Situation: in stripping the finish off a 11' surf rod I'm refurbishing, I shaved off a 4" x 0.25" strip of the top layer of graphite blank. This happened right behind the reel seat maybe a foot up from the butt. I put some stress on it and it didn't blow up, but I am looking at two outcomes:

1) Pre-emptively cut the blank, epoxy a metal or fiberglass rod inside the blank to reinforce the joint I just created; essentially a 'controlled' break, rather than it potentially breaking in the field

OR

2) Do some thread wraps on either side of the damage (as well as over it) as reinforcement, and so that if it does break in the field, the broken fibers are contained for less loss of length when I repair the rod later by cutting out the breakage area, among other normal repair steps.

The blank's diameter in the effected area is about 1.25", again, made from graphite. Am I fretting over nothing? I know breaks usually happen near the tip - not behind the reel.

Instead of thread, you may want to use tow.

[www.acpsales.com]

Don

Don Becker

On a surf rod there's a lot of stress on the rear portion of the handle both during the cast and a fight with a decent sized fish. I think I'd try to find a thin wall graphite blank scrap that fairly well matches the inside diameter of that portion and glue it inside the blank. I'd probably run it from the butt, all the way up and beyond the damaged area by a couple inches. To confine the fibers in the damaged area, I'd put a wrap of thread and finish over that portion.

Don't go overboard on the interior sleeve. It doesn't need to be very heavy and it certainly shouldn't be a piece of steel!

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

Thanks Tom. Great advice. Same to Don up there. Now where can I find a 3' piece of fiberglass or graphite tube that's tapered with a 15/16" o.d.? I am but an amateur who doesn't have a shop with all kinds of scraps lying around. Any alternatives, like a wooden dowel? Or can I only wrap it up with tow (see Don's response) and pray?

By the way, it's a blank from a South Bend Sea Hawk, circa 1980-1990 I think. The manufacturer describes it as "graphite composite". The top piece is definitely fiberglass, but is the bottom necessarily 100% graphite? It's a charcoal color, but if you know anything about these particular rods and their ingredients, please re-assure me that the bottom piece might be a true 'composite' and is a little more durable than 100% graphite.

Why am I bothering with all this work for such a cheap rod? It's my foray into rod building. I wanted the experience of stripping down and re-building it.

Thanks again, all.

I wouldn't use a wood dowel. You need a scrap piece of rod blank. Check the yard sales and pawn shops for el cheapo rods. The butt sections generally don't have much taper to them.

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

You can go to Good Will, Salvation Army, Pawn shops or shorting good shops - charity barrell for old fishing rods. Normally one can find rods like this for less than $1 each.

Or, if you have any bigger rod building shops in the area, you can check their scrap bins for an appropriate sized piece of blank material.

Good luck

Matthew,

I <am> unable to determine the extent of damage to your blank. Was the graphite damaged or was it only the epoxy?

Perhaps you could call ACP Composites (listed above) and explain the damage to them. They may have additional questions to better understand the situation. The extent of damage will drive the solution. If the damage is very minor, then tow, tape, or a braided sleeve could be solutions. Otherwise an insert may be required.

Don

Don Becker



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2015 06:31PM by Donald Becker.

Hope this works...

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The woven graphite appears merely to be exposed, not damaged, but they are bare.

At this point I am concerned about the integrity of the rest of the blank. There seem to be additional imperfections to the blank's finish. What was used to remove the finish?

It may be best to take the blank to a shop (or 3) that does custom work and ask for an opinion.

You may find it less expensive to purchase a new blank. You need to consider the cost of materials and your time to make the required repairs. One of the last things you want is to have a rod fail when it is in use or could injure someone.



Don

Don Becker

As with any topic, there's a lot of conflicting information out there, so... I used a dull knife and Citristrip. And I'm going to stop there as far as taking the finish off. That strip of damage pictured is the only spot where the knife actually touched the blank. I'd still like to take it into an empty field and try a couple of long-distance casts. I'll keep you posted.