Shakespeare Mach 2 Boron upgrade

[adriang]

This was one of projects where I started to wonder if I should ever have started..

I've been upgrading the handles on a few rods over recent months, replacing the 100% cork and sliding fittings with a modern, Fuji reel fitting and adding a hook keeper for good measure.

I've got a couple of Shakespeare Mach 2 Borons, and after using one last year for some hemp and tare fishing on the Thames, had a reminder how much I liked the action, but not the handle (both the fittings and it being so long).

So decided to take on this one, but included shortening and repairing the handle, replacing the original wire rings with new Seymos and refinishing it.

A few challenges..on these rods, the handle section is actually a thinner piece of fibreglass inserted into the blank. I whipped down it to try to hide the 'step' between the diameters. Also the splice is 1.2mm diameter at the tip, whipping on the replacement rings was a test of patience.

Think I will call it done now...pretty pleased with the outcome, I'm certainly improving my skills. And I'm really looking forward to using it.

 

[Barbelcatcher]

nowt wrong with that - good job - it will at least put me off, I think, doing the same. Question - did you think of replacing the fibre glass with Carbon - would it have saved any further weight or destroyed the balance you where aiming for?

PS - nice to see that someone else takes his rods to bed, at least I can tell my wife there is another person with the same affliction as me.

 

[adriang]

nowt wrong with that - good job - it will at least put me off, I think, doing the same. Question - did you think of replacing the fibre glass with Carbon - would it have saved any further weight or destroyed the balance you where aiming for?

PS - nice to see that someone else takes his rods to bed, at least I can tell my wife there is another person with the same affliction as me.

I think getting that fibreglass insert out would be really hard.. I would assume its glued in with epoxy, so it would melt with heat, but I've no idea how far in that insert would go.

This is my other one, its lost the tip, so I am going to really shorten it by cutting some of the handle off, and still move the reel fitting down, the intention is to turn it into a canal/small river rod. But it gives a good idea of what that handle insert is all about..



My other half just humours me.. her advice when taking these pics wasn't that helpful..

 

[tipitinmick]

Nice one pal. Well done. My mate Nicky Dodds is toying with the idea of restoring his Boron Mk11. I’m sure he will enjoy reading your thread. Well done matey.

 

[adriang]

Nice one pal. Well done. My mate Nicky Dodds is toying with the idea of restoring his Boron Mk11. I’m sure he will enjoy reading your thread. Well done matey.

Still work in progress, but this might help him..

 

[tipitinmick]

Still work in progress, but this might help him..

Thank you for that. I’ve just text him but, he’s waiting on his iPad to charge up then he’ll watch it. Thanks for that Adrian. Much appreciated.

 

[roachman 1960]

looks like youve done a great job mate, great action on those shakespear rods brilliant for roach and chub fishing

 

[Nicky Dodds]

Hi Adrian, out of interest how long is the spliced tip on your 13ft?

 

[adriang]

Hi Adrian, out of interest how long is the spliced tip on your 13ft?

54cm is visible. So 54cm plus whatever is inside the boron/CF blank.

I've sold it on now, but I had a 14ft also (was very unbalanced), I compared the splices and they were the same give or take.

 

[Nicky Dodds]

Mines a 14ft. It came to me with a crush injury in the graphics area and all the green lacquer down to the graphics has been rubbed off down to the bare carbon. With the handle situation as it is I'm thinking it will be impossible to internally sleeve the crush. It does seem quite rigid so I'm thinking of giving it a carbon wrap in 90 grade cloth. The graphics are barely there any way so they might as well be totally removed. It will probably be totally unrecognisable as a Mach 2 when I get anywhere near the whipping stage.

 

[adriang]

Mines a 14ft. It came to me with a crush injury in the graphics area and all the green lacquer down to the graphics has been rubbed off down to the bare carbon. With the handle situation as it is I'm thinking it will be impossible to internally sleeve the crush. It does seem quite rigid so I'm thinking of giving it a carbon wrap in 90 grade cloth. The graphics are barely there any way so they might as well be totally removed. It will probably be totally unrecognisable as a Mach 2 when I get anywhere near the whipping stage.

14ft one I had was mint, even had the original stickers on the handle.. Besides it not being particularly balanced, I felt it was too good to use. I've seen pole repairs where they virtually been transparent, so I think you could probably fix it, or get it fixed, without getting much additional weight to it.

 

[tipitinmick]

It’s a better action than the Presidents that’s for sure. Looks quite a nice curve does that Adrian.

 

[Ken the Pacman]

There were a lot of 12 foot 6 or 12 foot 9 Borons kicking about as people too the easy option with a saw
Good job you have made of it.

 

[adriang]

There were a lot of 12 foot 6 or 12 foot 9 Borons kicking about as people too the easy option with a saw
Good job you have made of it.

Thanks.. that cork/EVA border on the handle is an easy marker point for a hacksaw..

 

[adriang]

Updated YouTube link, this is the channel I created for the project:

 

[Nicky Dodds]

Updated YouTube link, this is the channel I created for the project:

I watched them all in the early hours yesterday

 

[PoddyPaul]

You have finished a really nice looking job on that Boron Mach 2.
I'm about to start a fuji replacement to one of my Mach 2 13 footers now.
Only thing i'm going to do different I think is to remove ( cut off ) some of the bottom handle length to shorten the rod.
I'm not going to remove the glass fibre from the carbon, I think you are right it will melt out, but could also damage the cabron as its 40 years old.
I'm going to insert a length of carbon or fibreglass into the shortened handle to see if this brings the balance back a bit better. I know years ago we used to put a slug of lead in the handle but i'm not doing that now. Possible an insert of about 12 - 15 inch long will re-balance the 6 inch or so i'm going to cut off.

We wil see how it goes.

Anyone know for certain by the way if there are also parallel glass insert handles in the original Microlights and original Avengers.

Regards
Paul.