breezy Posted August 19, 2011 Posted August 19, 2011 I was letting a friend borrow some rods I don't use anymore and he snapped a couple inches off my Veritas a few days ago. Bait was stuck in some grass, he went to rip it out...it flew out, hit the pole and snapped the tip. It's still under the 1yr warranty (barely, by a couple weeks) from Abu Garcia but obviously this isn't a manufacturing defect. If it were one of my Dobyns I would send it in for a no-fault replacement but don't think Abu offers anything similar and I don't want to waste money shipping for nothing. Instead I've been considering attempting to repair the rod myself or finding someone local to do it. Have a few questions: 1) How could I repair this rod? Can I just glue a new tip on and go for it or is there some prep work that should be completed first? 2) If I do repair it how will it affect the action? Obviously the tip is going to be stiffer, with a faster action? 3) What are the chances the blank is damaged below the break from this? I don't want to repair it only to have it snap off again while fishing. Here's some pics of the damage (click for fullsize pic): Quote
breezy Posted August 19, 2011 Author Posted August 19, 2011 While I'm at it I have another question Can cork with gouges be repaired? I'm thinking either sand it down if they're not too deep or fill the bigger holes with wood/cork filler and then sand down. Here's what I'm talking about (click for fullsize): Quote
Vodkaman Posted August 19, 2011 Posted August 19, 2011 Send the pics to Abu Garcia and see what they say. You never know. It seems strange that it would break in that fashion. May well have been a flaw in the weave. Dave Quote
breezy Posted August 19, 2011 Author Posted August 19, 2011 Send the pics to Abu Garcia and see what they say. You never know. It seems strange that it would break in that fashion. May well have been a flaw in the weave. Dave That's worth a shot. It's $10 S&H plus shipping to them for a warranty claim so I'm hesitant to send it off without knowing it will be replaced. I will send them a pic and see what happens....worst they can do is say no, right? I've always heard that baits hitting the blank can cause a weak spot that will lead to a failure down the road. This is the first time I've seen a bait hitting the blank snap it immediately however. I could understand if it was a 1oz jig but it was a 3/8oz zell pop, kind of surprised me. Guess that's the price we pay with the high modulus and brittle graphite. Quote
Vodkaman Posted August 20, 2011 Posted August 20, 2011 I am not a regular rod builder, though I did build a few in my youth, so I am speaking from very little experience. As for a repair, I am thinking trim back a few millimeters, to get a clean join and undamaged section. An epoxied insert/spigot, 3/4" into each half of the joint. This will give an almost invisible joint, with a light top coat. The big question is what material for the pin. Had the break been on a larger section, graphite or glass fibre may have worked. But at such a small section, I think your options are limited to spring steel rod. This material is corrosive, but the epoxy will take care of that. Stainless steel would be nice, but I think that it is not good enough in resistance to bending. Of course the rod action will be changed, as you have already anticipated, but at worst, it will still make a good introductory rod for a youngster. We have to look after the next generation of anglers. There are very good rod builders around the forums, I am surprised no one has jumped in here to help you with more professional advice based on real experience. Dave Quote
breezy Posted August 20, 2011 Author Posted August 20, 2011 I hadn't considered making some kind of insert to join the two back together. The blank is extremely small in diameter at that point and I'm not sure how a rod would hold up to.the repeated stress of tip flexing back and forth. I sent the pics to Abu requesting a confirmation it would be covered under warranty before shipping. I will let everyone know what their response is although I feel this was probably not caused by a manufacturing defect. If they won't cover it I'm leaning towards trimming it slightly and just gluing a new tip on. If nothing else I'll strip the guides and use them on a MHX blank or something Quote
Vodkaman Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 I understand your thinking about the pin idea. But the pin is not taking all the stress or load. The load is shared by the entire bending length of the rod. Infact, the thicker the section, the more load it shares, so the tip is under very little load. I think it might be worth a try. If it doesn't work, you can always revert to plan B, trimming back and re-tipping. Hopefully, Abu will come across as good guys and look after a valued customer. I would still like to hear opinions from some rod experts. Dave Quote
s13john Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 mine did the same thing call abu send it to em and they should swap it out. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted August 22, 2011 Global Moderator Posted August 22, 2011 If they don't replace the rod you could put a new tip on it. Figure out what size tip would fit your rod (there is a special tool that makes this really simple). Get the right sized tip and some rod repair glue. I would remove that last guide because it's so close to where the new tip would be. Just use a lighter to carefully heat the wrap on the guide until the epoxy gets soft enough to remove the guide. Use pliers because the guide will be very hot. After the guide is gone you should be able to peel away the rest of the thread and epoxy. They just heat the rod repair glue and set the tip. It will be a few inches shorter but still fishable. Quote
breezy Posted August 25, 2011 Author Posted August 25, 2011 Well it wasn't the quickest response but I did hear back from Abu. They asked me to send it in for warranty and agreed that I could cut the rod to save on shipping as long as I sent at least a foot. Doesn't sound like it will be any problem. At least I hope not after I cut off another foot thanks for the help everyone. Quote
Super User MickD Posted September 17, 2011 Super User Posted September 17, 2011 Next step: Never loan rods or reels again. There are a number of things I will not loan: Chain saw, rods, reels, guns, cameras. Too easy to mess them up. Also, if I were the guy who broke your rod, I would have offerred to replace it. I assume he did not. Hence part of the problem in loaning fragile equipment. Quote
Delaware Valley Tackle Posted September 18, 2011 Posted September 18, 2011 Just for future reference, a blank can be repaired by splicing but this not anything for an inexperienced person to take on. Trimming a blank from either end results in a slower (albeit possibly stiffer) action. Quote
Super User MickD Posted October 26, 2011 Super User Posted October 26, 2011 For repair, check out http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/repair-oquinn.html Quote
Super User MickD Posted October 26, 2011 Super User Posted October 26, 2011 There are a few things that I will not lend: rods, reels, chain saws, guns. Did your friend offer to replace the broken rod? If not, I wouldn't lend him anything in the future. Quote
Super User Sam Posted October 27, 2011 Super User Posted October 27, 2011 Send it in. I had one of my new Verdicts replaced last month after it broke when I was landing a five pounder. No questions asked. Try to find a light weight tube and send it via UPS. Quote
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