Does placing hard wax on a male glass or graphite ferrule more likely.....
1. ensure the two pieces stick together better as in less likely to work loose while fishing
2. reduce the chances that the 2 sections will stick together so badly that you can't get them apart
3. both 1 and 2
4. neither 1 or 2

As always, thank you for your input.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2023 11:06PM by Rob Grider.

Rob Grider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does placing hard wax on a male glass or graphite
> ferrule more likely.....
> 1. ensure the two pieces stick together better as
> in less likely to work loose while fishing
> 2. reduce the chances that the 2 sections will
> stick together so badly that you can't get them
> apart
> 3. both 1 and 2
> 4. neither 1 or 2
>
> As always, thank you for your input.

How do you connect you rod sections?

I don't think it is advisable or necessary to apply wax to ferrules. I don't know the answers to the questions, simply don't apply anything to my ferrules.

Integral carbon ferrules are designed for a clean, dry fit. Wax can change the fit by reducing clearances, although with a hard type wax that would be minimal.

Make sure you are joining your ferrules with a "bayonet lock." Align them 90 degrees to each other and slid together until just lightly snug, then twist them into alignment with just a bit of additional snugness.

Don't leave your multi-piece rods joined for long periods of time. It's always best to dis-joint them at the end of each fishing day.

...........

I worked for Orvis as a fly-fishing manager for one of their stores.

A container of ferrule wax (aka paraffin wax) is given to each customer buying any Orvis carbon or fiberglass fly rod.

The rod shop recommends using it to prevent stuck ferrules as well as reducing the chances of rod sections working loose.

Many other rod manufacturers recommend the use of ferrule wax for their rods.

Yep you can use it, and if you do not thoroughly clean after each use, prepare the the ferrules to wear when the wax attracts dirt dust and foreign matter and acts like sandpaper on the ferrules

Ron Weber

It may be and old myth and I am dating myself, but I used to rub the male ferrule (silver plated brass) on the side of my nose and wipe the ferrule on my shirt.

I have done it often enough to believe there was some merit to it. Never had a problem with stuck or worn ferrules.

I have no experience with composite ferrules because I now use only one piece rods.

Wiping and cleaning the ferrules after use will no doubt lengthen the service life of the rod.

My answer is #4

Have fun

The nose oil trick was generally used on metal ferrules. Glass and carbon types are designed to be used dry.

The issue with any sort of wax, paraffin, etc., is that it changes the fit of the ferrules and can cause them to split. In the RM article on ferrules some years back, we polled many rod manufacturers and at least half of them said that they had seen rods returned to them with split ferrules caused by the addition of thick lubes like wax, paraffin and yes, even white lithium grease.

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

Treat male ferrules as if they were Remington 11-87 magazine tubes - keep them clean and dry.

Two schools of thought.

I have used both. Downside to wax of any kind on ferrules is that they collect grit that can ruin your ferrule fit.
So, If you do use wax - make sure you are carfull not to contaminate.
If I find that one of my fly rod ferrules twist or loosen - I do use parafin.

As a matter of fact - CTS now treats their ferrules with a very light coat on Beeswax. And they include a small cube of Beeswax with evey new blank to renew treatment.
They recommend rubbing a small amount on the male ferrule and then heat slightly and rub into the ferrule. there should not be a heavy coating.
Herb
CTS Rep.

There was a product offered by Trondak U-40 called "Ferrule Lube." It was remarkable stuff. A liquid teflon that set to a dry film that did not attract nor hold dirt, dust, etc. It did not change ferrule fit and was an excellent product but low sales doomed it back around 2005 or so. I think I have two bottles left.


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

WD40 Dry Lube with PTFE might be a good alternative.

Rob,
For what it's worth, a PROPERLY DESIGNED AND FABRICATED ferrule, weather a internal spigot, external sleeve or presently-common tip-over-butt (TOB) design, should not require any lube / wax / what-have-you to make it function properly!!! If such is needed, then it is merely putting a bandaid on an open wound and subject to questioning the integrity of the ferrule fabrication from the onset. PRECISELY MATING TAPERS, similar to Morse Tapers found in machinery, only require a dry-fit.

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

Mark Talmo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rob,
> For what it's worth, a PROPERLY DESIGNED AND
> FABRICATED ferrule, weather a internal spigot,
> external sleeve or presently-common tip-over-butt
> (TOB) design, should not require any lube / wax /
> what-have-you to make it function properly!!! If
> such is needed, then it is merely putting a
> bandaid on an open wound and subject to
> questioning the integrity of the ferrule
> fabrication from the onset. PRECISELY MATING
> TAPERS, similar to Morse Tapers found in
> machinery, only require a dry-fit.

YES - absolutely correct - in a perfect world. But most ferrules are hand-ground and are not so precise.

CTS has a relatively new ferrule system - about one year old - that is much more precise.

