Just got some American Tackle TItan guides. (titanium frame, nanolite rings, single foot spin)

On the tips of these guides are black burnt marks and a bit of jagged edges. Almost as if it is overheated or something. Is this normal?? This is not just on one guide, but on all of the larger guides.

Thanks,
Mo

Sorry, a bit of clarification. When I say 'burnt tips', I meant that at the sharp point of the guide FEET.

Thanks,
Mo

My guess is tehy overheated while grinding. I have no clue though, I'm guessing.

Just redo the feet to a nice taper

some guide suppliers pre grind there guides nothing to worry about if needed just grind to your specs

"Pre-ground" guides are nearly always very poorly ground and should be redone by the custom rod builder. Yes, what you see there on the end are areas that were severely overheated during the factory grinding process. In many cases, the tip of the foot will have lost its temper and will now be quite brittle. Carefully reshape and remove that area if you find it to be at all brittle.

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If I recall correctly, Joe at American Tackle was aware of the problem and said they were correcting this issue in future shipments. I just spent the weekend fishing hard with two rods built using the Titan spinning guides and Vetre handles. Both are outstanding products and have become my favorites.

Mark Janeck
Custom Rods, Campbellville, Ontario

Update: E-mailed Joe Meehan about replacement and he responded that replacement was not necessary as the discoloration (black in this case) does not compromise the strength of the frame and just to file it away.

I do note that I used my fingernail to flick away a bit of the burrs and they did seem brittle at the 'burnt' edge.

So Q: Would a regular metal file from Home Depot work? Any particular type or size?

Thanks again!
Mo

Hay Mo, A fine file works good. I then sand with 220 sand paper to finish