Rod handle crushed

[Allaroundfishing]

So I had a quite the experience the other day, I was tying my boat up for weigh in at a tournament when another angler from a different boat fell out of his boat, he was a pretty hefty dude and I have a built in ladder in my triton so I helped him climb in my boat and sit down to catch his breath. When he was finally calm enough to get back up he stepped out of my boat and onto the dock, however when he did this he apparently by mistake stepped on the handle of my Nrx spinning rod which I wasnt aware of at the time and didnt find out about until around an hour later when putting my rods back in the locker. 

The handle didnt snap but in the part between the reel seat and the cork on the butt of the rod was squished and cracked, its not a terrible crack but if I squeeze it between my fingers I can get the graphite to move.

My question is, is there a way to fix this and if there is I would like to know how to go about it, and if there is no fix for this could I possibly just put some quality epoxy to cover the cracks and "seal" them?

I have made several phone calls to loomis and have got nothing but hold music or random disconnects so im about ready to cross their customer service off my list.

Any help is much appreciated

 

 

[Chris Catignani]

So are you saying the blank was crushed? Post a picture if you can.

 

If the blank was crushed...you could saw it off and just insert another scrap piece of rod (with cork attached) and sand it down.

[MickD]

The above is possible.  Another possibility would be to cut off the butt cap and insert a tightly fitting piece of blank into the existing one to support it.  Liberally covered with epoxy.  Then put on a new butt cap.   Sounds like only the bottom few inches is affected, so this might be the least disruptive fix.  

 

A pic would help.

 

Keep trying Loomis.

[Deephaven]

1 hour ago, MickD said:

The above is possible.  Another possibility would be to cut off the butt cap and insert a tightly fitting piece of blank into the existing one to support it.  Liberally covered with epoxy.  Then put on a new butt cap.   Sounds like only the bottom few inches is affected, so this might be the least disruptive fix.  

 

A pic would help.

 

This is exactly how you add a rod extension only in the case of the extension the overlap doesn't need to be very far.  Seeing the damage can narrow down the repair, but I also think Loomis will help.

[spoonplugger1]

Everything you need is on their warranty/expeditor website. Phone calls not necessary, do the paperwork and send in your rod, or use the Expeditor service.

[Chris Catignani]

On 9/18/2021 at 4:37 PM, spoonplugger1 said:

Everything you need is on their warranty/expeditor website. Phone calls not necessary, do the paperwork and send in your rod, or use the Expeditor service.

Loomis has a limited lifetime warranty. In the OP case @Allaroundfishing where someone stepped on the handle...

From there site:

Breakage deemed to be the result of normal wear and tear, misuse, abuse, alteration, accidental damage, or neglect will, at the companies’ discretion, be repaired or replaced for a specific fee. A full estimate will be provided for your approval before any fees are levied. G-Loomis reserves the right to refuse service on any claim.

                                                                                                                                                             

As a side story...back in the day when you could buy Loomis blanks...we use to complain that some of the blanks weren't straight. Gary Loomis was adamant that it didn't matter. Well I have to agree with Gary on this...but customers wanted a straight rod. But anyway...it became a long standing joke that..."Loomis rods were bent so you can cast around trees."

[spoonplugger1]

Believe it or not, the blanks were the straightest G Loomis made because a bare blank shows everything. They sat in the warehouse already bagged and tagged, while the others were just bundled together till built.

[Alex from GA]

I just did as MickD said last week.  I ran over the rod with the trailer when it fell out of my boat and crushed the handle between the butt and the reel seat.  The reel was toast.  It worked fine until last week when I set the hook on a fish and it split more and flexed a bunch.  I removed the butt cap, measured a broken rod for a fit and epoxied it inside the blank.  Installed a new cap and have a working rod again.

[Chris Catignani]

1 hour ago, Alex from GA said:

I removed the butt cap, measured a broken rod for a fit and epoxied it inside the blank.  Installed a new cap and have a working rod again.

Good job! There is not a whole lot that goes into "some" of the aspects of rod building. Most of the hard stuff has to do with aesthetics. 

[NavyToad]

Get a couple hose clamps, very carefully (possibly with a dental tool) apply some 24 hour JB weld into the crack, tighten up the hose clamp/s and leave it for a couple days. Should work.

Be careful not to over tighten the hose clamp/s.

 

[MickD]

On 10/1/2021 at 3:17 PM, Chris Catignani said:

There is not a whole lot that goes into "some" of the aspects of rod building. Most of the hard stuff has to do with aesthetics.

