I need some advice- St Croix gives our High School club a really, really, great deal on cosmetic second quality rod blanks- as a general rule they are in outstanding shape. Here is my problem: some of the blanks have the top two to three inches crooked. Should we cut this part off or should we just ignore it? How crooked is crooked? What are the concerns in terms of trimming the blanks shorter?
Thanks
Dan

Cutting the tips will result in blanks with slower actions albeit a bit more casting power.

How crooked are we talking?

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

The last 2" bend out about an 1/8 of an inch

Dan,
I have seen and used some of these "cosmetic blanks. I generally always chop off the blank, even though it affects the rod action somewhat.

Take care
Roger

That's not enough of a bend to make any practical difference. I would just build them, aligning the bend in the tip "up" position, so that the weight of the guides tend to pull it down straight. The rods will fish just fine.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

George-If I have to choose between the bent tip or the spine- Whichis more important in the handling of the rod?
Roger- If I do cut the tip, should I use a Dremel cutting blade? Any other suggestions?
Thanks

Dan

Dan

I do it all the time. I cut back the tip enough (usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch) to clean up the factory termination. Sometimes I cut the tip back to get a better fit for the tip, sometimes to clean up blemishes. Cutting back the tip is no big thing. YES cutting some off the tip can effect the action, BUT in my opinion cutting off 1 to 2 inches of the tip is not significant it's like trying the to tell the difference between 102 and 105 degrees F or 12 and 15 degrees F. Just for fun run whatever test you can think of, bending with a scale, hanging weights,etc. take your data then cut the tip back and run the same tests, after that I am sure that you will not have any concerns about cutting some material off the tip of a blank.

Good luck

John

John,
I agree but also disagree with your posting.

Yes, for a badly bent tip, and or factory terminations, I will chop off the tip as needed to clean up the blank.

But, having said that, depending on the blank, cutting even 1/4 inch off of the blank can have "serious" consequences on the blanks action.

The blanks where this becomes particularly noticeable is in lighter action extra fast or extra extra fast tipped blanks.

For the moment, lets say that you have a perfectly straight blank that really doesn't need any tip cleanup etc.

Lets check the action and power of the blank. Lets also say - for talking purposes that this is an extra fast medium light blank.

Lets also say that this is an ultra sensitive jigging rod that is of the type commonly used to hunt for the light biting Walleye of the upper Midwest and Canada.

Often, if a person begins to trim the tip of such a rod, trimming as little as 1/2 inch off of the blank can change the action to such an extent that it can really no longer be used with the jig weight and purpose for which it was intended.

As is the case with many things in life - we need to be careful about making too general a statement. For example in the blank listed above, the removal of an inch or more of tip length in this very fine delicate part of the blank would essentially change the blank into a pool cue that would only be useful for a very different purpose than for which it was originally intended.


However, in contrast, if a person happened to have an 8 foot long xxh slow action blank; the trimming of an inch or more would have a very small effect on the overall usefulness of the blank. It is very blank dependent on the ability to trim a tip with relative impunity.

Good wrapping.

Roger

p.s.
If I have happened to pick up a "cosmetic" blank for a "spec" rod and it happens to have a cook near the tip, I will chop the blank and then check the blank for action and power. If the blank is still useful for a rod for which there is a need, I will wrap the rod and mark it according to what the action and power is that resulted from the "trimming". But, if the chopping of the blank resulted in a blank for which I don't have a use; I will then just set the blank into the parts bin to be chopped into pieces for repairs etc.

That is why the CCS system was invented

You can check --- before you cut

Bill - willierods.com

Dan,
The orientation of the bent tip is a much more important consideration than the orientation of the spine. Even on a perfectly straight blank (if there is such a thing), the spine is not a major factor. You can use the search function on this site, searching "spine" and "all dates", and do some reading. It has been the topic of lengthy discussion, but I think the final verdict is that building on the straightest axis has much more effect on a rod's performance than where one orients the spine

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

Dan,
A dremel tool, with an abrasive disk on the end is a perfect tool to trim blanks. It is my tool of choice.

Good luck
Roger

Thanks everyone- I have glued up the handle and I think I'll have to trim off a little bit of the tip to tune the rod. Appreciate all the help.