"For the want of a nail"

[anglerdave]

JC

I hope everyone reads this and if they are not already using wax, start. This past Saturday I went to my favorite smallie river. Put together my 9' 4 pc 6wt and started fishing. Now on most days, I always put a little of the wax that came with the rod on each section, before putting it together. But not this time. About an hour into fishing and I notice the tip section of the rod was off center from the rest of the sections. And loose! Fortunately I carry some wax in the vest and took care of it in short order. But oh how close I could have come to breaking my first fly rod.

So thanks for the article. I might just have to start carrying a nail with me to remind me to wax my ferrules.

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

I never knew that about the wax and the ferrules.
Thank you Castwell for the heads up.

[nighthawk]

Thanks to J.C. for opening my eyes to this. I now carry the stub of an old candle in my vest. By the way, Zip Cast is good for cleaning the wax build up off of those ferrules. Makes a great cleaner for the eyes of the rod too.

[TyroneFly]

I carry a tea light candle in my vest. It's small and inexpensive. JC got me started on using pariffin several years ago and now it has become part of my cleaning and maintenance routine (wash and dry, Pledge, and wax).

I wish the manufacturers would stress the use of wax on the ferrules and as suggested include one with every rod.

[anglerdave]

I wish the manufacturers would stress the use of wax on the ferrules and as suggested include one with every rod.

To their credit, St Croix supplies them with their rods. That's how I came about to having two. I keep one in the truck and the other in my vest.

[DickM]

I tried some of this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150156765762&ru=http%3 A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll% 3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D150156765 762%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1

It is wax and mineral oil mixed together. Sounds a bit expensive but it sure does the trick. (Keeps em together but lets you easily separate the sections when your done.)

[Bamboozle]

I wish the manufacturers would stress the use of wax on the ferrules and as suggested include one with every rod.

At least one manufacturer; R.L Winston, DOESN'T recommend wax on their spigot ferrules. Their position is that the wax attracts dirt and causes premature wear. Since spigot ferrules on high end rods are usually graphite and not coated with rod finish; as well as being fitted to the individual rod it makes sense to me.

Winston suggests that IF you feel compelled to wax THEIR spigots; you should clean off the wax after each use; something I don't feel like doing. As a result; I don't wax my spigots.

Do they get loose on occasion...?

...Yup!

But I just check them occasionally along with the other things I keep an eye on like my reel seat fittings and tighten if necessary. Even though spigots can be replaced; I really don't want to get one replaced sooner than necessary. I haven't had any problems yet sans-wax so I will continue going without.

BTW - Winston doesn't have an issue with waxing sleeve-over ferrules since they usually are not custom fitted or unfinished graphite and as such; don't wear as fast. But the bottom line is; wax DOES accumulate grit and should be cleaned off periodically and reapplied.

I'm sure every rod maker has their opinion on what's best for their rods and I decided to ask my rod company what they recommended for my sticks just to be sure.

[J Castwell]

There is this too,
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/prorevw ... elube.html

but I have not had good luck lately finding it. And, nothing against bee's wax, might be great, don't know about it, just know about paraffin. I suppose a case could be made against it too, about grit sticking to it, so far I have not had a problem. Just a dab of common sense and responsibility. The surface on spigots is different than graphite over ferrules. Graphite can be very slippery and come apart, or so slick it jams together.

[DShock]

Since I worked with Bees Wax for 27 yrs as part of my job, I found it works great rubbed on my tying thread for twisting dubbing and it smells good too! Never tried it on my rods.
Doug

[ohiotuber]

Another option is what bamboo rod maker Jeff Wagner told me to use...a bar of bath soap. Jeff just uses a "swipe" & it works fine. no build up as it can be washed right off with a little water.
Mike