I have cut a one piece rod and installed a spigot ferrule. I would like to test cast the blank/rod before finishing the grip, guide wraps and decorative wraps. I have wrapped the female ferrule very tightly with nylon thread. Do I need to epoxy the ferrule wraps before test casting?

Chris Richer
Iroquois ON

Chris,
No, you do not need to apply finish to the ferrule wrap; the thread is what supplies the strength and the finish only keeps the thread from unraveling. That being said, be careful to not bump the wrap. It is possible the flexing of the blank could cause the wrap to unravel, but you should be OK.
Spigot ferrules can be extremely difficult to produce a precisely identical taper, paramount to properly performing ferrules. When wiggling or false-casting the blank, if you feel (or hear) even a very faint “click, click”, the tapers are not matching. This can cause premature failure of the spigot or the blank itself.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

No, you do not need to apply epoxy to do what you propose.

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