Waxing Your Ferrules

[supersenior]

"To clean the female portion of the ferrule (the one with the open end), use a Q-Tip saturated with plain rubbing alcohol. Rub the inside surface thoroughly, around the entire inside circumference, then use a clean swab to wipe off any dirt or old wax residue.

Clean the male portion of the ferrule with a soft cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol. Rub the male slide well to remove any dirt or old wax from the surface. Finish by drying the ferrule with a clean, soft cloth. After the alcohol has dried, apply a light coating of white candle wax to the entire surface of the male ferrule."

Does everyone use the above method in cleaning their fly rods?
"applying a light coating of white candle wax to the entire surface of the male ferrule."?
OR
would it be better to just clean with rubbing alcohol, without the candle wax?

[Normand]

clean a fly rod? never heard of such a thing!

[herefishy]

You need to put something on the male part, be it candle wax or something specially formulated for the job - getting a stuck rod apart is not a fun job.

[BlueDun]

Several of my fly rods came with ferrule wax. The wax reduces the friction on the ends, reduces the likelihood of your fly rod coming apart as you fish with it (i.e., losing your rod tip if you fish with small flies, and it reduces the likelihood of the pieces getting stuck together when you try to take it apart. Also, loose ferrules can wear down the rod and cause it to break around the butt sleeve.

[Clay]

Yes, I wax my ferrules. I use the wax that came with the rod.

[bonefishwhisperer]

I never wax the ferrules and never have even though I fish salt well over 200 days a yr...never been a issue if that tells you how important it is....just another detail that really isnt important unless you are collecting rods for your grandchildren IMO...that being said I have fished with a guy that would just wipe the side of his nose or ear with his finger and that alone was enough "wax" to keep the ferrules in control....a good rod shouldnt have any ferrule issues...I have only 3 rods left that are 2 pc rods because I have began using 1pc rods and they are great

[Silver Creek]

I never wax the ferrules and never have even though I fish salt well over 200 days a yr...never been a issue if that tells you how important it is....just another detail that really isnt important unless you are collecting rods for your grandchildren IMO...that being said I have fished with a guy that would just wipe the side of his nose or ear with his finger and that alone was enough "wax" to keep the ferrules in control....a good rod shouldnt have any ferrule issues...I have only 3 rods left that are 2 pc rods because I have began using 1pc rods and they are great

I disagree. Nose or ear oil should never be used on any ferrule especially the spigot metal ferrules on bamboo rods. Nose oil contains fatty acids and salt that will corrode metal, plus it contains fine dust particles. Rub the outside of your nose at the end of a day fishing, and see if it doesn't feel gritty and is discolored on a tissue. It will gradually wear away even graphite ferrules.

Ferrules should be waxed. I think what you mean is that you have not had problems yet, and you may not. Rod companies recommend paraffin or candle wax because it provides a layer of protection for the ferrule surfaces and will fill in any irregularities in the seating of the ferrule.

Ferrules should be seated with a quarter twist that lines up the guides. Twist two sections of rod ferrules together without wax and you gradually wear away the surfaces.

The wax will also insure that the ferrules will come apart at the end of the day. Stuck ferrules are due to a vacuum which develops in the hollow sections of the rod. As the ambient temperature rises, the air trapped in the hollow section of the rod expands and creates air pressure that is suddenly released as we cast and flex the rod. When the ambient air temperature lowers, this air may not leak back into a rod section and you have a vapor lock that keeps the joints locked. Wax will allow you break that seal without breaking the rod.

Wax also helps to keep the joints from loosening during a cast. A loose joint can break either under the stress of casting or fighting a fish. Loose ferrules are one of the causes of "mysterious" fly rod breaks.

[Ken Y]

I use a plain non-scented white candle.

[JohnScott]

Nicely put, Silver.

I didn't use ferrule wax for quite a while. Then the butt and mid sections of my favorite three piece 7'9" for 3 wt stuck together and could not be separated.

Losing a great small stream rod ( it was out of production and could not be replaced ) due to ignorance is painful.

I use exactly the method described at the outset of the thread, with the exception of the wax mentioned. I use an Orvis product which is supplied with their rods.

John

[bobbyg]

I fish only bamboo rods anymore, except in the salt (rare for me).
They all have nickel silver ferrules.
As long as they join well when the rod is assembled, I do nothing. I do wipe the male down with a clean cloth after fishing.
If they are difficult to disengage, or join, I will clean the female as descibed above, being careful to not get any alcohol on the varnish.
After many, many hours astream, the joint may become a little loose, then and only then do I apply a very thin coat of beeswax to the male slide.
This will usually suffice for about a season. Then you have a couple of choices. Re-ferrule the rod or have the males electro-plated. If you do not, you're inviting a lot of trouble.
Again, I'm talking bamboo with nickel silver ferrules.
Never twist the sections when joining nickel silver ferrules.

Using nose petroleum is a matter of choice, I guess. I don't do it but you need to keep in mind that many, many thousands of fishermen did just that
over several decades. I don't think it created a serious degradation of the slide if wiped cleaned when disengaged. Probably better not to, but....