Finally got a broken rod back, first in over two years. It was a downrigger rod. It is a Lamiglas CM93 series, sorry for not having exact numbers, at work. It is a full graphite rod spiral wrapped. The rod broke about 6" from the tip as the rod was being loaded in the rigger (taking up the blowback line and applying load to rod). As your aware the ID of that blank at that point is much smaller than a toothpick, and I am not sure if the standard inside/outside sleeves to fix will last one day in a rigger? Any suggestions on repair, or should an attempt at warranty be made from Lamiglas, the blank has a perfect, clean break.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2009 09:24PM by Tony Childs.

The above post was in no way a reflection of Lamiglas. I have and will continue to use Lamiglas and consider them to be one of the best blanks for my applications, and this was the first like stated, most likely a fluke. Just hoping someone has either fixed one or another blank of similiarly smallish ID and can say if it is a reliable fix, or just do what my gut says and replace, hopefully under warranty. Sorry for any confusion.

The repair must be an oversleeve - you don't want to employ an inner sleeve or plug. The idea is not to make the area "strong," but to restore it to what it was before it broke. It can be done. Refer to Ralph O'Quinn's repair article in the online library here. I think he covers that exact repair in his text.

If the blank is a clean break, then you're possibly dealing with an impact related failure. Obtaining a replacement blank at the standard nominal fee is also a good option if you don't mind rebuilding the handle.

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Impact was my first thought as well. I personally run two of these blanks in my riggers and have fished them for two complete seasons, taking many hawgasaurous kings. I load my rods extra heavy, and have never had any hint of failure, and they have lots in reserve as well. I may try the oversleave and if it fails, then replace. I just thought someone might pull a rabbit out of a hat with a novel approach that works, or has had success with this type of repair and harsh application. Thanks Tom.

Tony,
The repair is trivial if you want to do it.
First use an inner sleeve of piano wire. Go to a hardware store or hobby shop and pick up a selection of various sized wire. Or take the rod tip to the store and pick up a piece of wire that is a nice fit on the inside of the core.
The wire will give you a nice solid insert to prevent crushing. Use a 2 inch overlap on each side of the break. Then, an oversleeve, with a wrap at each end to prevent splitting and you won't have an issue at that point.

I have repaired many fine tipped tip sections using the piano wire method for the inner section with little effect on the tips actions with 0 returns.

Good luck
Roger

Thanks, I will give that a try, sounds feasable, easy, and stands good chance of living.