A two piece graphite rod I built has an extremely tight ferule. I was cleaning the rod last night after using it in saltwater and it took me nearly an hour of tugging & pulling and trying to twist & turn the rod to get it apart. I'm afraid if it continues to stay this tight I'm going to break a guide of the rod itself trying to get it apart. Any suggestion on what I can do? Are there any lubricants I can use? .I'm reluctant to sand the blank for fear of it being to loose when I use the rod..

Robert,

I remember reading about a Ferrule lubricant. I just did a Google search and came up with a link to a U-40 product: [u-40.com]

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2016 11:22AM by Donald R Campbell.

Whatever you do, do not twist. It intuitively seems the thing to do, but it really makes things worse and increases the probability of rod damage.

And the general rule is ferrules work best when clean and dry. Lubricants can make things worse for some ferrules, especially metal ferrules. Only one rod maker I know recommends a lubricant and that is not oil and is for the spigot ferrules on their glass rods. U-40 markets a ferrule lube supposedly safe for all ferrule types. I have no experience with the U-40 product.

If you have a helper, a stuck sleeve over graphite ferrule will usually yield to a two man technique where the guys face each other slightly offset with the rod between them. Each grasps the rod as far as possible above the ferrule with one hand and below the ferrule with the other hand without grasping a ferrule and then pulls the sections straight apart without twisting. Again, both guys have a hand on each side of the ferrule - not one fellow pulling on one section and the other fellow pulling only on the adjoining section.

Non-metal, integral ferrules should be assembled by bringing the pieces up snug and then twisting 90 degrees. Disassembly is the exact reverse.

Assuming your ferrule is clean, about all you can do is make sure that you disassemble the rod after each use. Leaving a multi-piece rod assembled for days at a time can result in temperature changes causing the ferrule to "lock."

The Trondak U-40 product was excellent, but to my knowledge is no longer made.

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

Robert,
A technique for separating 2 piece rods involves the use of your knees.
While standing up, bring your knees together so that they are touching.
Then, place the rod behind your knees and hold the rod tightly so that each hand is touching the side of each knee.
Then, use your leg muscles to separate your knees and the rod at the same time.

This method works when no other method works.

Good luck

p.s.
For myself, I find that I take the smaller side of the joint and just rub it while turning the rod along side of your nose while turning the rod. Most folks, including myself have a bit of skin oil in that location. The natural skin lubricant seems to add just enough lubricant to make 2 part rod removal a bit easier.

The good part of using this lubricant, is that it is never very far away!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2016 12:01PM by roger wilson.

You might want to wrap several layers of masking tape where you want to hold the blank.
That will give you extra grip without damaging anything.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

An old trick I learned is to put ice all around the ferrules for a while, this causes them to slightly compress. Then you hold the female end in your hand to help warm it up a little bit, this expands the female end a little to help make it easier to separate the ferrules.

I would suggest ( being a saltwater rod ) take it apart at the end of the day fishing Saltwater will glue anything together WELL if left for a long time Rinse well with fresh water When putting it together do not JAM it Plus it is cool in the morning -- when you are done fishing it is probably warm or hot This heat makes things fit tighter and harder to come apart

Bill - willierods.com

Thanks for all the input. I think I'll try going with the "taking it apart at the end of the day" suggestion. Seems the most sensible for now.

Roger, thanks for your comments: "For myself, I find that I take the smaller side of the joint and just rub it while turning the rod along side of your nose while turning the rod. Most folks, including myself have a bit of skin oil in that location. The natural skin lubricant seems to add just enough lubricant to make 2 part rod removal a bit easier." My father taught me that for use with metal ferrules over fifty years ago but I wasn't sure how it would work on graphite.

To get a good grip on the rod I use two of the rubber pad that are for getting a grip on jar lids. learned that trick from some one on here.

No one mentioned the ice method, which works very well. I recommend using Tom's method for assembling a (clean) ferrule, and if it still sticks after using some or all the other good suggestions, put a bag of crushed ice around the ferrule joint. Surprisingly, it thins the wall of the female part of the blank which increases its inner diameter. This has worked for me and others.

What kind of rods have ferules? The factory two piece rods that I have owned and both two piece rods I've built (both ultralight MHX fiberglass crappie blanks) and seen seem to just have a butt end on the tip section that is slightly larger than the tip end of the butt section, allowing the tip to just slide over. I have one that seems to work in reverse where the butt section slides over the butt end of the tip section. Maybe this is a ferule?

Randy,
You are right.
Today's 2 piece rods are built into the rod blank. The mold for the blank is set up so that the correctly sized ends of the blanks nicely lock together.

One of the reasons that it is difficult to just take a couple of rods and make them into two piece rods without a separate ferrule. i.e. the one piece rods have a constant taper that is not conducive for making a good joint,

Randy, from what I understand, the point where a two or multiple piece rod is joined together is called the ferrule, whether it is metal, graphite or fiberglass sleeve, a spigot, or a tip over butt connection. Fenwick was the first company to patent and exclusively market the modern tip over butt ferruled rods.
Norm

Tom, you are correct, I contacted Trondak and they no longer make U-40 Ferrule Lube. If I understood them correctly, the Renzetti Ferrule Lube is the same product Trondak used to make.

Randy, maybe I was using the wrong terminology. The rod in question is built as you describe, the tip section slides into the top of the butt section. I thought this was still considered a ferrule. Either way I had a problem getting the two sections apart.

Robert, I was asking a genuine question. I had no clue. The reason I asked is because I saw these and have no idea how they work.

[www.mudhole.com]

I don't think you'll like those ferrules on a high mod rod. I think you won't like the weight and the flat spot in the action that most likely will occur.

I have found that twisting a stuck graphite rod one direction can do nothing , but twisting it the opposite direction helps a BUNCH. It's as if the male section expands or contracts depending on the direction of rotation. I now apply paraffin to the male section when it starts to get difficult to disassemble. It works just fine for several outings.