----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2010 3:15
PM
Subject: 2nd Fly Rod Quiz
David & Group...
Much more on fly rods that I couldn't
possibly include in the first quiz.
QUESTIONS:
1.) Over the years, several materials have been
used to make fly rods. Can you name at least 6 of them ? Greenheart, calcutta cane, tokin cane, berylium copper alloy,
steel, fiberglas, graphite (carbon fiber,) carbon and boron fiber mixtures.
Yes. An inartful question since one could have
interpreted this to mean all the materials including those for components
! You knew what I was looking for, however. (I should have
said "rod shafts" or "blanks".
2.) We speak of "balanced tackle".
What is meant by this ? Line selected neither over-
or under-loads rods excessively and is commensurate with fly
size.
Yes. In other words, "matching line to fly
rod."
Some two handed casting experts have a different way of looking
at it. They actually describe a physical balance point on the rod handle
with the line and reel attached. *
* SPEY CASTING by Simon Gawesworth, pp. 5-6.
3.) Some fly rods have a very large diameter
ring tip top.
a. Advantage(s) ? Will pass a bulky line-leader
connection. Said to improve progress of line through guide on
forward cast.
Yes.
b. Disadvantage(s) ? Less convenient stowage
in slide in racks in flats boats; said to permit line to
deviate from centerline of rod
Agree. Since it thas greater mass, it may contribute
increased vibration as well.
4.) How many guides should be attached to a 9'
6 wt. rod used for trout fishing ? 9 or 10;
latter if conforming to " number of feet plus one"prudential wisdom
or rod bend is predominantly at tip; former if conforming to Eastern builder
convention, if trout rod bending pattern is medium to medium fast.
NOTE: Millions of 9' 6 wt bamboo trout rods provided excellent service
with less than 9 guides.
The "canned" answer, as you note, is "one more than the number
of feet of rod length.) Not all agree.
5.) Is there general consensus over how many
guides should be attached to a 15' Spey rod ?
Whatever there was is declining. Fewer and smaller now than 5 years ago.
No consensus. You are right in that fewer have been
recommended in later years by some.
6.) How do fly rod designers decide on guide
spacing ? They say they follow inspired formulae
and the results of static and dynamic testing to distribute load.
Actually, spacing is determined mainly by visual
convention. Either 1.) eyeball the positions and make tiny adjustments
to the Fenwick Standard Spacing Chart or 2.) become adventurous and
place guides on the ferrules which on a 9 ft 4pc rod results in 9 not 10
guides. Later is good choice given the strength of ferrules.
See Sage Xi2 and Xi3 for example. TCRs and TCxs are 10 guide
types. Sage will tell you that it knows what it's
doing. Hmm.
Yes. Some line the rod and use a line pull to bend it,
then align and space the guides according to the curve they wish to
achieve. The idea is to avoid certain stress points and "flat spots", as
I understand it.
7.) Do you know what a TARPON BALL is
? Yes, I do. Saying what it is the
response to another question that you didn't ask.
Touche ! As you know, I'm certain, it is a fighting
butt on the end of which is a rubber hemisphere glued to the cork. Used
to minimize "tummy bruising" and worse when fighting a large fish over a long
period.
8.) Some fly rods have a second cork grip
above the main grip.
a.) What is
the purpose of this second grip ?Auxillary grips
were intended to provide an alternate handhold for lifting large fish.
Devised by Stu Apte (sez he) jacking up tarpon on fiberglass rods.
Yes. This provided a more efficient lever system for
fighting large fish.
b.) Any disadvantage ? Eliminates most
powerfully resistant part of the rod from work. I am not a
fan.
Agree.
9.) Would you prefer a fly rod with snake
guides or one with single foot guides ? Generally,
snakes guides with both ends bound to blank and without exception on
11wts up. That said, SF guides cast nicely, especially
on light rods.
Agree.
10.) Why ? They are
too easy to displace in boats.
Yes. The single
foot guides tend to catch on things in the skiff, in particular, the edges of
the rod tubes.
11.) Joy Dunlop, Al Crise and others made
up some fly rods with an extra stripping guide placed a few inches distal to
the first stripper. What was the purpose of this ? Said to groom shooting line better. Not
convinced. Besides, that arrangment looks dorky. I am
visiting Joy this morning. We are casting a new 7 wt 2pc bamboo rod, cut
to the Dickerson 8014 Guide spec.
