Hello all,
i had a minor incident and wanted to get your thoughts on best way to deal with this minor damage. I had a trunk lid close (not too hard) onto the rod, but it looks like more of a scratch than anything else. Still, i was thinking of using some UV resin or epoxy on the area to prevent any micro cracks from growing. It is on the second piece from the handle on a 4 piece rod.
I have flexed the rod and it seems ok, but i expect it may open up a real crack over time.

Any thoughts welcome.

Photo posted here:
[www.rodbuilding.org]

thanks
Mauro

From the image it doesn't look like any fibers were damaged , looks like a light scape shouldn't cause any issues . When you run a fingernail across it does your nail catch it ?

If you have cracks, micro or otherwise, a coat of resin or finish isn't going to save the rod. Before I get it back out on the water, I'd do a stress test. Any sort of impact can result in rod failure down the road.

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

If you don't want to risk simply using the rod as is you can do an external sleeve repair on it as if it were more significantly damaged. See the article in the Library. I have repaired many rods in this way and on one even checked the CCS numbers and found them unchanged from when the rod was new.

Forgot about a stress test , that's a very good idea and the first thing you should do . If it were me and I knew it was likely a crack I would just order a replacement section for peace of mind since replacement sections are offered by many manufacturers of 4 piece rods.

Just remembered what I did on a bare graphite blank that I was convinced had a crack in it . I found it impossible to tell if my blank had a crack in it or not and since it was a bare graphite non painted blank I took a small piece of extremely fine sand paper (The size that the manufacturer uses to polish the blank) and just lightly rubbed on top of the tiny blemish to see if it was just a surface blemish of a real crack and to my surprise it was just a micro blemish because it disappeared completely .

stress test resulted in a total break. DOH!

Only options now are a new section, which is the best option, or the sleeve repair.

Muro,
Either obtain a new rod blank section or use an inner and outer rod blank sleeve repair.

Take care

yup will give it a try. i dont care much about the rod, but may be fun to do and i have an old broken rod somewhere.

Do you recommend using fiberglass sleeve or am i ok with an old graphite blank? how much do i need to worry about increased stress on areas above and below the sleeve? I assume a long bevel on the ends of the sleeve will help distribute the load over a wider area if i use a graphite blank.
thanks for your help.


Thanks
Mauro

From the picture, I'm not surprised it didn't survive a stress test. It looks as if it had been crushed, too me. Not knowing what the rod is used for, has a bearing on if I'd even try repairing the broken section. The repair is going to stiffen the rod in that section, and stiffening a section of a rod, especially if it's in a section that would normally flex, is going to put unusual stresses on other areas of the rod, that usually don't have those kind of stresses.

I started, but never completed a similar repair on a blank I received that was damaged in shipping. The blank was broken pretty close to the mid point on the blank, in a section that would normally flex when under a load. I used a tip section from an older rod as an internal bridge between the two sections. It extended 6" on either side of the break. It was actually a perfect fit. Very snug. Before epoxying it up I did a stress test on it. I never did get the blank fully loaded though. I was afraid to because of the way the tip section was flexing. It was flexing as if I had missed putting the line between a couple of guides, and put the rod under a heavy load. It was over flexing the blank.

With that said, if it's a light powered blank and the fish being sought aren't large or hard pullers, you may be able to repair it and never have a problem. But ..... if just the opposite is true, I wouldn't bother.

Personally, I would try and obtain a new section, and if that falls through, then I'd do the repair and see if it survives. If it breaks you'll have sections of rod blank that you can use to extend a rod blank, or repair a broken handle. That type of internal repair is perfect for those scenarios. I've done one of each of those kinds of things, and it works beautifully. If it weren't for an oddly placed thread wrap, you'd never even know there was a repair done.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2021 07:49PM by David Baylor.

I do tons of repairs. Ralph O'Quinns article, in the library section if this site, is, as far as I'm concerned, the Bible of rod repair. I once told him that article had made me a lot of money. He was quietly replied" That's wonderful, are you going to give me some?"

Glass sleeve is preferred, graphite will work. Read the article and follow it's process. You dUo not need an inner sleeve, just an external sleeve. Using both may make the joint at the repair too rigid.

thanks so much. yes i have read the article a couple of times now. need to re-read and understand a bit better before i start cutting blanks LOL. I have a 0.010" difference in OD above and below the break over 4 inches. do you think i should be able to get away with cracking the sleeve technique? Not sure how this will go on a graphite sleeve. maybe i need to cut up my fiberglass rod.

Just curious - has anyone thought about trying bamboo either inside the blank or outside the blank for a repair? I have made hexagonal bamboo rods and just thought it may be something folks have tried?. My thought is that i can exactly match the OD of the blank by hand shaping the inside of the bamboo (yes very slowly) and then the pieces can easily be tapered away from the break to make a smooth transition. also, since the 6 bamboo pieces could be glued on the outside of the blank, in areas with a steep taper this may avoid having to remove guides. Once glued, the area could be wrapped with thread for added reinforcement. just a thought.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/2021 09:54AM by Mauro Aiello.

Michael Danek Wrote:
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> Glass sleeve is preferred, graphite will work.
> Read the article and follow it's process. You dUo
> not need an inner sleeve, just an external sleeve.
> Using both may make the joint at the repair too
> rigid.


This is very true - the idea is not to make the repair "strong" but rather just as strong and just as flexible, as the rod was before it was broken. It is possible to make it too strong/stiff and therefore result in a stress failure at either end of the repair. Don't go overboard. Use the article for good reference.

.........

do you think i should be able to get away with cracking the sleeve technique?

I don't know what this means, but it implies spltting a sleeve so it can be forced over the fractured section then epoxied. My answer is no, you need the hoop strength of a solid sleeve. Don't be scared of this process-it is not rocket science. Reasonable slip fits work fine, and you should be able to fish the rod without reservation if you follow the process. You might find an appropriatge old glass rod at a second hand store, but my experience is that they usually charge way more than their junk is worth. You can buy cylindrical glass tubes on line, too. If the diameters match what is being offerred. I have done this a coupld times.

I have used a piece of bamboo chopstick as an inner sleeve on a 7ft Shimano dropshot rod, and you can't tell it was ever broken except for the length. Fishes perfectly.

Michael Danek Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> do you think i should be able to get away with
> cracking the sleeve technique?
>
> I don't know what this means,

Hi Michael, apologies for being so cryptic. i was referring to the Oquinn article:

Under "Constructing the sleeve"

"Enter at a slight angle then push the rod section further into the beveled area which will split the sleeve at this point. This splitting will facilitate further movement until the sleeve is fully installed on the tip section. The other end of the sleeve which attaches to the butt section can now be beveled to the same degree. The splitting of the sleeve has done nothing to impede its structural integrity. The split is usually 1/4 to 1/2 of the length and is neutralized when the area is bonded, wrapped and finish applied. This is considerably faster than removing and replacing 6 guides and a tip top!"

Thanks for the clarification. I toatally missed this detail in the article, and have never split an external sleeve. I guess my fits have been a bit looser than what is recommended in the article. But I have never had a failure of a repair. The only problem I had one time was the tip of a rod came loose from the sleeve. I reinstalled it and everything has been fine for many years. I think I must have skimped on epoxy the first time.