All that's required are years of study and experience that allow one to predict the outcome, to not do some of the stupid proposals one sees on forums, the knowledge of what guides to use, where to put them, where to put the reel seat, what materials will work and which will not, the ability to handle micro guides and get them wrapped solidly to the rod, the fitting of components, good epoxy technique, the concentric reaming of cork and other materials,  selecting the right blank characteristics for the technique a person wants a rod for, keeping current on new processes and materials.  Pretty simple.

[Chris Catignani]

4 hours ago, MickD said:

All that's required are years of study and experience that allow one to predict the outcome, to not do some of the stupid proposals one sees on forums, the knowledge of what guides to use, where to put them, where to put the reel seat, what materials will work and which will not, the ability to handle micro guides and get them wrapped solidly to the rod, the fitting of components, good epoxy technique, the concentric reaming of cork and other materials,  selecting the right blank characteristics for the technique a person wants a rod for, keeping current on new processes and materials.  Pretty simple.

Your certainly entitled to your opinion. 

"...not do some of the stupid proposals one sees on forums,.." I agree with that.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

7 hours ago, MickD said:

All that's required are years of study and experience that allow one to predict the outcome, to not do some of the stupid proposals one sees on forums, the knowledge of what guides to use, where to put them, where to put the reel seat, what materials will work and which will not, the ability to handle micro guides and get them wrapped solidly to the rod, the fitting of components, good epoxy technique, the concentric reaming of cork and other materials,  selecting the right blank characteristics for the technique a person wants a rod for, keeping current on new processes and materials.  Pretty simple.

Everything looks easier than it is from the outside looking in. 

[Chris Catignani]

15 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Everything looks easier than it is from the outside looking in. 

Just to clear the air...I have 50+ years experience building rods. Probably built close to a 1,000 rods.

I have seen and taught classes where men women and children built there first rod in one day.

So being on the inside looking out...I can say with out a doubt that its simple...now I will also agree with others that you can make it complicated as you want...even roll your own blank.

[.ghoti.]

From bare blank to a rod ready to fish requires a small variety of tasks. A step by step process. All the steps contain simple tasks. There is a certain amount of knowledge, and a short list of skills required. Knowledge and skills come with time and practice.

 

Simple concepts. Simple techniques. No rocket science here. No brain surgery. No nuclear physics. 

[MickD]

Ghoti, how does your first rod compare to those you are building today?  My current rods are much different from my first, in so many ways.

[.ghoti.]

The rods I build now look a whole lot better than my early attempts. I have acquired some skills I did not possess six years ago. I perform those simple step required to build a functional, nice looking rod, in a much more efficient manner. 

Maybe we have a different perspective. Try playing piano in a jazz trio. Or, trying writing programming to automate and entire industrial  process. In both cases: been there, done that, got the tee shirts. Those are complicated, complex tasks, requiring considerable knowledge, and in the case of the piano, considerable physical skills. I find rodbuilding to be simple and restful. I truly enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes when I catch the first fish on a rod I have built. That’s a simple thing too. But, no less fine for being so. 

[Big Hands]

I built a decent quiver of saltwater boat rods for myself back in the 80's. All Sabre and Truline blanks, wrapped to match what Sabre was selling in their complete rods. All I used was a tea cup to hold the thread, and an encyclopedia to tension the thread. Scotch tape and an exacto knife. I did cobble an old BBQ rotisserie to evenly dry the flex-coat. Cork tape handle with a crutch tip at the butt and a small length of shrinkwrap at the top of the cork tape.

 

I see all the fancy wraps and designs with patterns and more. I don't get it. Is there some functionality that stuff adds that I'm not aware of. For me, the less the better. If it doesn't help, it takes away.

 

Freshwater rods? No sir. That's a completely different animal IMHO. I definitely want mine as lightweight/minimalist as possible while still being functional and somewhat durable at a semi-reasonable price. A man's got to know his limitations and I want no part of that. 

[Chris Catignani]

8 hours ago, Big Hands said:

I did cobble an old BBQ rotisserie to evenly dry the flex-coat.

Back before I had my first rod dryer I use to turned the rod 180° every 20 minutes for three hours.

[Big Hands]

4 hours ago, Chris Catignani said:

Back before I had my first rod dryer I use to turned the rod 180° every 20 minutes for three hours.

Did that too (LOL, good times), then came across the rotisserie at a swap meet. 

[Alex from GA]

I've been using a bbq rotesserie for 40+ years and it works fine.  It's 3 RPM.