Heddon #10

Question
I have a 7.5', 3piece, 1 1/2F Heddon #10 with diagonal "Heddon" and a
"Taylor and Co." decal near the inscription.  The varnish is getting very soft
and alligatored.  The wraps seem to be ok with 1 exception. I varnished over
it and it seems to be holding fine.  I bought the rod to fish.  I have not been
able to find suitable thread to re-wrap (red & black jasper).  Can the rod be
revarnished by a professional leaving the wraps intact?  Does the value
increase or decrease after the refinish?

Answer
Mike,
What you have there is a Featherweight model, of some ilk, sold by a third party , which was a common enough practice called trade rods. Heddon made several varieties of #10 and allot of them. One was 7.5 but 2 sections with 2 tips  annotated as 2/2. They made a 8 foot ,3/2 and a  9 ft 3/2 in 1955.
What does ? 1/2F?mean ? Is it on the label ?
In poor condition they range from 40 to 90 , the 7 1/2 being the most valuable.  In excellent mint they range from 180 to 400 according to Antique & Collectable Fishing Rods: Identification & Value Guide Homel, Dan. 1997.
I would never varnish over 搒oft and alligatored?finish. That finish needs to be removed or stripped.  If you don抰 remove it ,  you may get water damage to the bamboo. And no one can strip finish without removing wraps. Rods are dipped or sprayed carefully,  not brushed.
One  bad wrap is enough to rewrap the whole rod. Heddon variegated colored thread is not easy to find, but Gudebrode  makes it. Find a Gudebrode   dealer such as Janns Netcraft , Mudhole or your local fly shop, and ask.    You can get nylon at http://vfish.net/silkpage1.htm
揇oes the value increase or decrease after the refinish??That depends , it is always a judgment call.  For example if the rod is of low value because it is in poor condition the value will increase upon restoration. If the rod is a very valuable rod and it good condition it may decrease upon restoration especially if poorly restored.  I would put your rod in the later category. It will loose value if you continue in the direction you have described. Email [email protected] for prices on restoration.
Good Luck
Mac