My grandfather has an old Hawk Grip (HawkGrip) Graphite Medium Action Egg Rod 9.5' 2-piece Salmon Trout... well that's what it says on the rod! Oh, and Model SP1741-96 :P

Now I can't wait to use a nice long rod... but it's broken clean apart 71cm from the tip... almost exactly 1/4 down the rod. I suspect this is a region that sees a lot of flex, so the repair might be a bit daunting.

I need advise from a seasoned rod craftsman about what to do with this rod.

Here are pictures of the damage (yes, on a crappy camera but it's what I had at the time :P)



One end:



The other end:





Tip was also damaged, but my grandfather improperly repaired it years ago, he didn't know any better unfortunately :(.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

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Build a new one.

That one looks to have "earned it's keep" long ago.

DR

By the photos it looks like it is splintered. I would build a new one and repair the old for a collection not for fishing.It is your grandfathers so it must mean something.

It is an easy fix.
Take a piece of fiberglass blank that just fits on the inside of the break and cut it so that it is about 4 inches long.
Then, take a piece of fiberglass blank that just fits on the outside of the break and cut it so that it is about 4 inch long.

Test for sizing, if necessary, taper the end of the larger end just a bit so that it will fit into the section needed.

Then, mix up a batch of 30 minute epoxy - coat both the plug and over sleeve with glue and glue the inner, the blank and the outer sleeve together at the same time.

Do not cut any of the current blank, because you want to fit the pieces together like a puzzle to give you a larger glue joint as well as act like an alignment key.

Then, do about an 8 -15 thread wrap on each end of the over sleeve to prevent splitting out. When all is done, do a standard rod guide overcoat.

REW

No need for an inner sleeve - if you make that area too strong or too stiff, you risk another break at the edge of the sleeves.

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Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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I read this article but was unsure which of the scenarios to follow. Also I did not understand what the author meant by tapering the ends of the sleaves at a 15 degree angle, can somebody clarify?

Does somebody else want to chime in... outer sleeve only or BOTH inner and outer sleeve?

Roger, how will I fit the pieces together like a puzzle if they're going to be inside the sleeve, I won't be able to see them?

I very much appreciate everybody's help on this.

The photos in the article show the tapered ends to the sleeve. Your repair looks to be most closely matched to the #4 scenario where you want a graphite inner piece than a thin wall glass spacer over the gap, but not past it, than an oversleeve of glass over everything. Pretty involved and you'll be looking for parts for some time probably to do it right.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2012 04:16PM by Spencer Phipps.

A couple of key comments to highlight:

Make sure that the repair material is fiberglass, not graphite. The repair material will need to have a lower modulus to prevent creating a stiff spot that will cause a subsequent break at the end of the repair.

Ralph's article does mention that an inner sleeve should be used when possible but I agree with Tom on this one that in the upper 1/3 of the blank most times it's sufficient just to use an outer sleeve.

Tapering the ends means just that. Instead of a 90 degree drop off from the outer sleeve material to the blank, you want to taper the ends by sanding so the transition from the repair area to the original blank is less abrupt. This will allow more flex at the edge of the repair and avoid creating an abrupt material thickness change that could lead to another break. Poorly represented by this crude drawing of the outer sleeve repair piece: <===> Instead of this: =====

As Roger mentioned, you can leave the ends as they are without trimming, just make sure that your repair piece extends well past any splinter point.

Hope this helps.

Terry

Put me in the camp that says build a new one and retire this one. Maybe repair it to honor your Grandfather but I would not fish for heavy or powerful fish with it. I doubt that as someone new to this, that anything you do as a repair will come out good enough to land a fish with.

You can, however, build a nice new rod from scratch that will suit your needs. And even your first new build will likely be great, if unpolished.

Drew

Hi Michael,
Ralph's article mentions overbinding the outer sleeve to match the blank. The 15 degree angle makes the thread transition from blank to sleeve a lot easier and neater as well as what's been mentioned.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

If possible put the oversleve in a drill or lath and sand it At the same time taper the edge
Then turn it and do the same

Bill - willierods.com

Michael,
Trial fit the rod pieces so that you know exactly how they interlock.

Then, take a china marker and run it straight down the blank in the area of the splice.
Then when lining up the pieces you simply have to line up the marks on the blank and the blank pieces interlock perfectly.

In spite of the other comments, I always use a thin wall inner sleeve, as well as a thin wall outer sleeve.

Yes, I typically use fiberglass to make the repair.

One can just go to a good will, or a cast off rod box at a fishing rod store and generally can find plenty of this style rods.
When it comes time to make the repair, I chuck the inner or outersleeve in a drill and sand it down to a reasonable thickness and flexibility for the repair.

In the vast majority of cases, there is little to no less flexing of the blank in the area of the repair. This is because the repair material is a more flexible blank material and I typically make the sections rather thin.

Good luck
Roger

p.s.
I do the same as bill with the over and inner sleeve. i.e. sand, thin taper, and thin the edge . I just normally use a variable speed drill since it is generally more handy and quicker for me to use than the lathe.


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I have some spare broken rods lying around. What's an easy way to tell if they're made of pure fiberglass as apposed to graphite or composite?