I am building a 9' im6 fly rod, I was not pleased with the wrap on the first guide next to thetip so I cut it off

with my razor knife... I also cut into the graphite and it has freyed a little... have I trashed this rod or
would an underwrap help keep it together????

any ideas would be appreciated

If just freyed a little... with an underwrap or even the common, regular wrap would just be fine. How "deep" was that? It would be careless if it was in thew butt section. The tip section can give, only sometimes, unwanted surprises.

Fly Angler's on Line, at [flyanglersonline.com] has everything you need to know about making repairs to damaged rods. I have used their ingenious technique to repair and reactivate four of my personal rods with 100% satisfaction and confidence. Just remember, the sleeve you fit over the damaged or broken area MUST be of a lower modulus than the rod being repaired. A short 1 1/2" sleeve cut from an old fiberglass rod, centered snugly and epoxied over the damage is perfect for repairing a (higher modulus) graphite rod. The ends of the sleeve are tapered at about a 15 degree angle before being epoxied in place. After the epoxy is fully cured, and before the sleeve is wrapped and given a coat of finish, I slightly flex the repaired area to see if the repair has created a "flat spot" in the rod's curvature ... if it has, I carefully file down the thickness of the glued-on sleeve until it looks right, then wrap it with thread as in the instructions and apply finish. Done properly, the rod's performance is not hampered, and the repair is barely noticable.

Earl Milliron

The info listed on FAOL, actually came from this very site. Check the online library.

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Jerry, If the rod is a recent manufacture, you might contact the vendor or the manufacturer for a replacement tip. I made a 7 piece rod into an 8 piece rod when I broke the tip in half. Even though the rod was 2 years old, Dan Craft successfully matched a tip to the rod. I would expect you might have the same luck.
Hope it works out for you.