Hello fellow rod assemblers:
I bought a Lamiglas Perigee 9' 3 piece 4/5 wt. blank about a 1 month ago. After assembley, on the first trial cast the blank broke above the ferrule on the tip section. I returned the blank to Lamiglas and they very kindly replaced the tip section and also gave me another blank in the same confiruration. Again, I assembled the new tip section and on the first trial cast the blanks broke in the same place. For a third try I assembled the new blank and on the first test cast it broke above the ferrule on the tip section. The walls are so thin on these blank they can not be fished or cast without breaking. Has anyone alse who has assembled on this new run of the Perigee blanks had any breakage problems? I must admitt I am frustrated with these blanks, considering the blank purchase price, cost of new reel seats and corkrings and the time I spend assemblying each blank only to have it break on the first trial cast. Any input would be a appreciated. Thank you for your time!

Lanny

Any blank can break, but when you have it happen three times in the same general area then it's time to take another direction.

First, make sure Lamiglas knows of your frustration and allow them to come up with a solution for you if possible. In the meantime, you would probably want to look at a different blank for the task at hand.

...............

Lanny,
That is really curious. I can not imagine what you could be doing to cause 3 blanks to break on the ffirst cast. I have built an awful lot of rods on Lamiglas blanks and over the years have found them to be very durable in fact one of the most durable on the market but I suppose that it is possible that they built a bad batch of these blanks.
If I were you I would send Todd Vivien at Lamiglas an e-mail or better yet I would call him. I am sure that he will want to know about your problem.

Lanny-

Man, that sounds frustrating. Based on my experience, I have to agree with Emory. While the Perigee blanks do on average have a large diameter and thinner walls, I have built dozens - that is not an exaggeration - of the 9' 3-piece 4/5 and the 9' 3-piece 5/6 blanks over the last...five years I guess? I have never had one break and have actually witnessed them going through the wringer on loan to buddies (high sticking when landing fish, doinking the tip on the ground while walking, whacking the boat gunnel on a missed hookset, etc.). My experience has been that they are very durable.

It's entirely possible that they ran a bad batch or something, but that is not something I have ever experienced with Lamiglas. I guess there is a first time for everything, though. Did you tape or wrap the female ferrules before test casting? Were the ferrules seated firmly when the pieces were assembled? I don't want to point out the obvious but I'm wondering if you are inadvertantly doing something that is contributing to the failure.

I agree that you should contact Todd Vivian. It may take him a few days to get back to you, but he might be able to help. If it's a manufacturing issue, he'll tell you. In my experience he is a stand up guy. And I always seem to learn something when I talk to Todd. So, even if he can't help with this specific problem it would be worth your time.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Bill

Gentleman:
Thank you for your responses. I thought about what I could be doing to cause the blanks to break. I made sure not to wrap the ferrules too tight, not flex the blank until the ferrules were wrapped and the finish cured,and waxed and properly seated the ferrules before casting. All three blanks broke in the same place, about 1" above the tip section ferrule. I can't express how thin the blank wall is on the tip section. It looks like there are only 1 or 2 wraps of graphite cloth in the tip section. I assembled several Perigee blanks when they were first introduced seveal years ago and never had any problems with them. Tom, you are exactly right. Any blank can break,graphite is agreat rod material but it is fragile.I have been assembling rods for 17+ years and have never had a blank break just from casting it. I am sure it happens I just have not seen it. Usually,the blanks were broken to an acccident or the angler improperly handled the rod. I just find it amazing all three blanks broke and in the same place. Again, thank you for your responses and Happy Holidays!!

Lanny

Lanny

Lanny,

Please let us know what, if anything, you find out from Lamiglas.

Mike

Would a "sticky" defect on the mandrel explain that? Maybe when the mandrel is pulled out of the rod blank, it rips off a small bit of the blank's inner wall, causing a weak spot. This could be next to impossible to detect if the blank wall is not transulcent and if it was not inspected against a strongly illuminated background.

Or, Lanny, is there any chance that on your rod jig or one of it's rollers that it has somehow developed or become embedded with a sharp spot that scratched the blank above the ferrule? (That's a long shot, right?)
Best Wishes, -Cliff Hall-