While my rod was on the dryer last night, I noticed a crack/fracture directly behind the tip top
guide. The crack aligns with the carbon wrap line that rotates around the blank. If that makes sense. Initially I thought it might be a cut from a box knife.. Pretty sure it isht. Not a clean cut and it follows the carbon fiber wrap line. This cracked slipped by me on my initial inspection. A tough on to see. It’s very clear on the dryer. I can easily see how someone could have missed seeing this before shipping out.. or it could have happened during shipping. The crack looks to penetrate through this one side fully, I think. Other side is fine. It survived CCS testing (IP 725). This is on a MB-736 X-Ray. More power than I expected. I put a thin layer of thread epoxy over it hoping it would stabilize/slightly strengthen it. Covered it and the base of my tip guide.

Should I cut this 3/4” to 1” tip top off and reglue the tip or use it until it gives out (if it even does give out). I’d shrink my rod by maybe 1” by cutting the tip off (cracked section)

I sent Kelsey and Ivan an email. I went ahead and filled out a warranty claim just in case. I personally don’t think I need a replacement, but that’s why I’m asking you gurus with MUCH more experience than me. I’m still a newb. Fish it/test it out, cut the bad spot out, warranty claim? Whatcha fellows think?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2024 05:45PM by Jeremy Moore.

I would see if it can be replaced first. If not, I’d put a wrap over it, put on a couple of coats of thread finish and forget about it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2024 05:09PM by Daryl Ferguson.

Daryl Ferguson Wrote:
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> I would see if it can be replaced first. If not,
> I’d put a wrap over it, put on a couple of coats
> of thread finish and forget about it.


Thanks. I put a claim in just in case needed. I’ve had a stretch of bad luck with these things. Broken rod on shipping (was my FIL’s), now this. Nothing against NFC, things happen. If it can’t be replaced, not a big deal, very easy fix being it’s on the last inch of the rod. I literally just finished coating my guide wraps and had it on the dryer when I noticed it. Since I already put thread finish over it, I might tell my son to go ahead and fish it and see what happens. I put pressure on the area and it seemed strong/stabie. I’m guessing the spot the crack is on doesn’t see much tension?

If they can’t, i’ll take the epoxy off I applied, wrap it, re coat so I don’t worry about it or my son doesn’t worry about it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2024 05:22PM by Jeremy Moore.

Just wanted to chime in for what it’s worth. I’m not sure what your tip section looks like but your situation sounded similar to mine. If you look at the photo I attached there’s a frisbee behind my tip section and where the ridges on the frisbee are is a “crack” on my blank that lines up with them. This “crack” also went along the seam as yours did.

I contacted Kelsey at nfc and she explained the blank is fine to build on and it’s something to do with their manufacturing process but that she would send out a replacement tip because she didn’t think it looked good cosmetically. It sounds like you have finished your build so I wanted to let ya know that if yours is like mine it is probably okay. I don’t think you would actually say the blank is cracked but rather has a valley in it.

That spot can see lots of forces, such as tension, compression, and “shock” from sudden acceleration or deceleration. Rods (or bows, flat springs, and other flexed objects) recoil from force and/or its release from both ends (equal and opposite reactions). This can put quite the force into this zone of a rod as the energy from flexing all the way to the butt is returned to the tip. A cracking whip tip is a supersonic example that has some parallels (with differences, too). Conifers can shoot their tops pretty fair distances in storms from the recoil of trunks that were bent by the wind. Snap casts or aggressive hook sets would be lesser, but still powerful examples in the rod world. Except for frictional losses and what is absorbed by the angler’s body, the energy that makes it to the butt of a rod goes back to the tip. As a lever arm, the fulcrum point of a rod is variable based on location of the angler’s hands, flex characteristics, and even the length and position of potential sine waves. There isn’t a rod zone, at least not in front of a rigid reel seat and/or butt, that is always going to be an area of less force as it’s constantly being redistributed along the blank.

What you guys are looking at aren't cracks - it's the edge of the pattern flag. As it's rolled around the mandrel the edge will be a little higher and once sanded it looks like, well... what you see here.

...........

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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> What you guys are looking at aren't cracks - it's
> the edge of the pattern flag. As it's rolled
> around the mandrel the edge will be a little
> higher and once sanded it looks like, well... what
> you see here.
>
> ...........
Yep. Why I changed the title. Didn’t want anyone thinking I received a defective product. I think they call it a “worm hole”.