Agree. I know of
no actual studies which prove the claim. Perhaps Joy knows of one or
two.
12.) Years ago, a material called AGATE was
used in the making of fly rods. How was it used ? Lined stripper guides. Still available and beloved for bamboo
rods.
Yes. Gave a classy appearance, too.
13.) What was in the center (core) of
early Boron fly rods ? Various materials including
wire and resin.
Yes. That center "wire" was sometimes a strand of
monofilament boron.
14.) Some years ago, the Shakespeare
Company came out with fiberglass fly rods made by what was called the "Howald
process". They were white and had prominent residual spiral blank
markings. Do you know what was in the center (core)of these rod blanks
? First balsa wood. Later no core,
built on a mandrel. Survived as Ugly stick and the antennas that I
specified for use on the Navy Minesweeper that Textron Marine built.
Yes.
15.) Name one advantage of using rings
(slide bands) instead of a machined reel seat for some fly rods. Adjust weight of reel forward and back.
Yes. Also, they were lighter than most machined metal or
metal/wood reel seats.
16.) Most fly rods used for Tarpon and
other large salt water fish do not have hook keeps. Why ? Avoid hand contact with sharpened 3/0-5/0 hook.
That is one reason. Some larger hooks were hard to get
out of them, too. Most of us prefer to avoid them on those big game rods
anyway. We hook the fly around one of the support posts of the stripper
guide (never around the ring !) and run the leader back around the reel, then
wind it up with mild tension when going from one fishing spot to another in a
skiff. When bringing several rods off the skiff, I then wind the leader
3 X about the first snake guide to keep the rods from "marrying one
another"
17.) Many fly rod designers use a simple
test on their prototype blanks to see how quickly they straighten after being
bent. Why do you think they do this ? Kickin'
the tires.
Well.... I think there is something to be gained
from knowing how responsive the rod blank is in terms of how quickly it
straightens after being bent.
18.) We discussed things you would do to
determine if the rod you are about to purchase from the fly shop is the best
choice. Lefty Kreh goes one step further. Can you guess what he
does ? Mr. Kreh doesn't buy flyrods. Manufacturers
give them to him.
Be that as it may, he does feel that the very best "test" is to
actually cast the rod WITH THE FLY LINE, LEADER AND FLY that you will likely
be using.
19.) You are comparing two
rods. They both have the same line rating and are made by the same rod
maker using the same brand of rod blank. Both weigh exactly the same on
a scale. One feels much heavier in hand as you fish with it despite the
fact that you are using exactly the same fly line, leader and fly. Name
at least two features which could account for this.
Reel weight; one has uplock seat; the other, downlock.
Also, one may simply be a little longer than the other yet
weigh the same. That longer one will feel heavier in
hand.
20.) Tom White was on the G.Loomis staff
for a long time. Years later, he made up many fly rods using various
blanks. He would use bronze wool to remove the finish from these blanks
before applying the handles, reel seats and wrapping on the guides. Why
do you think he did that ? Removing finish in
selected locations might have aided gluing. Removing all of dipped
urethane finish removed weight. I used to take all of the finish off of
the brown Loomis blanks. Added nearly a line wt capacity to the
blank.
Yes. There was a third reason, as well.
He had many blanks which were "cosmetic seconds". He got rid of any
blemishes that way.
21.) One of the best rod finishers I know
is Don Jackson of our Group. A perfectionist! He prepared a fine
rod for me using threads of different diameters as he went from the first
stripper guide to the last snake guide. Why do you think he did that ?
Reduces finish weight; smaller diameter thread hold
less finish.
Yes. Less epoxy also meant less weight out at a distance
from the grip. Looked better, too.
22.) The REC Company produces
Titanium/Nickel guides called RECOIL guides. One advantage of
these is that they are very resilient and can be bent right down onto the
blank after which they spring back to their original
shapes.
a.) Can you think of any other advantage(s) to the use of these guides
? Attractive color; corrosion resistance;
light (maybe.)
Yes. In the salt, even stainless steel guides get a nasty
lookiing rust spot where the foot enters the epoxy/wrap. These
don't.
