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Rod Blank Repair


troutfisherwill

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Troutfisher, jfisherman here, maybe try wrapping the male end of the next piece down the line with some cellophane or, better yet saran wrap or maybe scotch tape; insert the wrapped end into the tip section as far as it will go and then apply zap-a-gap to the split area and let dry.

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Will:

That's a toughie.

Sorry J, but cello tape and superglue won't work. The hoop stresses in the wall of the tip ferrule (the hollow bit at the bottom of the tip section) are really high. If the repair is unable to handle them, the split will simply propogate up the blank, or it will break just above the ferrule.

What you might try, is doing thread wraps over top of the split section (similar to the wraps that hold the guides on) from as far up the ferrule part as possible, right down to the bottom end of the tip (leave only about 1/32 inch bare). I'd use kevlar thread to make the wraps.

I'd do the wraps with the lower section in place in the ferrule, in order to keep the wraps as tight as possible. Before inserting the lower section into the ferrule though, I'd lubricate it very, very lightly with vaseline so you can get it out without disturbing the wraps or causing the split to open or cross over itself. If either happens you should redo the wraps and do the epoxy step below with the lower section in place (just make sure you use a bit more vasseline to keep the joined sections from becoming a permanent single piece.)

After the wraps are done, then I'd take the bottom section out of the ferrule (if the split stays closed and not crossed) and use a Q-tip to put a very-very light coating of vasseline on the insde of the ferrule to keep the epoxy used in the next step from gumming up the ferrule.

Then I'd coat the wraps with high strength epoxy (the stuff that takes at least 24 hours to set).

I'd give it two good coats. You'll have to rig something to rotate the blank while the epoxy sets.

That's probably the best apporach to ensuring the fix is as strong as you can make it.

Prior to using the rod, you'd then have to clean the vasseline off the top of the bottom section and inside the ferrule with soap and water. If you don't, the sections might slip apart during casting, which is probably what caused the split in the first place. I had a rod beak due to that problem. The fix for slippage in the joint is to coat the top of the bottom section lightly with candle wax and checking the joints after 5 or ten casts.

Dave

Edited by dave robinson
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Dave, do you put wax on your ferrules? I tried that once, and found that dust and grit stuck to the wax when the sections were apart. When I put the rod together, the grit was then securely deposited into the female end. It took me alot of cleaning to make my ferrules stop grinding. Is there a secret to it?

 

Rick

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Rick:

Yes,I've used wax on my rod joints ever since I broke two rods (one of them three times).

In the case of two of the four breaks, the cause was the ferrule coming apart unnoticed while fishing

and the break occurred right at the ferrule.

In my experience, four part rods seem to be more susceptible to the problem.

To avoid grit in the ferrule:

Firstly, use a hard wax, like candle wax. It doesn't pick up the dirt as badly as say bee's wax.

Secondly give the rod end going into the ferrule a quick wipe with a hankie before putting it away

Thirdly, use a good rod sock in your rod tube, (I'm presuming you do use a rod tube?)

and lastly, put your rod away immediately after taking it apart.

I've had no problems with grit in the ferrule, only in my reel.

I sometimes get lazy putting the rod togethr and let the reel rest on the ground. Bad idea that.

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Thanks Dave! I guess the problem was the kind of wax I used, because I did everything else you mentioned. I don't know if I'll try again though, as I've developed a very good habit of "rod tightening" while I fish, and have no problems anymore. Incidentally, for a while I considered taping the joints like the Spey guys do. Have you tried that?

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