How tight should the ferrule fit on a two piece rod? I have a 2 piece carbon fiber blank made by Black Hole that fits together very tightly. The male ferrule goes into the female ferrule about 2 inches with a little bit of force. It should go about 3 3/4 inches to be seated correctly. It is so tight I am afraid to force it any further. Is this normal? Will it loosen up if I keep pushing it a little at a time and then removing it and keep repeating. I haven't tried any lubricant of any kind or sanding for fear of ruining the blank. (Hope my terminology is correct) Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Obviously they have to fit tightly in order to stay together while fishing.

How do you know the parts are supposed to overlap by 3-3/4 inches?

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What is the source of your info that it should go in 3 3/4? That seems way too much to me. Do not force it. Push the two sections together with moderate force and as you push the last 1/4 inch, rotate the lower section clockwise as it seats. Reverse to take it apart. It should go together easily to a snug fit and should come apart easily with a little rotation and pulling.

I think there is nothing wrong with the blank. I suggest you contact Black Hole about it before you do anything other than the recommended procedure.

Robert

If the rod is new and in warranty, work it out with Black Hole. If not ask for their advise. Otherwise you are on your own. There are a few things you can try with out the fear of damaging or removing too much material.

Is the ferrule metal or graphite?

If metal I would check if the ferrules to see if they have been squeezed or bent out of round. The male end can be checked with Vernier calipers or micrometer, the female end can be checked by trying to put in the round end of a drill bit or hard dowel, if the ferrules are out of round then a little body shop mechanics may be called for and "tapping and shaping" may solve the problem if the ferrules are ok and no body work is needed then I would try coating the male ferrule with non permanent Sharpie pen and mate the ferrules and look for interference marks, and polish those areas only with a mild abrasive, Scotch brite or 600 grit emory paper.

If the ferrule is graphite I would try the marker and fit process and carefully and lightly sand those areas with 600 grit paper, with 600 grit it will take a lot of sanding to remove material from both sections and will let you "sneek" up on the stubborn areas with less chance for removal of too much material.

What ever means you try and you make progress it is necessary to work the material to the point where some force is required to seat and hold the sections together.

John

try to find out the problem the best way you know then call the maker to find what would be the best way to fix it don't do much till
you talk to them to see what they have to say it could be some paint got on or in ferrule just an idea

William Sidney
AK

The ferrules are not metal. They are the same material as the blank. I got the 3 3/4 inches measuring the reinforced parts of the male and female ferrules. Thanks for all the suggestions. I plan on working with it a little more and if I don't have any success I will contact Black Hole..

Robert
Reinforced length of ferrules does not indicate that the male ferrule should penetrate that far.
Reinforcement typically extends beyond penetration distance. If you mess with it you will not only make the blank vulnerable to breakage - you will void your warranty.
Herb
CTS

Robert,

What is the size of the blank ? 3 3/4 inches penetration is common for heavy shore jigging rods (9' or 10' long) but not for smaller blanks. For example on St Croix 8'6", 1oz, blanks it is more like 2 inches penetration, at most.

All St. Croix blanks, light to heavy, have an overlap distance of roughly 2-inches. They're designed that way to facilitate production and travel piece length issues.

The Black Hole blank you have may be perfect as is. Call Black Hole and have them measure the overlap on a couple of the same model.

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Does the overall assembled length of the blank equal the advertised length? If so, the ferrule fit is proper.

I asked the company and they said, "As long as it goes in a couple inches it is OK. So I guess I'm good to go. BTW: the 3 3/4 inches was based on the advertised length of the rod 6"5". It measures about 6' 61/2" now. Thanks for the responses.