I have a 8w 5pc fly rod that has developed a 2 inch longitudinal crack/split in the male butt ferrule.This opens up to about 1mm under pressure.
As it is the butt I would be keen to fix it rather than replace it with a new butt section. I have thought of filling the first couple of inches with slow cure epoxy or Rod Bond.
Is this feasible? Is there a better repair?
Regards, Greg

Is this a tip-over-butt ferrule? The upper section fits down over the butt?

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Yes, that's right Tom. Any suggestions?
Thanks in anticipation, Greg

An internal sleeve I think, glued in, would be your best bet. Thin walled graphite, so as not to stiffen the ferrule too much, or even maybe a thicker walled fibreglass sleeve. Be sure to prep both surfaces well before (water break free surface) and put your trust in Rod Bond: once that sets, it ain't gonna shift. Remove the end plug from the male ferrule also, and push the sleeve in far enough to open the crack slightly. Get some rod bond in the crack, then push the sleeve back down until the crack closes. Wipe the ferrule surface clean with alcohol, then bind the area with thread wraps or tape until it's all cured.

I agree with Ted, except that I'd insert the plug from the butt so the taper can be matched. You may be able to do that from the top end, as Ted suggests, if you can keep from making the split too much worse as you insert the plug. I think you can better fit it by working from the butt, however.

Slide a similar tapered shaft into the butt end and let it go all the way to the ferrule and beyond. Let it protrude from the male end. Mark where appropriate and then trim to length on the bottom end, but leave the top alone. When you glue the plug in, let it slide all the way to the ferrule and beyond, again letting it protrude from the top of the male end. Let everything set, then trim the excess. This way, you can obtain a more nearly perfect fit.

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Thanks for that Ted. The rod is already made up so I will have to insert the internal sleeve from the top of the male ferrule, thick end first, right? Do I need some method to stop the internal sleeve piece sliding down into the butt or trust that Rod Bond's viscosity plus the binding/taping will keep it in place? And I imagine the internal sleeve's external diameter will need to be very close to the internal diameter of the male ferrule ie. an exact match, correct? This may be a problem for me as I don't have an exact match lying around.
Sorry for so many questions. I just figure if I am going to do it that way I should know exactly how to get it right.
Cheers, Greg

Again, I'd remove the butt cap or end and work from the butt.

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Thanks Tom, your reply came in while I was posting my reply to Ted.
My concerns are much the same. I would prefer to work from the butt up as you recommend, however,I would have to remove a glued-in, threaded butt plug to get at the internal tube.
This is not beyond my capability but is starting to be more trouble than it's worth for a relatively cheap rod.
Filling the tube with epoxy wont work??
Maybe I'll just turn the top four pieces into a light spin rod and try to salvage the reel seat/plug etc. That was my Plan B anyway.
Thanks again, You guys are great! Maybe one day I will be able to offer advice
Cheers, Greg

If you simply make a solid, rigid section out the male ferrule, which filling it with epoxy is apt to do, the rod will likely break at the edge of the epoxy fill. It's difficult to go from a very flexible piece to suddenly solid/stiff piece without something giving way. Structures like that don't behave well.

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Sorry, forgot to mention that, thanks Tom. Remove the butt cap/butt end of grip, and install from the butt. Removing the ferrule plug will allow you to push the sleeve out till the crack opens, then you fill with rod bond. Once done, push the plug back down until the crack closes, then clean up and bind for curing.

Do exactly as Ted says. Clean and coat the outside of the male portion with wax so any epoxy that seeps out won't stick. Leave the plug sticking out of the male end and trim that off after everything has cured. That leaves you with a "handle" to pull/push with and also allows you to fine tune for fit, which will change just a little once you have the epoxy on everything.

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Thanks again for the detail guys. I'll see if I can find a suitable piece.
Cheers, Greg

One last thing - you can "clamp" the assembly by winding a wide rubber band around the male ferrule while the epoxy cures. The adhesive won't stick to the rubber band.

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