I have a quick question I hope someone can help me with. I have a two pc 4wt. St Croix rod (my favorite) that won’t stay together. Every couple of fish or 15 minuets of casting I need to snug it up. If I use too much armstrong putting it together, you can guess, it won’t come apart. I can see no damage to either part of the rod. Any remedies out there?
Thanks for the help!
OTTO
electrical tape, a lot of guys do that just in case something happens.
Ferrule wax.
Contact St Croix and ask for some. Tell them you’re trying to avoid a warranty claim.
A little candle wax rubbed on the male ferrule will also work wonders if St. Croix is slow to respond. I use it on all my graphite rods. Try to avoid the pretty smelling candles. Nothing worse than a stranger walking up and saying “Is that your rod that smells like Vanilla?” The only rods I tape are my two handers.
I think Ron has the best suggestion or at least the one I?d try first. I simply carry a birthday candle with me when I go out. I rub a bit of wax on the male portion of the ferrule and that almost always solves the problem. It’s certainly the easiest and cheapest solution and the right one to try first.
Jim Smith
Everyone knows duct tape fixes everything.
OTTO:
Call St. Croix!
Depending on the manufacturer and the type of ferrule, spigot or sleeve over; some manufacturers DON’T recommend wax. It’s better to call and know for sure.
BTW - If wax is OK, Feather Craft sells a great ferrule wax. I use it on all of my sleeve over ferrules. My spigots get NO wax.
Nose oil. Yup, the oil off your nose skin. Works wonders and is always available.
Bamboozle,
Good point, spigot ferrules get no wax, at least not from me. Been a while since I’ve seen a rod with spigot ferrules.
REE
It also contains small amounts of acid and other contaminants such as grit I would not want on my rods. Perhaps not enough to hurt but why take the chance. Use wax or paraffin. A box of paraffin purchased at the grocery store will last for just about ever and won’t hurt your rod.
I was up in Missoula last week and noticed that the ferrules on my 3 wt could use some fresh wax. I asked at The Grizzly Hackle if they had any in stock. Nope. But they did have some provided by Orvis with the Orvis rods they had in inventory. Freebie - not even for the asking.
Next time you are in Missoula, and have a few minutes, check out The Grizzly Hackle on Front Street. If you have a few more minutes, there are two more fly shops just minutes away ( The Missoulan Angler on Orange Street and Kingfisher’s on East Broadway ), and another one within about ten minutes ( Kessel’s on South Reserve ).
John
P.S. Good to get in the habit of wiping the ferrules lightly before joining them just to be sure there is no foreign matter collected by the wax on them.
I would also suggest, after applying wax, use a 1/4 turn clockwise when joining sections, and counterclockwise turn to separate. Always worked for me !
OTTO:
A quick question and a few comments:
How old is the rod?
If the ferrule is definitely not cracked, believe it or not graphite ferrules can wear out if not cared for properly. I’ve seen it few times. The wear is caused by not keeping the ferrule clean, ESPECIALLY when using wax. I’m not trying to imply you haven’t cared for your favorite rod, but things can happen if you use something a lot.
The other thing that can happen, especially with a spigot ferrule is a lousy fit from the beginning. A good ferrule fit on ALL ferrule types is one where there is maximum contact between the two parts. Ideally, the outside taper of the male portion and the inside taper of the female should be exactly the same. High spots or a bad taper on the male portion of a graphite ferrule results in surfaces that only touch in a few spots. The result is that the constant flexing of the rod, quickly loosens the fit.
A light coating of paraffin or ferrule wax can do a decent job of improving the fit, even on spigots but as has been mentioned by others, wax collects grit and grit causes wear so occasional cleaning will help your ferrules to last a lifetime.
The good news is, IF your rod isn’t broken, is out of warranty or IF a replacement is out of the question, the fit can be repaired in several ways by a competent rod builder.
Good luck!
Parrafin is distilled crude oil isn’t it? What is in it? Doesn’t sand and grit stick to it?
I know where my nose has been…
St. Croix rods don’t use spigot ferules so that’s not a problem. Not only do they recommend wax for their rods, most St. Croix models actually come with a cake of it in a small round plastic container in the rod tube.
Paraffin has paraffin in it and nothing else. That is why it is called paraffin. It also called baker’s wax because it is used in chocolates to help with its finish and to keep it solid. It is used on fruits and vegetables to protect from moisture loss and spoilage. I feel fairly confident it has nothing in it that is going to damage a fly rod. Your nose on the other hand, well, I guess we got your word on it.
Just in case anyone is interested:
According to The American College Dictionary:
Paraffin - A white or colorless waxy substance ( a mixture of hydrocarbons) not easily acted upon by reagents, obtained chiefly from crude petroleum, and used for making candles, forming preservative coatings, waterproofing paper, etc.
Paraffin wax - Paraffin in its solid state.
Whether it will harm your rod or not…I do not know…I just decided to look it up in the dictionary and nothing more…
Hydrocarbons. Probably will be outlawed by the “green” advocates anyway. Better stop washing your nose…
I doubt it.
Thanks everyone for the response. I’ll give St Croix a call and will try using the wax. Unscented per Ron’s post!