Read about it here:

CTS Sensor Fit™ is CTS’s latest CNC ceramic shaping technology to give precise taper shape and fit precision to each join, giving your blank the perfect taper lock between sections for precise feel and sensitivity.

Traditional methods of join fitting are done by hand or machine sanding. This often leads to a roughly matched pairing of male to female tapers. High spots are common, leading to rattles and premature join movement as they wear.

Sensor Fit™ produces a fit with a far greater surface contact area. Wearing of the join and consequential movement will be negligible.

Sensor Fit™ produces a lower profile step between sections, reducing line to blank contact with a shorter join between each section of your blank. This improves the flex through the join area to create a smoother transition between sections.

Herb
CTS Rep.

The key to using paraffin or beeswax (much prefer the latter) is you MUST apply a wafer thin (invisible) coating each and every time you assemble the rod and you MUST completely remove it each and every time you disassemble the rod IF you want to use either without facing any negative consequences .

The reason for this is as others stated to avoid contamination . If you leave either of them on the male ferrule for more than one fishing session you're asking for major trouble , in other words, don't do it .


That being said It is NOT necessary to use any type of ferrule treatment but if a rod has less than a very solid fit or loses it's very solid fit over time nothing works better than the above .

Take a razor or knife and slice off the leading section of paraffin or beeswax you used previously to apply before applying another micro thin coat to make absolutely certain to get rid of any contaminant's, don't trust your eyes on this . Using a lighter to melt away contaminants also works before reapplying .

If you find resistance when you attempt to assemble the rod after applying paraffin or beeswax you used way too much . Thin thin thin thin , if you do it right the ferrule fit will feel a little stickier but should never require more force to assemble.

Despite CTS sensor fit tech CTS STILL recommends a super light coating of beeswax to get the best possible fit .

Hello All.

There has been a lot written in RodMaker Magazine about "ferrules".

Vol/Issue.........Article...........Author....................Page.
6/1 Ferrule Alignment Mark Methods. By Tom Kirkman. 10
13/1 Ferrule Fitting & Restoring. By Tom Kirkman. 22
5/3 Ferrule Lapping. By Bernard Elser. 22
4/4 Ferrule Making. By Ralph O'Quinn. 22
2/1 Ferrule Mounting on Your Unibutt. 24
5/2 Ferrule Plugs. By Russ Gooding. 22
22/3 Ferrule Refitting By Tom Kirkman. 22
26/2 Ferrule Refitting By Tom Kirkman. 22
10/5 Ferrule Seperation Tool, Simple. By Bill Colby. 18
16/2 Ferrule Tool, Simple Say Goodbye to Stuck Ferrules Forever! By Bill Colby. 28
13/1 Ferrules Integral Assembling. 26
17/4 Ferrules Past & Present #4: Ferrules Become Collets Offshore Rods. By C. Boyd Pfeiffer. 10
11/4 Ferrules, Are Thread Reinforcement Wraps Really Necessary? 16
18/4 Ferrules, Are Thread Reinforcement Wraps Realy Necessary? By Tom Kirkman. 22
16/2 Ferrules, Making Multi-Piece. By Tom Kirkman. 12
17/1 Ferrules, Past & Present #1: When Multi-Piece Rods Lacked Ferrules. By C. Boyd Pfeiffer. 10
17/2 Ferrules, Past & Present #2: Early Metal And Swiss-Style Ferrules. By C. Boyd Pfeiffer. 10
17/3 Ferrules, Past & Present #3: Ferrules Glass to Glass & Graphite to Graphite. By C. Boyd Pfeiffer. 10
14/2 Ferrules, Past and Present. By Boyd Pfiffer. 12
4/1 Ferrules, Repairing Plug And Spigot. By Ralph O'Quinn. 16

Now thats a lot of reading.

Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Everyone has their own experiences and opinions which are all valid, depending on circumstances.

From my experience, after more than 50 years of fly-fishing in salt and fresh water, rod building, guiding, teaching and working for a rod manufacturer, I've found if you take care of your fly rod, it will take care of you......

To prevent your rod sections from becoming stuck or loosening, I recommend you apply a small amount of ferrule wax (paraffin wax) on each of the male end sections of your fly rod as many leading rod manufacturers recommend.

Be sure to disassemble your rod after a day of fishing and place it back in it's cloth sleeve and tube to keep it clean and ready to go for your next trip.

Clean and rewax the rod ends every season or more often if you fish a lot.

This has worked for me for the hundreds rods I have fished as well as for the thousands of customers, clients and students I have fished with and/or taught over my 50 or so years of fly-fishing.

And most importantly.....be sure enjoy each day out on the water.

Hey RON GRIDER, If you answer the question "How do you join your rod sections together" we may be able to give you more help. As others have said I wouldn't put anything on the ferrule that attracted or clung to any sort of grit or contaminate.