From a functional standpoint: Titanium seems inert in sea
water (and in the human body). It is only "inert" and unreactive
because upon exposure to the elements there is the rapid formation of titanium
oxides and chlorides on it's surfaces. Titanium oxide is a
ceramic..... so it is very hard and super smooth without the need
for a ceramic insert. (If it gets worn off, a new layer immediately
forms.
I did some field testing on those guides and noted that they
were much lighter than even modern stainless and thin wire chromed guides and
lighter by far than other stripper guides.
b.)
Some have pointed out a disadvantage. I can think of three. Can
you ?First series of tip tops looked like they were
designed by clowns; they encourage idiots to bend them down
onto the blank; way too expensive; feet resisted shaping and nicked
blank.
Yes. Some trout fishermen object to the noise made as the
line sings out through them. Out in the wind and waves on the salt, that
is hardly noticable.
The tip-tops were wanting for several reasons. They
looked cheezy. The bent Titanium wire entered the sleeve at an angle
which provided some resistance to the fly line when making a forward
cast. After lots of practice casts, it wore the line finish. Some
of the sleeves were made of aluminum which would corrode. Other models
had stainless steel sleeves which were heavier. I love the guides, but
do NOT favor their tip-tops.
23.) Having tried for years, I finally
convinced G.Loomis to make some one-piece fly rods for salt water use.
They now offer them for sale. They have become popular among Florida
Keys fishing guides.
a.) Can you think of one reason I did that ? Sweet casting and cheaper than 4- and 3- piece rods.
No ferrules=reduced cost.
Yes. They may not actually be stronger, but they give me
the confidence of being so as I pour the coal on the fire in using max.
pressure to land a fish expeditiously for a successful release or to prevent a
shark attack.
Ferrules sometimes come a bit loose in a skiff due to vibration
and wave shock as we travel . I've been guilty of taking one up
quickly to make a cast to breaking fish and not noticing a loose
ferrule. This can be a prime way of breaking a rod either on the cast or
the strike. No ferrules = fewer problems.
b.) Name at least one disadvantage of these rods.
Transport is inconvenient in automobiles and by carrier. High breakage
rate when shipping. Can't replace sections. Break it and
throw it away.
Yes.
24.) Name two popular designs of ferrules
used on modern graphite fly rods. Tip over butt;
spigot
Yes.
25.) Bob Sholiton of Chicago, made a
custom bamboo 6 1/2" 5 wt. rod for me. I specified a rod with no
ferrules (one-piece bamboo.) I use it in the salt for baby tarpon.
It gives me great pleasure and has been problem free. Why do you think I
specified no ferrules ? Ferrules for bamboo rods
are customarily nickel silver which is a corrison magnet on salt
water.
Yes. As far as I know, all ferrules used on bamboo rods
are metal. They bind both from corrosion and salt
buildup.
26.) Do you think the dimension of the
inner diameter of the first stripper guide is important ? Yes;
Agree.
27.) Why ? First stripper manages line, grooming it somewhat.
Huge diameters are, however, mostly fashion statements
and examples of marketing by excess meaning if bigger is
better, then really big is even better than that. Big tennis
rackets, big golf clubs, big strippers. My response is
admitted contrary to what Kreh said in 1960s and maintains today
for the TFO 8 weights with 22-mm ID strippers.
Well.... I don't think huge stripper guides make a
fashion statement other than a negative one. To most fly fishermen, they
look funny to some they destroy the esthetic image.
Lefty may be correct in that a moderately large diameter
stripper guide ring (16 mm to 22 mm) may well funnel line curves into the
guide system with less friction and less tendency to tangle.
*
* LEFTY KREH'S ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FLY FISHING, PP.
124-125.
28.) Some fly rods are made up with
stripper guides which stand proud above the rod shaft.
a.) Advantage(s) Said to reduce contact of moving
line with blank.
b.) Disadvantage(s) ?Increased diameter of storage
cylinders, cases and slide tubes in boats; prone to accidental dislocation and
removal; increased distance from blank of line resisting fish said to
exaggerate load of blank. (Probably not true.)
Yes. The high standing stripper guide may yield a certain
amount of rod twist or pull to one side when a powerful haul is made,
too.
29.) Flip Pallot and others have touted
the use of some fly rods which have their guides at right angles to the reel.
