Hello all,
As a new rod builder, I have been really excited about building Fly rods. I have been a long time fly fisherman and like the idea of building my own rods and have gleaned alot of info from this site. I have built seven rods an all have performed well with this exception: Name brand blank, 9ft 5wt, 4 piece snapped at the standard snake guide just above the tip ferrule. Very clean break right at the lower end of the guide foot. Happened while landing a whitefish and kinda high-sticking to get it within reach. I did take time prepping the feet and making sure no burs were left behind. I am wondering if I got the feet too sharp or just wrapped it too tightly. How tight is too tight? Any other ideas? Thanks Kip

Kip...

Sorry to hear of the breakage. The way some of the rod building legends on here have told me that if you can't adjust the guide for aligment after the guide has been wrapped and tied off, its too tight. I wrap tight enough to adjust the guide after the tie-off is complete-but not too loose if you follow me.

Paul

I'm with Paul!!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

So, here's my next question, probably self evident, but, I wrapped a couple of other rods using about the same tension. I guess I should cut 'em off and wrap them a little looser,eh? Is it possible to get the guide feet too sharp allowing them to cut into the blank once they are wrapped? Should one leave a blunt edge to wrap over? Thanks for your replies. Kip

Kip Robinson Wrote:
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Happened while llanding a whitefish and kinda high-sticking to get
> it within reach.

> Any other ideas? Thanks Kip


It probably broke because you were highsticking the rod.

I'll agree with Lance. I have two rods to make for a friend this month to replace the two his son-in-law broke high-sticking. My friend has broken one rod in about thirty years and his son-in-law broke two back to back.

well if you take a snake guide in your fingers you can flex it back and forth so I would figure that on a rod blank it will flex a bit as well regardless of how tightly it is wrapped. I doubt you wrapped the thread tight enough to somehow compromise the integrity of the blank. but i guess during the highsticking the end of the guide foot made somewhat of a fulcrum for it to break the rod over.

I wrap my guides tight but and haven't had a problem, but i also try not to highstick...it happens sometimes...get a small landing net and keep it on a magnetc lanyard outta the way and keep wrapping you guides tight.

Hey Kip,
If you wrap your guides too tight, you wont be able to make the alignment adjustments after all your guides are wrapped. Even if you get the guides as straight as possible before wrapping, you can easily knock a guide on a rod support or any number of things can hit it or tweak it. I always re-adjust after all my guides are wrapped, and those looser wraps make it a lot easier. Not too loose, just loose enough to shift them a little.

Chase Foster
American Tackle
www.americantackle.us

Kip,
I too am a new guy to rod building. Infact my first posting was "How tight is too tight". Use the "search" function to find this thread. There was a lot of good advise given on this subject.
Good Luck!
Jeff Hill

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. I really apppreciate the advice given. I think I'll back off the tension a bit and see how things go. I have tried to adjust the position of the guides once wrapped and have found them quite difficult to move, near impossible at times. I don't do alot of high sticking but I guess it only takes an occasional lapse to remind one why it isn't a good idea. I still wonder if I got the feet too sharp, though I have seen pictures of guides filed to spear tip shapes. Seems to me that if the conditions were right it could spear the blank causing a break. Anyway, valuable pause for thought, now back to wrapping. Again, thank you all...Kip

Kip, if the guides are on top, the "spear shaped point" is going to be trying to move away from the blank when under load, don't you think so ?

Jay, absolutely, but this is a fly rod with the guides on the bottom so it would seem to be just the opposite. Kip

Oh ! I'm sorry , yes you are talking about a fly rod, my bad ! was thinking more about the guides than what type rod it was. Sorry Kip.
I wrap probably tighter than most builders. Sometime I think too tight , but I have never had a failure like that. Usually tips broken off due to punching something with the end of the rod. My guess is high sticking also. That will get one in the middle more often than anything, other than a big foot.