Hello all,I am new to rod building and recently just completed my first few personal builds. They were 7’ 40-80lb and 50-100lb blanks with alps hxn guides. On my first couple days I landed a couple dozen fish ranging from 80-400lbs. The rods performed great but upon further inspection there is some small hairline cracks in the epoxy at the end of the guide feet on 3 out of 4 rods. I used two different brands of epoxy(2 rods with one brand 2 with the other),4-5 coats, the epoxy had cured 2-4 weeks before the rods were fished, there was an underwrap with a coat of epoxy under the guides. Then the first three guides were triple wrapped and the remaining guides were double wrapped. I did not file the guide feet. Is that what is more than likely causing the cracking?

Did you use CP or no CP thred? CP prevents the epoxy from penetrating the threads and so it just set on top of the threads making it more prone to cracking.
Norm

This is common particularly as guides get larger and stiffer. You can mitigate the cracking somewhat by using a bit more thread tension and making sure to taper the ends of the guide feet to a very shallow angle.

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Hello Zach.

Tom is 100% right.


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Thanks gentleman that is some good info! I did not use cp, just colorfast thread. I had had someone tell me wrapping it a bit looser not only helps you align the guides but also lets the epoxy penetrate better. So I will file down the feet next time and apply more thread tension!

Is it an unrealistic expectation to have no epoxy cracking over time? From looking at every production rod I own they all have cracked epoxy It’s something I never once noticed until I started building rods But I am uncertain if it is something inevitable when you are building big game rods. .

I am not sure but when EPOXY is dry it is hard , an when the rod bends the epoxy also bends some , an that equates to cracks in the epoxy , I think . it happen's on the heaver
rods with big fish , not the lighter rods , as you said you got into some large fish on your trip , could be wrong ,

William Sidney
AK

Zach..something you may consider is to add one or two more guides to your next build instead of doing the same number as the commercial people especially since they are cracking too..this has been of benefit to me with all rods, use more guides than commercial and no more cracking even with CP..more guides to share the load..lesser load per guide to crack the finish and may add to the rods fish fighting ability..

Zach,
You can try one thing on one of the rods that has shown signs of cracking.
i.e. put on one more coat of finish, and since the cracking has occurred; perhaps it will fill the cracks and preclude further cracking.

As I said, test one rod to see if it is of any help or not.

Good luck

Zach

You mentioned under wrap, although I am not a fan of under wrap for big game rods but they are nice on light action rods. To me the under wrap may provide a cushioned or soft layer between the guide and the blank which could allow some movement of the guide and the most logical place for the epoxy to crack would be at the guide ends. If under wrap is necessary saturate the thread with a thin coat of finish before putting on the guide to minimize this cushion..
Also, take the time to round out the bottom of the guides to fit the contour of the blank, this will help to keep the guide from moving or twisting.

John

The colorfast thread (or noCP) also doesn’t allow the epoxy to penetrate to the bank, thus cracking becomes more likely. Not all the time just more likely. The only time I have had cracking epoxy problems have been when I used CP on regular thread or noCP thread. The cracking will allow moisture to penetrate and may cause guide ft to corrode and discolor the wrap. Another coat of epoxy may help,but no guarantee.
Norm

When you grind or file down guide feet do you guys do anything to recoat the guide feet to prevent future corrosion to a degree?

Hello Zach.

Yes I Paint them unless it's a clear wrap then I use clear fingernail polish.


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.