I have a tip over butt conv.13 ft surf rod that slips at the ferrule after a few pendulum casts.I have checked the fit and there seems to be no looseness or wobble that I could detect. I've tried every way to join the 2 pcs, straight down and bayonet neither works.There is plenty of gap between male and female.Could it be the plug material causing the problem? I cleaned the plug with alcohol and acetone and things got a little better for a short while but then started to slip. I have a really good cast and don't torque or snake the rod .I also checked the spine and that's ok. I own several 2 pc rods and none of them have this problem.
JP

The guides on a rod act as lever arms and create a torsional force on the sections when you cast. This is a common problem with some multi-piece rods when used in heavier applications. I assume from your description that this is a spigot ferruled rod (plug type).

Do you have the RodMaker issue with the article on fitting ferrules? It is possible that although the sections may not exhibit any looseness or slop, you may still not be getting 100% surface contact between the mating pieces, which is essential for getting things to stay in place when subjected to this kind of force. I'd start there and make sure you have all the available friction possible before moving on to more drastic measures.

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If all else fails, a solution used by many Spey rod users is to tape the ferrules after assembly with black electricians tape. Spey casting by it's many movements creates a lot of torsional forces on the rod which sometimes loosens the ferrules.

The risk of casting with a loose ferrules is the possibility of fracturing the rod at the ferrule.

X2 with Phil, a Sage broke this weekend due to a loose ferrule.

No Tom,I do not have RodMaker mag issue on fitting ferrules

Okay, take a soft lead pencil and with the side of the lead, put a coat on the male portion of your ferrule. Now slip the tip section down over it lightly, and just as it comes snug turn it a couple or three revolutions. Now remove the tip section and look at the ferrule. Is the lead disturbed equally all over? Or do you see areas where it appears not to have been touched?

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Tom,
I coated the male with lead pencil. The results from the tip end down to the butt end are apprx in 3rds. Tip end hardly disturbed with spiral marks barely noticible,Center 1/3 heavily disturbed with spiral
marks .Butt end same as tip end,hardly disturbed,very slight spral marks
Joe

There's at least some of your problem - you're not getting full 100% contact on the mating surfaces. Friction is what makes a ferrule stay tight. You don't have enough friction between those sections to do the job.

The inside of the female ferrule should be absolute - it's formed against the mandrel and will be accurate in terms of size and taper. The male portion of a ferrule, spigot or tip over butt, is subject to wrapping tension, sanding, etc. It's not going to be absolutely perfect.

Assuming you have a rod lathe/wrapper, you can lightly block sand the male ferrule to remove the high spot in the middle of the ferrule. When the entire male ferrule makes good contact with the inside of the female ferrule your problem will be rectified or at least seriously reduced.

The magazine had photos and step by step instructions for fitting the ferrule. This is about as good as I can do in a forum post. Go slow. Sand a little, repeat the fit test. Sand some more. Repeat the fit test. There is some chance that once you achieve the right fit, you may have to trim just a hair from the end of the female ferrule to prevent the sections from bottoming on each other.

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Tom,
Thanks for the help you gave me, I don't think there will be much sanding to do. I'l let you know how it turned out.
Joe

I do the same as Tom suggests only I use chalk instead of pencil Shows more

Bill - willierods.com

Tom,
I sanded the male end high spots and wound up with scratches about 1/64 or less apart ,completely around and evenly all the way up to the tip end. I took the rod out today .It's better but still slips a little. I marked the rod with a china marker and the slippage is about 1/4 " to the right of center
Joe

Okay, you've got more surface in contact now. That's good. As you noted, the slippage is far less now.

But you're still generating a lot of torsion on the cast. You can either tape the sections or do one other thing, which I wouldn't recommend outside of what you're up against, but... Find some beeswax (not paraffin) and smear a very light coating on the male ferrule. Use a bayonet lock on the ferrule and cast again. This might, perhaps, maybe, give you just the little extra you need to keep the sections in place.

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Tom, I'll give the wax a try but I really think i'm dealing with inferior material here. I own 6 surf rods, 2 of the spigot type and the rest tip over butt Not one of them slips. with this rod i never felt that slate to slate friction feeling when joining the two halves.It's always smooth with no bite unless i rub it down with alcohol and that only lasts for a short while. Oh, by the way I noticed small hairline longitudinal cracks down the male .I think the plug itself is the problem. I called the distributor and got no satisfaction he, trying to double talk me all the way.
Joe