what you're speculating is that Jim Green made the Claudio blanks, I think you're on the wrong track. I knew both of those guys fairly well.
They would swap sample blanks as well as ideas back and forth and talk rod action, casting and design frequently. It wouldn't be at all surprising if Jim
had a few blank samples made for Ferd to try, but that shouldn't be taken to mean that Fenwick made the blanks for Claudio rods. Claudio blanks, I'm
quite sure came from Fisher. As I understand it, it's not a big deal to paint or not paint a blank, so the superficial difference in appearance doesn't
have much significance. As to tapers, they both came from the same "school" of casting and rod design - the San Francisco style as developed at the
Golden Gate club. That their tapers for certain types of rods were similar is not at all surprising because they shared casting styles, rod design philosophies
and tastes in rod action.
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Duff |
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Master Guide
Posts: 568 (09/01/09 17:38:11) |
Just a bit more on the Claudio tangent: From what I can tell, Claudios are definitely varnished as Larry indicated. Jim Adams of Adams Angling in Berkeley,
who also knew Mr. Claudio, told me that the color of the blanks vary according to how much sun exposure they have had over the years. They tend to darken
somewhat from light penetrating the clear finish. I have an apparently unfished 910B which is a shade lighter than my 805B. I think the rods were most likely
varnished with a brush rather than dipped as I have found one almost imperceptible brush hair under the varnish on my 910B.
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L Kenney |
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Guide
Posts: 108 (09/01/09 17:58:58) |
The phenolic resins in unpainted blanks, Fisher's among them, do darken over time. It's a nice look, I think. But I seriously doubt that Claudio
brushed on anything but the guide finish, unless perhaps to correct a blem. Blanks were clear dipped at the Fisher plant, though I never heard how many coats
were applied. If there was a hair in the finish, it's more likely to have come from a worker, or the air in the shop, as from a brush.............
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Fullflex |
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Sport
Posts: 12 (09/02/09 01:25:15) |
Allthough not a Fisher-based, this is a nice example of truly translucent rod. Vince Cummings River Rat, based on 3M blank.
What I have seen, Claudios are quite like Cummings Ultimate/Superlite rods, not really translucent but in very strong light and in correct angle they let just a little light through.
-Fullflex |
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gearboy |
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Master Guide
Posts: 423 (09/03/09 04:46:42) |
My Claudio 857A looks very similar to Fullflex's Cummings, and like Fullflex did, you must do it in strong sunlight to get the effect.
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NevadaK |
Transparency | ||
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Master Guide
Posts: 365 (09/04/09 13:42:23) |
This is a Dale Clemens blank that I would call almost transparent. The Claudio rods I've seen have never looked like this. I'm not sure who made these
blanks, but I don't believe it was Fisher.
K |
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fred1369 |
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Master Guide
Posts: 158 (09/04/09 13:54:59) |
NevadaK- that's a Lamiglas s-glass blank! Claudio's rods are translucent, meaning light will show through them. Winston's are opaque... no light. I
never seen any other Fisher based blanks that looked like the Claudio blanks... from this post, it looks like Leon Chandler blanks were like the Claudio blanks
in translucency. All the other Fisher based blanks were painted (opaque)...
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scud dog |
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Master Guide
Posts: 1521 (09/04/09 15:59:57) |
Nevada, that's a dead match to my Lami S-glass! I'm debating if it'll get wrapped in a dark wine color, chestnut or an NCP thread with no color
preserver. I've also considered clear white silk but...mmmm?? Opinions are welcomed!
Anything that allows some light to pass through it is transluscent. It doesn't readily come to mind but even some modern glass rods, such as Mike McFarland's brown rods are transluscent. You can see the ferules through the blank.
Last Edited By: scud dog
09/04/09 16:11:57.
Edited 1 times.
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fred1369 |
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Master Guide
Posts: 159 (09/04/09 16:09:08) |
scud dog- try YLI 100 "orange".... you might like it!
 
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- Welcome, Messages, Claves, News, and FAQs
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