Can you think of one reason for this ?Again,
fashion statements prompted by ancient Keys practice. Paul Young
and Paine produced "salt water" models with the guides at 90 degrees to
softside of the blank to
They were convinced that this reduced "line slap" with friction
between the line and the rod shaft. They may have been correct.
Flip and I made many measured casts using 4 pc. rods with the butt ferrule
turned 90 degrees toward the line hand and with the rod stepped
straight. We were both able to average slightly longer casts when the
guides were turned.
30.) What is meant by the term, "ROD
SPINE" ?On a blank, the line of greatest resistance
to bending load. Not strictly a consequence of the fabric overlap.
Agree. You are also correct in that it isn't only the
fabric overlap edge which can do this. Any excess material on one side
of the blank tube can do it.
This note from Dave Lambert:
Hi Gordy:
Question 30, rod quiz 2 has me stumped? I
built/repaired fishing rods early, helping my Granny wrap and sometimes
shellac. This was economics not art. As I got older, I asked and was told by
the bait and rod shop guys that you wanted the rod spine, where the scrim
overlaps, to be opposite the direction of the primary rod bend, so the spine
can help the bent rod straighten.
I worked for Orvis and then in a
couple of their shops: Orvis techs told me they always align spines
rods. Other companies had similar practices, but Sage openly admitted
they did not align their spines in multi-piece rods, and others fell suit. I
talked with one of their engineers who told me the did not try to align their
spines, that it was not important. That was on their website for awhile, also.
I just checked; it isn't now.
So, to my question: Do we have
agreement on aligning spines for fly rods?
As a related aside: Can we
finally put to rest the spine/spline terminology war? A simple look at
Websters New Collegiate would do the trick.
David
In
wrapping rods over the years, I've always tested for spine (?spline). As
the years went by, I noted less and less pronounced spines. I think it
may have reached the point where the affect of the spine is
unimportant.
As to the terms "SPINE" and "SPLINE", I remember being roundly
scolded when I used the term SPLINE during a tour with one of the engineers
working for Sage as we toured the factory.
In general, dictionaries derive their definitions from the most
common uses of a word in the literature over a period of time. In my
edition of Websters Unabridged Dictionary, none of the definitions of SPLINE
came close to what we are talking about. That may have changed in future
editions. Don Phillips (THE TECHNOLOGY OF FLY RODS) uses the term
SPINE. Perhaps Dave can enlighten us.
31.) Name at least 4 different common fly
rod grip designs. Full- , half-Wells (Wells
was a 19th c. fishing writer.) Perfectionist, Cigar, Western,
Eastern (Leonard), Garrison, Ritz are common ones.
Yes.
32.) Which design of grip would you
prefer for:
a.)
Your favorite 4 wt. trout rod. On a rod less
than 8-ft, an Eastern; 8-ft or longer, Full Wells.
b.) A
single handed rod for fishing large salmon. Full
Wells 71/2-in long on a 9 1/2-ft rod.
c.) A big game fly rod for catching very large tarpon. Full Wells 7-in long on a 9-ft rod.
No incorrect answers, here, since I asked for your
preference. I suspect, however, that most would prefer the cigar type
grip for a.)
33.) Joan Wulff has designed a cork
grip which bears her name. The Winston Company produces it. Can
you briefly describe it ?Reduced diameter half
Wells with a pronounced depression for the thumb. It's a retro design
and commplace in 50s among tournament users. SouthBend
offered the thumb depression, too. Paul Young made some with two
thumb depressions. I'd like to cast one of those.
I didn't know about Paul Young's grips. Joan placed her
depression (more of a flat spot) on top since she taught the use of a
"thumb-on-top" grip.
33.) Years ago, Jim Green designed a
ferrule. I believe he was working with the Fenwick Company at the
time. Can you briefly describe it ?The
Feralite ferrule he designed for Fenwick is the tip over butt type used by
nearly every manufacturer. The essence of the design was that the
blank material and the ferrule material were the same and integrated.
Necessitated production of tip and butt sections on separate blanks.
Guess what ferrule design Don Green took with him when he started
Winslow?
Yes.
34.) I am thinking of a fly fishing
author who first started experimenting with bamboo fly rod designs in 1917 in
New York. Soon thereafter, he made rods for Abercrombie &
Fitch. He may have been the first to use the term, "parabolic" in
1937. In 1949, he came out with a series of rods called,
"Super-Parabolic PPP" (PPP stood for Progressive Pendulate
Power.). A rod design marketed by Pezon et Michelle in Europe bore his
name.
