anybody ever cut down blanks to change action? what would happen if you cut the tip down? what would happen if you cut the butt? i'm looking to experiment with a few old blanks i got, they're too soft. i'm looking to stiffen them up. any help would be appreciated.

Cutting them from the tip or butt usually makes them less fast than they were.

Cutting from the tip will make the blank feel stiffer. Cutting from the butt will remove some of the blank's power. How much in either case depends upon how much you cut.

One common misconception is that by cutting from the tip you increase the amount of load a blank can withstand - the amount of strength it has. The deadlift to failure capacity will remain the same no matter how much you cut from the tip. ( Cutting from the butt will normally reduce this amount to some extent.) You're not making it any stronger when you cut the tip back, just removing some of the more flexible tip section.

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tom, thanks for your help.i have another question for you. would cutting the tip reduce the sensitivity to the blank?

I'm no expert but can't see why cutting a blank would change the sensitivity at all.

I generally cut a blank from the tip to:
tweak the size of the tip so that I can get the size top that I plan on using to fit tight,
reduce the flexibility so that it will not collapse with the weight that I plan on using(assuming that I cannot find another blank that matches my needs).
These cuts will not affect the general 'action' of the blank but you will find that if you cut a fast action blank from the tip it will appear to bend like an extra fast blank.

I generally cut a blank from the butt to reduce the length of the rod without changing the other characteristics of the rod.

Remember that you may affect the warranty if you cut a blank.

If you are talking about sensitivity as in what you can "feel", then you won't change that. It you are talking about sensivity insofar as what you can see, in the tip flex, then yes, that will change somewhat. How much depends upon how much you cut.

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