Hey guys,

I need some help. I just built a rod, and as i was putting it away, the tip section fractured about 1 1/2" down from the tip top. It did not snap off, so it is still straight and attached to the blank. Is there a way i can fix it? It is a rainshadow blank, so it does have a warrenty, but trout season just opened up and I would hate to be without. i would really like to try and fix it if at all possible. Could I wrap over the fractured section and coat with epoxy? I could really use your help guys.

Thanks in advance


Danny

I fix a quite a few rods and this is a bad deal. I am sorry I can't help you with any advice except to cut it off which of course would change your rod all together and may not make it acceptable to you. Maybe some of the other guys can help.

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

Danny
1 1/2 inches cut from the end of that rod is not going to be missed. You can probably attach the same size tip top and the rod will never know. Any repair in that area will change the characteristics of the rod far more than removing that tiny segment. Go ahead and remove the damaged section, apply your tip top and take it trout fishing. Neither the rod or the trout will know there is anything different and I promise I won't tell.
Ralph

Danny, if it is a clean break, it can be fixed by inserting and epoxying an internal hidden 'ferrule' from a smaller diameter blank with a lower modulus. I think you could find out the details by doing a search of the archives or articles in this site, or send me an e-mail. If the break is not clean and the blank is split longitudionally in any way, you have to remove both sides of the break beyond that splitting, before attempting any repairs, otherwise the blank will continue to split. I've successfully repaired lots of graphite fly rods this way, including the tip section of my son's 4 weight, which successfully landed a dozen 3 to 4 pound Rainbows without drama recently, after the repair. Good luck, Jim.

An internal plug or splice in such a small diameter section isn't likely to hold up. An oversleeve would be the only realistic solution, and then only if you really can't live with the missing 1 and a half inch.

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

I'm with Ralph and Tom, I know lots of people that used to purposely remove about an inch of rod tip on travel rods to help protect the tip from travel damage.

thanks guys,


I guess I was being a lil anal. its a 9.5ft 5 wt, i really got to cut it back bot 3 inches to get away from the fracture, but i'll probally never notice it. sorta dispointed cuz i just built the think less than a month ago. OH WELL

thanks again, this forum always helps me out.


danny

Hey Danny, the exact same thing happened to me a few months ago, on a 10-wt saltwater fly rod. The top inch or so broke off, and I did as people here suggested (and as Ralph and Spencer are suggesting here): I removed the broken piece, reconfigured the guides, and pretended it never happened. And you know what? I took it fishing for the first time this past weekend, and it was GREAT. If I hadn't seen it break with my own eyes, I would never have known that anything had happened to it.

So don't fret; use the skills you've learned as a rodbuilder to save an unlucky occurrence. And then enjoy the finished product -- after you fix it, you'll get years of enjoyment out of the rod.