Damage Repair Question

[Jed]

My 10 wt. graphite rod was damaged, probably by a Clouser hitting it. It is right at the joint of one of the sections. It is the female joint and it has a split in it about 1/8" I do not see the split open up when the sections are fully attached, but if I put pressure on the split by only inserting an inch of the male section I can see the split open up.

What I did is wrap that female ferrule with two layers of tight wrap and then put hard head (a polyurethene) over it. Does anyone have experience or opinions about weather or not this type of repair should hold?

jed

[clyde holmes]

Jed, I havent tried fixing graphite but I had a bamboo rod that had cracked ferrules. I wrapped tight over the end of ferrule and sealed it good with spar varnish. Theyve held so far. Hope that helps some.

[Jed]

Thanks Clyde,

I only hope that I get a big enough fish to give it a full test!

jed

[TampaJim]

Best thing you could have done, based on what you described, is a fiberglass oversleeve. Fiberglass is much slower than graphite, you wouldn't have modified the action a bit. You would just need a thin section a few inches long and fit perfectly to the ferrule to repair. Slide it into position to ensure a snug fit, remove and bevel a downward angle on both ends to "blend". Glue into position, cleaning excess - let dry. Afterwards, simply wrap and epoxy - you wouldn't have been able to tell and I guarantee it would have held better than the rest of the rod.

[crook33]

TampaJim,

Where does one get fiberglass to make an oversleeve. I ask because i need to repair an 8 wt NTIQ .

Thanks. Rich

[TampaJim]

Purchase an inexpensive fiberglass blank. It is best to purchase several over time if you do many repairs, I do since I build full-time. You do need the correct taper, diameter, etc. and a wide selection ensures that you get the "piece of the pie" that you need.

IMO, the best use in the world for fiberglass rod blanks ... repairing graphite! LOL

Batson has a series of very inexpensive blanks - the SPG series. MSRP ranges from $9-18.

[waynep]

Purchase an inexpensive fiberglass blank. It is best to purchase several over time if you do many repairs, I do since I build full-time. You do need the correct taper, diameter, etc. and a wide selection ensures that you get the "piece of the pie" that you need.

IMO, the best use in the world for fiberglass rod blanks ... repairing graphite! LOL

Batson has a series of very inexpensive blanks - the SPG series. MSRP ranges from $9-18.

Does wrapping and epoxy not work very well for a repair like this?

-wayne

[crook33]

Thanks TJ i'll check them out.
Rich

[TampaJim]

Finish epoxy has little real strength - thread does, but I wouldn't trust it against abrasive (rough) edges. The purpose/function of finish epoxy is to protect the thread - that is all. In addition, it is impossible to apply real thread tension to a split ferrule - so just how much "reinforcement" could you have installed. It is most definitely better to make the repair permanent. I can assure you that if done the way described, the rod would break anywhere else prior to that same location. The biggest problem with a failed repair is that it is much harder, if not impossible, to do it the second time ... needless to say, I go full bore the first round.

[kengore]

In my experience the nylon or polyester wrapping thread has enough stretch to still flex when used to wrap a split. I have had better results using kevlar or GSP (gel spun thread) which has a very high strength and low stretch. I overwrap this with a second layer of normal rod wrapping thread for a good color match. The kevelar esp. doesn't come in very attractive colors, white GSP thread will turn almost transparent.

Ferrules tack a lot of stress during casting and landing. If the repair has too much give the crack will eventualy migrate through the wrap and contuniue to split. It will show up as small white marks in the wrap, then grow as the crack get's larger. A splint or oversleeve will be the best permanent fix. There is a great 'how to' on rod repair in the rodbuilding section of FAOL. A lot of people caution about matching materials, graphite for graphite and fiber glass for fiberglass, etc. I think that there is so much variation in flex and stiffness between rod blanks that the materials don't matter so much, esp. for a small splint less than 2" long. The fit is more critical than the material.

I am always collecting broken rods I find on the river or from friends to use as repair material. Cheap thrift store casting rods will work as long as they are hollow. If there is a rod builder in your area you might be able to get some scraps. It would be hard for me to cut into a perfectly good blank for repair material, even if I got it cheap. I find I can get away with a significant amount of sanding on the splint to insure a good fit. I try to not sand the blank any nore than needed for a good contact witht glue. Steel rods with a spiral strip of sand paper glued to them are effective fmethod for sanding the inside diameters.