Have a rod with solid graphite tip. The tip smashed into a sharp corner and had a small split.

Basically, about 90% (by volume) of the tip is intact. 10% of the blank split off split in a 1" length parallel to the blank with one end still connected fully to the blank. Thus, when one bends the tip, 90% of the tip bends and 10% of the tip remains straight and separates from the blank. I tried to illustrate the split below but the software did not allow me to demonstrate so I edited it out.

How should I repair this? Here are some options that comes to mind and welcome others.

1. Simply break off that 1 inch long 10% and let the 90% of the remaining carbon fibers serve normally. Looks a bit bad.

2. Glue the seam back together. What should I use for glue what would have high holding power but be flexible?

If #2 above is utilized, can also:

1. Thin permagloss covering after gluing. Apparently permagloss has more holding power than I had thought.
2. Wrap first with white silk and then permagloss for transparent wrap.

Anyways, would really love to save this tip as much as possible without making it too rigid. It's a fast action rod and thus the 'soft' tip is important to cushioning the light lines. The rod is an unusual one rated to about 20 lbs line but we're using it regularly with 4 lb test just fine and casts the proverbial mile.

Thanks.

Mo





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/2007 12:03AM by Mo Yang.

There are a few ways you can go here. If you do not want to cut that last 1inch, then most likely the best bet is to oversleeve it with a very, very thin-wall piece of scrap glass rod blank. Just an inch and half or so. You do not want to creat any sort of sheer stress at the edge of the sleeve. Just something to gather up the fibers and keep them together so no further delamination can occur.

I would even go so far as to sand the oversleeve to get it pretty thin and then overwrap with A or 00 off the end and onto the blank.

It will a tad bit of weight at the very end of the rod, not too bad though, and it's one method that is almost guaranteed to take care of things for you. Of course, you'll need to move a size on your tip-top.

The other option, and it's a viable one since you're working with a solid tip, is just to overwrap the area with A or 00 thread and coat with PermaGloss. In fact, this might be the route I'd take. It will add the least amount of weight and stands a pretty good chance of holding things together.

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Thanks Tom,

Actuallyl my demonstration did not come out correctly in the formatting in this forum so I took it out.

The split actually begins about 4 inches away from the tip. It does not start from the tip itself. That's why I can't cut that tip off. Also, this is an unusual telescopic rod so the next guide away from the tip is 8 inches away and I can't place a guide just on the crack.

Thanks,
Mo

If it's a solid tip rod, and the split is in the solid area, you may still be able to get with just wrapping it.

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