Quote Originally Posted by kbproctor View Post

First, you CAN get the ferrule apart. Hold the rod behind your knees with one hand on each side of your legs right next to your knees. Spread your knees apart. The ferrule will pop loose. Your legs will give you the extra oomph to separate the ferrules.

Now. take a drill bit that is smaller than the inside of the female ferrule. Wrap it loosely with 0000 steel wool and dip the works in a touch of mineral spirits. Now insert that into the female ferrule and gently twist it around a bit.
Wow, this is terrible advise and should NEVER be done!!

I had a conversation with Master bamboo rodmaker Ron Kusse about this.

First lets start with putting the rod behind your knees to take it apart. AWFUL-AWFUL-AWFUL, this is a perfect way to break your rod, when the rod comes apart after doing this you have no control after the pressure is released, your in an awkward and out of balance position you can easily fall landing on your rod or the tip can stick into the ground or hit anything else around.

Second, a metal ferrule on a bamboo rod is a precisely machined piece on nickle silver, NEVER sand them with anything, including steel wool even of the finest grade.

Rod recommends using paraffin on graphite ferrules but never on a nickle silver ferrule, on a nickle silver ferrule he recommends using a bar of plain ivory soap, as wax can build up and friction can cause to to "clog" a ferrule.