Im in the middle of restoring an old solid prestressed fibreglass rod and think ive done some damage while trying to remove the old roller tip.
Ive got some cracks showing at the tip of the rod.
I tried heating up the old roller top with a soldering iron and it seemed to be working, i could get some movement in the tip when twisting the tip off the rod, but it would not pull off.
I kept trying and did not think i was being overly hard when twisting the rod but i heard a little crack and took a look and could see what looks like cracks in the fibreglass.
They dont seem to be getting any worse and ive given the rod a fair bit of flexing at the end and they are not getting any worse.
see photo here, this is the worst crack [i.imgur.com]

Is there any resin i can apply that i can let soak in?
Im probably more worried about it from a cosmetic perspective, and this rod probably wont be getting a huge lot of use, but dont want it to get worse over time.

Any ideas would be great thanks.
Next time i think i will just cut the tops off with a grinding disc, but that presents problems too as its easy to cut into the fibreglass too.

Got a few vintage rods im wanting to rebuild and am going to have problems getting the tops off the others i expect also.

I measured the tip of the rod and its 6.35mm diameter which is 17/64" inches and i cant find a suitable top for this that size anyway, so perhaps i should just shorten the rod by an inch and the cracks will be covered by the top and the binding itself?
Is that going to be a big deal?
Im replacing all the guides so should not be a problem.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2019 04:03AM by Shaun Belcher.

Fiberglass doesn't like heat. You need to cut/split the tops off. You may have ruined that first rod. Nothing you can add to it now will restore it, although sold glass rods are pretty tough and it may still hold up for what you plan to do with it. Use don't heat and twist the tops on the rods you have left. Tiptops need to be pulled straight off and if a minor application of heat won't release the adhesive, split the top off.

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

What is the diameter 1 inch below the tip. If there is no pronounced taper and the dimension is approximately the same then cut off the inch and install the tip.
It sounds like a very stiff rod so the effect on the rod would be minimum. Because you are redoing the guides then the spacing will all work its self out.

If the new tip is too loose then wrap a layer of wrap to snug it up.

I think you will be fine..

Have fun

John

I would just take some very slow curing thread finish. Apply a very thick coat to the tip of the rod down past the cracks by about 1-2 inches.
Then, with the finish still wet, co a full thread wrap starting at the tip of the blank and down to the area where the thread finish stops. Tie off the wrap, and then, just use some acetone to wipe off any residual thread finish that has poked up above the thread wraps. Let the finish cure on the tip wraps.

Then, when completing the build use a an appropriate tip top with the tube size that allows a nice fit over the top of the thread wrapped blank tip.

After the rest of the thread has had guides taped on a wrapped, use your favorite thread wrapping epoxy to coat all of the wraps, including the long tip wrap. When dry - go fishing and you will be good for a very long time.

--------------
As the tip top of the blank is wrapped with thread, the first applied thread finish will have worked its way down into the cracks to give some adhesion help as well as a binding adhesive for the tip top being wrapped.

Take care

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Fiberglass doesn't like heat. You need to
> cut/split the tops off. You may have ruined that
> first rod. Nothing you can add to it now will
> restore it, although sold glass rods are pretty
> tough and it may still hold up for what you plan
> to do with it. Use don't heat and twist the tops
> on the rods you have left. Tiptops need to be
> pulled straight off and if a minor application of
> heat won't release the adhesive, split the top
> off.
>
> ..............

OK, im not sure why so many people are saying you have to heat the tops to get it off. I thought I was doing it the right way!
I also see that alot of people are using a hot melt type of adhesive to fix these things to the rid and use a butane torch to heat the tip and melt glue inside and press the thing on while heating it.

I dont think i have done major damage to the rod, I think I will just have to make it a bit shorter. I dont see any such tip as a size #17 available anyway, so if i cut the rod about an inch shorter and go with a #18, I think I should be OK

I will wait for other suggestions before cutting it down, but I think that might be the best option. loosing 25mm / 1 inch is not a big deal.

John DeMartini Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is the diameter 1 inch below the tip. If
> there is no pronounced taper and the dimension is
> approximately the same then cut off the inch and
> install the tip.
> It sounds like a very stiff rod so the effect on
> the rod would be minimum. Because you are redoing
> the guides then the spacing will all work its self
> out.
>
> If the new tip is too loose then wrap a layer of
> wrap to snug it up.
>
> I think you will be fine..
>
> Have fun
>
> John

I was looking at this last night.
Its about 6.5mm at the base of the old tip, and another 1 inch lower, its 6.8mm, so its only .03mm wider at that point, even then a #18 tip will be quite loose, so will probably have to pack it as you suggest.

roger wilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would just take some very slow curing thread
> finish. Apply a very thick coat to the tip of the
> rod down past the cracks by about 1-2 inches.
> Then, with the finish still wet, co a full thread
> wrap starting at the tip of the blank and down to
> the area where the thread finish stops. Tie off
> the wrap, and then, just use some acetone to wipe
> off any residual thread finish that has poked up
> above the thread wraps. Let the finish cure on the
> tip wraps.
>
> Then, when completing the build use a an
> appropriate tip top with the tube size that allows
> a nice fit over the top of the thread wrapped
> blank tip.
>
> After the rest of the thread has had guides taped
> on a wrapped, use your favorite thread wrapping
> epoxy to coat all of the wraps, including the long
> tip wrap. When dry - go fishing and you will be
> good for a very long time.
>
> --------------
> As the tip top of the blank is wrapped with
> thread, the first applied thread finish will have
> worked its way down into the cracks to give some
> adhesion help as well as a binding adhesive for
> the tip top being wrapped.
>
> Take care

I was wondering if that might help, I was thinking dipping the rod in epoxy and gently twisting it to open the cracks up might be enough to allow a thin resin to penetrate.
What product would you recommend?
Im wanting to do another order from mudhole soon anyway. Ive got some permagloss, but is there anything better to coat the rods with? Im expecting an epoxy finish would be better than polyurethane anyway.

The PG is the best to coat a blank. Epoxy is for thread wraps. Unless you live in Florida. (They like to coat entire rods in epoxy). The PG will remain clear as the epoxy will yellow and if the blank is anything other than black will have a non favorable look in a year or two

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

I would dip the end of the blank in Permagloss past the cracks about 3 times with a couple hours between applications, It should suck into the cracks and be as strong as anything you could hope for at this point. Once you have the tip on wrap over the affected area.

Fred Yarmolowicz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The PG is the best to coat a blank. Epoxy is
> for thread wraps. Unless you live in Florida.
> (They like to coat entire rods in epoxy). The PG
> will remain clear as the epoxy will yellow and if
> the blank is anything other than black will have a
> non favorable look in a year or two


OK, thats good to know. I thought there was new types of epoxy nowdays that did not go yellow?