Who was he ? Charlie
Ritz *
Yes.
* A FLY FISHER'S LIFE by Charles Ritz, pp. 67,
68.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To see answers using different words and to
compare them with those, above.... including my comments, I'll include another
set.
David's answers along with my comments are
great for discussions of this kind. Mark Milkovitch, however, comes in
with the kind of answers I'd love to see as the SHORT ANSWERS used on a
Masters oral exam :
Gordy,
Here are my answers to this rod
quiz. Great fun, Thanks.
Mark
Milkovich
QUESTIONS:
1.)
Over the years, several materials have
been used to make fly rods. Can you name at least 6 of
them?
Wood, Grass
(Bamboo), Steel, Fiberglass, Boron, Graphite.
2.)
We speak of "balanced tackle". What
is meant by this?
Used in different
ways: 1. a 5 wt. line on a 5 wt. rod; 2.the weight of the reel and line on a
two handed rod balances at a fulcrum point where the upper hand would grip the
rod.
3.) Some fly rods have a very large
diameter ring tip top.
a. Advantage(s)?
Less friction which
facilitates longer shoots and easier mends. Line/leader connection slips
through more easily.
b. Disadvantage(s)?
To the extent
larger means heavier, they can cause tip bounce when casting which can reduce
casting distance.
4.) How many guides should be attached to
a 9' 6 wt. rod used for trout fishing?
Typically 11.
The rule of thumb is one tip top guide plus one guide for every foot of rod
length plus one additional guide.
5.) Is there general consensus over how
many guides should be attached to a 15' Spey
rod?
If I remember
correctly, beyond a certain rod length (14??) the rule of thumb is modified:
the ?plus one additional guide? becomes ?plus two additional guides?.
6.) How do fly rod designers decide on
guide spacing?
Don Phillips, The
Technology of Fly Rods, describes it as a compromise between what provides the
best line shoot (minimal line path direction changes from one guide to the
next) and what best distributes rod stress during casting and fish fighting
(more guides distribute the stress further).
7.) Do you know what a TARPON BALL
is?
A type of rod
extension butt with a round bottom shape.
8.) Some fly rods have a second
cork grip above the main grip.
a.) What is the purpose of this second grip?
This ?fighting
grip? provides better leverage for fighting large, strong
fish.
b.) Any
disadvantage?
A modest amount of
additional weight on the rod.
9.) Would you prefer a fly rod with
snake guides or one with single foot guides?
Snake
Guides
10.) Why?
They are lighter
than ceramic single foots and when using braided mono as a shooting line, even
wire single foot guides have a tendency to tangle the line during the shoot.
11.) Joy Dunlop, Al Crise and
others made up some fly rods with an extra stripping guide placed a few inches
distal to the first stripper. What was the purpose of
this?
To increase
shooting distance by reducing what would otherwise be a sharp line path
direction change between the first two guides.
12.) Years ago, a material called AGATE
was used in the making of fly rods. How was it
used?
It was used as
ceramic is now used in guides.
13.) What was in the center (core)
of early Boron fly rods?
Balsa Wood and
later ?Various wire Materials? (Phillips, The Technology of Fly Rods,
p.21).
14.) Some years ago, the
Shakespeare Company came out with fiberglass fly rods made by what was called
the "Howald process". They were white and had prominent residual spiral
blank markings. Do you know what was in the center (core) of these rod
blanks?
Balsa
Wood
15.) Name one advantage of using
rings (slide bands) instead of a machined reel seat for some fly
rods.
Light
weight
16.) Most fly rods used for Tarpon
and other large salt water fish do not have hook keeps.
Why?
They cause tangles
when shooting line.
17.) Many fly rod designers use a
simple test on their prototype blanks to see how quickly they straighten after
being bent. Why do you think they do
this?
It influences line
speed.
18.) We discussed things you would
do to determine if the rod you are about to purchase from the fly shop is the
best choice. Lefty Kreh goes one step further. Can you guess what
he does?
Fishes
it?
