Had a rod I built break, it's not the first time I've heard of problems with these blanks, There are plenty of them built, got them from an @#$%& site. this one broke between the 2nd and 3rd guides. The end user isn't worried about it, and I was bummed to hear that it broke within a week of use. I even hung about 2.5 pounds of water from it while I was static placing the guides. Would you think this is a defect or a user error break?

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Thanks.

You really don't know what you got when you bought them from an @#$%& site. Might be authentic, but there are plenty of counterfeit and rebagged blanks being sold there.

To correctly determine how a rod broke generally requires that the break be inspected manually. A first quality rod blank would never break between the 2nd and 3rd guides unless it was severally high sticked, as overload failures always occur in the area just forward of the handle. Unless, of course, the blank was high sticked. If that was the case then the load never had the chance to transfer to the butt area and fell on the tip area which was not designed to handle it.

From what I can tell from your photo, there is distress both on the outer and inner areas of the blank indicating an overload failure. For that type of break to happen in that particular area the blank would have had to be high sticked. This is just my best guess from what I can make out in the photo.

Your best course of action now is to return the blank to the manufacturer and see what they have to say.

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

Looks like a case of IMPACT damage caused from a blow, strike, drop by either the fisherman or in transit to you. The failure showed up in the anglers hand but was born before that. At least that's what it looks like when comparing it to the pictures of rods broken for testing in the RB Magazine 2 or 3 Issues ago.

Cheers

Walt (Buck)

Blowing the photo up just now I notice what appears to be scratches or digs just above the actual break on the section to the right. This could be a tell-tale sign of impact or other damage by the user. What are those marks?

Make that the right section - I wrote left initially.

Depending on the extent of any such damage, the rod could have failed immediately or upon the next flex in that area. If it was high sticked, it would almost certainly have failed in that area.

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



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2010 03:01PM by Tom Kirkman.

Here's my understanding of what happened, bait got stuck, so he moved the boat over the bait and lowered the rod 2' into the water to have the rod straighter than just pulling against rod blank, it had a little bend in it, but the pull was mostly straight with some bend and then snap....

I think for that to happen, I agree there may have been something happen, we don't know what it could have been. I have heard from another builder friend that one of his blanks from the same source had issues. The blanks were bought from a reliable source, knowing that we may not be getting first quality blanks. The second blank I built has no problems, he set the hook into a rock like he was trying to cross a fishes eyes and it held beautifully. I will be building another rod for him no doubt, but it may well be a MHX 7' MH.

If any impact damage is present, then even a small load or slight flex can quickly reveal it. Take a look at the those marks on the right section just above the break.

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

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Blowing the photo up just now I notice what
> appears to be scratches or digs just above the
> actual break on the section to the left. This
> could be a tell-tale sign of impact or other
> damage by the user. What are those marks?
>
> Depending on the extent of any such damage, the
> rod could have failed immediately or upon the next
> flex in that area. If it was high sticked, it
> would almost certainly have failed in that area.
>
> ....................

Those digs at that spot, not sure, that would make me, an untrained eye, think that there was some impact at that location. But, I'm an untrained eye. What rodmaker issue was the rod breakage featured in?

Hay a little common sense - you got them from an @#$%& site - you have herd of problems with them from others

Stop Buying Them -- I would think there is some thing wrong - seconds but what ever they are no good

If you want to keep repairing and sending rods back - Have fun -- If you are getting customers that want a good price -- cheap --and that is why you get them ---- get better customers And give them better blanks

Just my 2 cents have a nice day

Bill - willierods.com

Bill B., what do you mean by get "better customers" ? Are we now supposed to have a potential customer fill out a form or application stating what type of customer he is ? Please check box....Good Customer, Bad Customer, So So Customer or what ? Rods break. Expensive rods, cheap rods, middle of the road type rods break. I've never seen one that didn't break at some point or another. But to tell another rodbuilder to get better customers because his rod broke, well that comment is not even worth the two cents that you wrote at the end of your post.

Lance

Bill, I've got no problem with the advice you've given. I won't be buying anymore, and neither will the end user. I was more bummed to hear about it honestly, and I fish with him as well. He's looking at an MHX blank to re-home those micro guides. I wouldn't have built them for anyone else really. He's my rod tester, I get something new or want to try it, he's usually up for it.

RodMaker Volume 12 #6.


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

Lance

First he did say - read his post - that he was hearing of problems with the blanks and rods being built on the blanks -- OK - how many and also when you buy from an @#$%& Site - which was also stated here - be careful -

So deal with the people on the left - are your blanks breaking -- and one will get quality --- Or they may not be here. ???

Give them a Quality product - with a price you think is good for you labor -- If they don't come back --- Have a Nice Day

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2010 05:20PM by bill boettcher.

Andrew,
Rather than cut off the guides and throw away the handle on the rod, I would take 15 minutes and repair the blank. In inner and outer sleeve that is 5 minuted epoxy glued up, along with a 1/4 inch overwarp at each end of the outer sleeve and a thread finish on the overwrap will take care of the broken rod.


Then, if he wants to go to another blank - great, just put on new components and he will have a pair.

As Tom has suggested in his repair articles, try to use fiberglass for the oversleeve, and try to use an oversleeve with a pretty thin wall diameter. This will allow the splice to bend in a manner that is similar to the original blank.

Finally, advise your client to do the following when ever he gets a bait stuck in the bottom or other.
Lay the rod down, put on gloves and work the line with your gloved hands and NOT the rod.

Any time you are working a stuck bait with a rod, you run the risk of rod damage. I have seen many many many rods broken when folks are tyring to free a lure with a rod snap action, or by simply power bending the rod to the line. Bend a bit too much and snap goes the rod.

This will never happen, if the rod and reel is not part of the equation with respect to getting the bait free. This is why I always recommend to my clients to keep a pair of leather gloves handy when fishing.
This is doubly important when using braided line and especially when using high test line. If you use bare hands for this exercise, you will certainly cut your hand to the bone from the pressure of the line.


Good luck.

Roger


P.s.
If you repair the break, NEVER trim the edges. Rather use the ragged edges as a larger gluing area, and to also act as an alignment key.
Trial fit the blank before sleeving the rod and test and check to get the perfect alignment of the ragged broken edge. Then, use a piece of tape with a mark on it on each side of the break to act as a reference, when you are gluing it up to quickly align the rod again when gluing.

Roger, he used the rest of the rod as a test subject for strength testing.....he's one of those guys with enough $$ that he'll buy more parts and I'll build for him. He is a friend of mine, takes me out on the boat when I can get out and puts me in situations where I would need a different rod.

With braided line I always put a mono leader on. The mono breaks rather then the rod.

Bill - willierods.com