Hi all I recently purchased and built an 8 foot deep crank bait rod. I left it after fishing it in the car for a few days where it was bent against car roof. Now it has taken that bend permanently. I have left it out hoping it will return to normal but no luck. I remember this happened to me a number of years ago with a fairly inexpensive blank. I was not expecting this to happen to a name brand rod blank with a higher price tag.
My only thought was to tie a weight to the tip and see if it will correct the warp.
Any ideas are really appreciated here!

Is the blank glass or carbon?

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

Put it back in the car bending it the opposite direction and check on it until it straightens out.

Take care of your rods.

And they will take care of you.

I don't have any magic cures or fixes other than....take care of your stuff: Rods, reels, lures, boat and motor, cars, house paint, roofing, insurance, and all other aspects of living with thoughtfulness and care.

I'm not being an ass here....or not much or one, anyway....but please allow me to respectfully ask a question:

"How does the amount of effort and time to fix the problem compare to the amount of time to treat your rods (and whatever else) with a small amount of thoughtful care?" My guess is 50 to 100 hours to one. Conservative.

I ask this to remind myself: When I am tired and wanting to skip some steps so I can do something else that I want to do, or roll the dice that it won't happen to me, can I afford it? Some can. Some can't.

I sincerely hope your find a way to fix your rod. I would build another one and learn from my experience. (NO FINGER WAGGING from me here....Because I've been there.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2023 10:26PM by Les Cline.

Guessing the car was also hot, so it took a "heat-set" curve" if this is the case, it will take heat to return it to straight. You might try hanging it like you mentioned with weight at the tip and then using a hairdryer to heat it. If you use a heat gun be VERY careful not to overheat it.

mike,
The vast majority of composite structures, including rod blanks, are simply FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic). The opportune word here is Plastic and plastics typically soften with heat. Your rod was subjected to as much as 150*F, possibly more, inside your car while a bend was imposed on it = a perfect environment to create the “permanent” bend which occurred. While it is certainly possible to reverse the process and return the blank back to straight, for best results it will require at least 2X the amount of time that it spent in your car to give it a good, even, consistent heat soak while bent at least as far in the opposite direction. Consider wrapping it loosely in black plastic with a counter-bend in it and set it out in the sun for a few days. Check it often to avoid rebending it too far. I would be afraid of the heat gun approach; too uneven heating, no thorough heat soak, not as much margin for error.
I suggested the same thing to another member ~ 2 years ago and he replied that it worked perfectly. GOOD LUCK and keep us posted on the results.

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

I’m not the arbiter of this sort of thing, but I would speculate that even if you manage to straighten it, it’s probably going to be much weaker where it curved.

On the bright side. You can always just tell folks you built on the natural bend of the rod. Who’ll know the difference? :)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2023 03:49PM by Daryl Ferguson.

The rod could be cut at the bend and have a new tip top put on. Or - the pieces could possibly be sleeved to preserve the length.

To clarify further there were several rods in the car, all were bent, all but one returned to normal. It appears the section where the bend is fiber glass. I do find it strange only this one blank didn’t spring back. Mark i would like to thank you especially as what you wrote seems like a good idea. A heat gun seems like the nuclear option. Thanks again

mike,
A heat gun as a “nuclear option” may be stretching it, but at least you got my point. As you, I also find it strange that the FG rod was the only one which “took a set”; but as I’ve said many times,”I am here to learn”. While CF is certainly stiffer than FG, nonetheless they are both held within the same matrix = plastic. I would suppose that a FG FRP structure MAY be more susceptible to heat deformation than CF, but not to the extent you described in your captive-car scenario; I love to learn.

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

I appreciate it!