19.) You are comparing two
rods. They both have the same line rating and are made by the same rod
maker using the same brand of rod blank. Both weigh exactly the same on
a scale. One feels much heavier in hand as you fish with it despite the
fact that you are using exactly the same fly line, leader and fly. Name
at least two features which could account for
this.
Differences in the
flex profile and the distribution of the material along the rod would both
make a difference. There could also be differences having nothing to do with
the rods themselves: e.g. in hand position up & down the grip, reel
weight etc. that would cause differences.
20.) Tom White was on the G. Loomis
staff for a long time. Years later, he made up many fly rods using
various blanks. He would use bronze wool to remove the finish from these
blanks before applying the handles, reel seats and wrapping on the
guides. Why do you think he did that?
Improved adhesion
for the epoxy.
21.) One of the best rod finishers
I know is Don Jackson of our Group. A perfectionist! He prepared a
fine rod for me using threads of different diameters as he went from the first
stripper guide to the last snake guide. Why do you think he did
that?
Assuming the
diameters were reducing they would carry less epoxy and thus add less weight
toward the tip which would enhance the rod?s casting characteristics.
22.) The REC Company produces
Titanium/Nickel guides called RECOIL guides. One advantage of these is
that they are very resilient and can be bent right down onto the blank after
which they spring back to their original
shapes.
a.) Can you think of any other advantage(s) to the use of these
guides?
They are light
weight and don?t corrode.
b.) Some have pointed out a
disadvantage. I can think of three. Can
you?
Unintended bending
could pinch and/or damage the line.
23.) Having tried for years, I
finally convinced G. Loomis to make some one-piece fly rods for salt water
use. They now offer them for sale. They have become popular among
Florida Keys fishing guides.
a.) Can you think of one reason I
did that?
When ferrules work
loose the rod is more likely to break at that point when fighting
fish.
b.) Name at least one disadvantage
of these rods.
Travel difficulty
from the length.
24.) Name two popular designs of
ferrules used on modern graphite fly rods.
Butt over Tip &
Spigot Ferrules
25.) Bob Sholiton of Chicago, made
a custom bamboo 6 1/2" 5 wt. rod for me. I specified a rod with no
ferrules (one-piece bamboo.) I use it in the salt for baby tarpon.
It gives me great pleasure and has been problem free. Why do you think I
specified no ferrules?
To avoid corrosion
problems.
26.) Do you think the dimension of
the inner diameter of the first stripper guide is
important?
Yes
27.)
Why?
The additional
friction from a smaller guide reduces shooting length. Additional friction
also causes line wear.
28.) Some fly rods are made up with
stripper guides which stand proud above the rod
shaft.
a.) Advantage(s)?
It would help keep
the line away from the rod and thus avoid that
friction.
b.)
Disadvantage(s)?
The guide support
adds weight.
29.) Flip Pallot and others have
touted the use of some fly rods which have their guides at right angles to the
reel. Can you think of one reason for this?
It would produce a
more straight line path from the line hand to the 1st guide while
reducing rod/line friction.
30.) What is meant by the term,
"ROD SPINE"?
A longitudinally
stiffer section of a rod.
31.) Name at least 4 different
common fly rod grip designs.
Cigar, Modified
Western, Reverse Half Wells, Full Wells
32.) Which design of grip would you
prefer for:
a.) Your favorite 4 wt. trout
rod.
Cigar
b.) A single handed rod for fishing
large salmon.
Half or Full
Wells
c.) A big game fly rod for catching
very large tarpon.
Full
Wells
33.) Joan Wulff has
designed a cork grip which bears her name. The Winston Company
produces it. Can you briefly describe it?
It is a smaller
diameter grip designed to better fit a woman?s hand.
33.) Years ago, Jim Green designed
a ferrule. I believe he was working with the Fenwick Company at the
time. Can you briefly describe it?
It was a non-metal,
Tip in Butt ferrule for the Fenwick Feralite
rods.
34.) I am thinking of a fly fishing
author who first started experimenting with bamboo fly rod designs in 1917 in
New York. Soon thereafter, he made rods for Abercrombie &
Fitch. He may have been the first to use the term, "parabolic" in
1937. In 1949, he came out with a series of rods called,
"Super-Parabolic PPP" (PPP stood for Progressive Pendulate Power.). A
rod design marketed by Pezon et Michelle in Europe bore his
name.
Who was
he?
Charles
Ritz