I have a rod (domestic blank maker) that is in need of ferrule fit repair. Manufacturer disagrees. Did I read recently that the next issue of Rodmaker magazine will have instructions on how to evaluate ferrule fit and will include repair/modification instructions?

Jeff Shafer

I have it done, but it won't be in the next issue. Maybe the one after that.

Where is your ferrule fit poor? Maybe we can get the info you need without you having to wait a few months on the article.

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Tom,
The problem is with the first ferrule of a 9' 5wt fly rod. Not long into each fishing day I notice that my first guide (stripper) is rotated out of alignment. When I fished the rod for the first time last Fall, I quickly noticed that the lip of the female ferrule was shaving the finish from the male section. It's been working loose ever since. I'd like to salvage the rod since I did a feather inlay above the grip.

Jeff Shafer

That might indicate that the bottom of the female ferrule is making contact while the tip of the male piece is not tight.

There are several ways to go about this. You need the male to insert further. So, you could trim a little off the end of the female ferrule. Not much - just 1/8 to 3/8th inch at first to see how it goes. I would almost bet that would do it.

But before you cut anything, make very sure where the fit is lacking. You can take a pencil and rake it up and down the male ferrule to coat it. Then assemble straight in and once you have the pieces fully seated (not overly tight, however) turn the female end around and around a few times. Now carefully slide the sections straight apart. Look at the pencil lead coating on the male end and see if there is an area near the tip that is undisturbed. If so, then trimming the bottom of the female end might solve your problem.

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Thanks Tom,
I was unable to get lead to adhere to the glossy, clear-gray finish, so I used blue powdered chalk. It appeared that the chalk was removed entirely from the tip of the male section. I looked more closely at the wear pattern on the glossy surface of the male section and noticed that the surface was most scuffed at the tip and at the area near where the mouth of the female section ends, and less scuffed in between.

BTW, the blank manufacturer returned my rod with a tub of wax to apply to the ferrule.

Jeff Shafer

These type ferrules rely on friction to hold them together and in place. The more surface that is in full contact the more friction you have to hold things where you want them. It sounds to me like the overall fit is bad - you don't have enough area in contact to keep things together.

I know how I would probably go about fixing this one, but I almost hesitate to recommend that you do it. So, you could sand just a tad near the top of the male end and then do a little internal sanding around the bottom of the female end. That might open up the tight spots so the rest of the ferrule area can make better contact.

Sanding ferrules surfaces in order to get a better fit can be tricky. You really have to be careful or you can completely ruin what you have there.

The wax you were sent is a poor solution to what amounts to a poor fitting ferrule.

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I'll hold off on the sanding solution until the end of the fishing season. Even though it was a somewhat expensive blank, I won't put up with the problem longer than that. If my attempts fail, I'll cut it up and salvage the expensive components.

Thanks Tom,
Jeff