I'm new to rodbuilding, and recently procured some of the discontinued 6'6" three-piece IM10 All Star blanks to practice on. Since I intend to fish them, however, I am hoping that some of you can provide some guidance regarding the tendency of these blanks to stay bent after a few seconds under load...

I assemble the blank, bend the tip 90 degrees, push down a few times, and then release the stress. these are medium-heavy blanks, and I am not applying very much pressure. Oddly, the blank stays slightly curved in the direction of the stress. I can return the blank to true by applying stress the other direction. All three of the blanks show this tendency.

Since none of the other blanks I purchased do this (including other versions of the IM10 blanks), I'm wondering whether or not I should abandon these for scrap. They were clearance priced, so it would not break the bank. What do you think? Is this normal?

Thanks,

Erik

It certainly isn't normal!

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

it sounds like there is an adhesion failure between the matrix and the fibers. could have been a bad batch of resin when they laid them up.

I'd do the same as the vendor did and "clear them" . Parts for repair and practice but not something you want to fish with

I build a lot of all star rods. I know they are pretty low end but I have never had that trouble. I had that problem with another blank a while back but the vendor replaced it. I agree with Mr. Preston........always need parts........

Big John
Rio Hondo, Texas
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting

Send them back or use for parts. A blank should not " stay bent "

That's very odd and not at all normal. Are you sure they are what you were told they were? I'm not sure I've ever run into this type of thing, but me fear would be that once in a fishing position the flex is going to get worse and worse and eventually you won't be able to fish them.

Plenty of good quality yet inexpensive blanks out there. Forecast, Pac Bay, Amtak and many others carry good blanks for very little money that will serve you well. I probably left out a few and apologize if I did. There are just so many options these days and you don't have to break the bank to get good performance and quality.

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

Eric, I was a Fenwick distributer back in the 80's, while they were still in the U.S. Back then I would place free shipping orders of approx $1,500 on assorted goods. Most were IGFA, standups or general saltwater. I liked their blanks. I received one shipment, pulled out a 50 lb. rod and bent it to see what it felt like. It stayed bent like a banana. There were several other models with the same problem. I was lucky to catch it before I built rods on these blanks. Their explanation was a "resin" problem during the curing process.
Here's a tip however. If you have a rod that is slightly bent you can bend irt back in the opposite direction and hold it for about 30-60 seconds. Sometimes the bend goes out. Good luck, Kevin Bogan

Maybe they're "spineless"! ; )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2006 10:58AM by Ralph Tomaccio.

Come on Ralph, be nice ?? LOL

Usually that problem occurs when there has been a problem with the cure cycle in the oven. It is very unusual to see it in lighter blanks though it is ususlly like Kevin said with the heavier blanks.
Sounds like reamer stock.

Todd

Regards,
Todd Vivian
Mud Hole Custom Tackle

todd@mudhole.com

Lighten up, Bill. I wasn't accusing anyone in particular of being spineless. But, just for you, it has been edited.

Thanks everyone! I did not want to build on a blank failure waiting to happen.

I have other blanks with which to work, and I can always use reamer stock.

Best,

Erik