Straightening a finished rod

[starfish]

Hello everyone,

I just picked up a pristine South Bend 24-9'. It's almost perfect but has a little "hitch" about 2/3 the way up the 2nd section. I suppose that it's a bit of set. Any way, I have seen lots of information about heating straightening a blank, but it's always discussed an unfinished rod. I have no intention of rebuilding this rod - it looks new other than the set. So, what I want to know is, can I apply the heat and straighten techniques to a wrapped and finished rod to straighten it, or will I screw up the finish and/or wraps? If not, if it's safe, what's the best technique to use? What do I need to look out for that I wouldn't normally?

Regards,
Jeff

[jchanner]

Jeff;
Use a hair dryer, hold the curve over it and keep it moving and twirling until you warm the bamboo thru the varnish, then bend it against the curve and hold it there for a minute or two until the bamboo cools enough to stay. Be careful not to overheat it, you can always heat it more,
john

[starfish]

Okay, so there's no issues then with messing up the wraps or the varnish. I'll give it a go then. Fortunately, I got the rod for such a steal that if I screw it up, I can live with myself.

Regards,
Jeff

[Wednesday Caster]

Don't force the correction. I take atleast 3 attempts (a little bit straighter each time) before I get it straight. Make sure the section gets warmed up and go SLOW.

[starfish]

Well, okay, so I tried to straighten the section, and had a little luck with it. In the process, closer inspection (via a stereoscope) shows that the section has been broken in the past. It looks to have been split, and very nicely repaired. The rod has intermediate wraps of a different thread color to the guide wraps. The guides are wrapped with black and gold jasper, while the intermediate wraps appear to be gold silk. (did SB ever intermediate wrap their rods?)

So it doesn't look like I will be able to 100% straighten the rod out, but I've got it to an acceptable point. My next question is: Can I fish this rod with the repair? How much does damage like this weaken the rod? Again, it's very well repaired and wrapped. But, it is a #24 (7/8 wt rod, bass taper), which means I'm far more likely to have a lunker on the end of it.

Regards,
Jeff

[Photojoe4]

Man, you're really over-thinking this. Stop inspecting it with a stereoscope (????!!!!) and fretting over repairs, and go fish the damned thing!!!! I can't imagine this rod was all that expensive in the first place, so unless it has some great sentimental value, it really shouldn't be that big an issue if the repair does happen to fail. That being said, if the repair was done well, and you don't do something stupid like slamming it in a car door or dropping it on a rock (like I'm prone to do), it should certainly hold up to a lifetime of use.

Regards,
Joe Martin
Salem, OR

[Wednesday Caster]

Joe,
Easy to say for a man gettin 10 bamboo rods soon! Just funning ya bud.

Starfish,
Seriously though you should go and enjoy the rod and I hope you find a lunker big enough to break it. Reminder though, if you are snagged in a tree with very heavy leader/tippet, pull the rod straight back (not bent) or you'll put undue strain on the break area.