I have a much-loved old Winston fiberglass fly rod that, over the years, has gotten a couple of moderate nicks in the blank just above the grip (in the inscription section). I would say that the nicks barely pentrate into the blank itself, not just the rod finish.

I searched the archives and found several posts on the subject of repairing nicks, but have not found any that dealt with fiberglass, only graphite.
Is the process different? Does fiberglass handle nicks better than graphite?

Most importantly, what is the best way to reinforce this without marring the aesthetics of the rod?

If it is any help, I am just about ready to re-wrap the rod, as several of the guides are bent and need to be replaced.

Thanks,


Walt Natzke
Ripon, CA

If you can get to the butt section af the blank, I would insert an inner fiberglass sleeve from an old piece of blank.

Bill in WV

If you can't get to the butt section, There are two other options I can think of. One is to take some 00 or A thread of the same color as the blank and wrap over the nicks do not us CP. By not using a CP the color may bleed into the rod and be almost invisible. You can also put a decorative wrap over the nicks also.
Good Wraps Bob

Bob,

Not saying that I disagree with you. But, if you'll notice, he says that the nicks extend past the finish into the blank. If it is to be fished, that area would need to be reinforced. If it's gonna hang on the wall then your suggestion will do the job awesomely. No disrespect intended.

Bill in WV

William one thing that is in his favor, his is his rod is glass. I agree with you about trying to get the reelseat cap offan puiiing a plug in. I forgot to mention that he could take a piece of an old blank and use it as a sleeve over the top of the scratches and then make a decorative wrap over it or put a marbleized pattern over the sleeve
Good Wraps Bob

Bob,

That is entirely possible too. The only thing is, if he wants to keep the original appearance it would detract, but it is a very viable alternative. Walt what do you think, it's your rod? How 'bout others with a lot of repair experience under their belt. Any other alternatives?

Bill in WV

Number one it is a crap shoot on what to do without seeing the rod, Maybe Ralph OQuinn well chimes in with a solution, Ralph is the guru of rod repair. Like I said, he is lucky it is a glass rod. If it were graphite, he would have limited solution. Where I see there, might be a big problem. It is removing the reelseat cap. Remember glass is woven so it should have plenty of internal strength. What we do not know is how deep and long the scratches are.
Good Wraps Bob

Thank you William and Bob for your gentlemanly analysis and discussion of alternatives for Walt. Your cooperative exchange of ideas is both helpful and in keeping with the spirit of the forum. I appreciate the positive tone of your exchange.

Pesco Ergo Sum

Thanks Bruce for the compliment. This is one question, I don't think you can find in the search section. As for repair work on scratches, the solutions are limited to what can be done. We just added our views on how we would approach this situation. Bill has a few more years of experience than I do.
Good Wraps Bob

Let me suggest something that has worked for us: use the Gudebrod product made to repair scratches and nicks (I'm sitting 800 miles from my shop and darned if I can remember the name for it). I don't think it's the Rod Varnish, it's the "other stuff" - gee, I feel silly for not remembering it, but anyway, coat the nicks with just enough to act as a patch. Then, if you choose, wrap the patch and finish as normal.

Before I did any of this I'd stress test the rod. No point in doing the repair work if it's too bad to fix. After the stress test, take a magnifying glass and look at the damaged areas - what you're looking for is not the "nick" but for actual cracking along the rod surface, or just below. In the absence of cracks, splinters, or other more extensive damage, the patch-and-wrap idea might work, and then again, I'm going to commit heresey and say that maybe it'll be OK if you don't do anything at all.

We've done repair/rebuilds on a number of older glass rods and some of those included minor scratch work. But I'll also tell you that we've started some repairs and had the sticks break as we were working on them. Not a lot different from graphite, really, but as was said above, this is all speculation 'cause we can't see the depth of the damage, which is why I'mm suggesting the "closer" inspection.

Sorry I can't be of any better help than that - - -

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

Russ You made a excellant point on stress test.
Good Wraps Bob

Gentlemen,

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. I have taken a couple of photos so you can take a look (The second pic is more of a close-up).

As I look closer myself, I'm thinking that perhaps the damage does not penetrate any deeper than the finish. What do you think?

[www.rodbuilding.org]

[www.rodbuilding.org]

As far as how the repair is done, aesthetics are secondary, but not unimportant to me. If a suitable repair can be made using an "internal" patch, then I think that is the way I would go. If not, I just don't want to retire my rod unless it is beyond repair.

In case you are interested, it is a 6'9" 3wt. This baby is very slow, and casts a nice wide loop. It is perfect for some of the small Sierra streams that I fish. I just need to make sure I don't over cast (distance-wise), as my ability to set the hook diminishes because of all of the rod flex. This may also be in my favor, as I do not catch very large fish with the rod, and since the nick is way down at the butt it may not ever flex hard enough there to break.


Walt Natzke
Ripon, CA



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2007 03:15AM by Walt Natzke.

I'm going out on a limb here but from what I can see in the pictures (no real fiber damage) and what you say about the location, I think I'd just refinish it. However if the blank has a really thin wall then I would over-sleeve it with a thin piece of fiberglass blank to fit.

There is some damage. But if the butt is heavy enough (thick walls) you may be okay. Ideally you'd want to go in from the butt and sleeve that section internally with a piece of thin wall glass blank whose taper closely matches that of your rod. No need to go overboard, just provide a bit of support in that area. I'd also wrap over the top of the damage with some thread that matches the blank. That will help the cosmetics and prevent water or other damage from occuring there.

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

Excellent information (as usual on the board). Thanks for your suggestions.

Do you think that the other scratches in the finish will fill in with standard rod epoxy, or should I use multiple coats of Permagloss?

!00% agree Bob!! Tom has it!! From you photos, the place that shows yellow is into the blank. Follow Toms instructions and it should be good. Epoxy will fill in the scratches, but if it isn't tinted the same color as the finish, they will show through. Permagloss is notorious for eating through paint and those type finishes. I would use a 2 part epoxy.

Bill in WV



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2007 01:23PM by William Bartlett.

Totally Agree! With photo's it was easer to decide which way to go.
Good Wraps Bob