Cane repair
I've got a 3 pc bamboo rod with a serious split/break in the tip section. The split is just under the 4th snake guide. I don't think that just wrapping that split will fix the problem. Is there any way to splint/repair this? I don't care about aesthetics, I just want a functional tip.
Fortunately I have 2 tips, so it's still usable.
Bill
Bill,
There's a difference between a split and a break. A split can be somewhat(?) easily repaired. A clean break may be considerably more difficult to remedy and may require extensive surgery which may include a scarf.
Assuming however that what you have is a split:
If the split in the bamboo is under a guide, that?s actually a good thing (well, maybe not good but more of a lesser degree of bad) . When you?ve repaired the split, and replaced the guide, the guide should act as a splint for your repair.
First, remove the guide in the affected area. Remove the varnish from all six flats around the damaged area.
Use some sewing needles or pins to pry and hold open the splinters. Open it up as far as you can. Use either Titebond II, Titebond III (or my preference, golf club maker?s epoxy) and using still another needle work the glue from end-to-end into the wide-open split you?ve created. Pull out the pins. Next run some rod wrapping thread through some paraffin and with some pressure, wrap down your repair starting in the middle of the repair, wrapping to 1/4? past one end of the repair and then wrapping back to 1/4? past the opposite end of the repair. Tie off the thread and allow the adhesive to cure.
When the adhesive cures, un-wrap the repair and scrape off the excess glue being careful not to scrape off any bamboo. Then use 00 white silk or nylon thread and over-wrap the entire repair (wrap 1/4? past the repair on each end). Make sure the wraps are even and flat. Apply two or three coats of spar varnish to the repair wrap.
After the varnish on the repair has thoroughly dried, replace and re-wrap the guide, color preserve and/or varnish the guide wraps and it?s done!
Good luck with your project!
Regards and WDE!!!
Bob L.
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."
--Robert Earl James
[This message has been edited by bamboo4u2 (edited 28 February 2005).]
It is a break by that definition. It hasn't completely snapped off but it is a break.
Thanks for the info!
Bill
Scarf, what's that?
Bill
Bill,
This is my humble attempt to describe a scarf:
A scarf is a repair that requires that both sides of the break be planed accurately at a very acute angle, fitted, glued together, re-planed and/or sanded to fit and repair wrapped. I use ?scarfing blocks? (hardwood jigs to hold the rod pieces) to set up the work for planeing. Your rod tip would be shortened by the length of the scarf (just guessing but in this case probably 1.5" to 2"). Or a rod maker could scarf in a newly constructed tip piece that would maintain the length of your tip. Unless you're experienced, I wouldn't recommend that you attempt a scarf yourself.
If your rod is splintering out under the guide, you may still be able to glue it back together if it?s not completely broken in two. Lift the splinters with pins, glue, replace the splinters back in order ( sort of like the ?pick-up-sticks? game in reverse), and wrap. I?ve repaired some pretty badly splintered rods that weren?t quite gone ( hanging on by a splinter) and they turned out well?.In your case, especially if the repair is supported by a guide. Go slowly and deliberately.
Of course, if it is snapped in two, you?ll probably need a professional to repair it.
Regards and WDE!!!
Bob L.
"I drink to make other people interesting."
--Robert Earl James
If you cut two pieces of wood at 90 degrees then glued them end to end you would have a 'butt' joint. If you cut them at an angle then glued them together its a 'scarf' joint.
A scarf joint is stronger than a butt joint since the glue surface is over a larger area. For fly rod repair you want a lot of surface area so the scarf angle is very shallow, somewhere between 10 or 15 degrees.
When you plane both ends and overlap the pieces you end up with a shorter rod section. It is possible to do a scarf repair with out effecting the length by building a new piece of matching rod section that is long enough to allow for the joint.
It would take a rod builder almost as much time to craft the replacement section as it would to build a whole new tip. If the rod in question is a valuable antique it might make sense to do the scarf in order to keep the rod as origonal as possible. If it's not particulary special you might just splice in a section from a discarded tip of similar dimensions. This can be done with a 'double scarf' ie. splicing in a 2-3 inch section into the middle of the break. This would leave most of the rod intact and give you the same overall length.
=====/ /===== single scarf
=====/ /=\ \==== double scarf
Thanks for the great advice. I am going to take Bob L.'s suggestion to glue the pieces back together and wrap. Thanks again.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote