Broken rod and rehab ...

[uljersey]

Went on our annual camping trip at the end of May, when we arrived and unpacked I discovered my Kuying Teton had broken approximately 12" from the tip. This is the two piece TTC662L light power casting rod I have my Tsurinoya XF 50 BFS reel mounted to.The tip section is hollow on these. To say I was bummed out is putting it mildly. I have read several accounts of broken tips on these, but honestly it may have been my fault as a result of how I had it placed in my kayak for the trip to the campground. Anyhow, I lost use of that rig for the trip. When I returned home I looked into getting a replacement tip section, which are available through at least 2 sources. Both are overseas and with shipping costs are close to half the value of a new rod. I'd been mulling my options as I've really come to like this rig in the short time I've owned it, the rod especially has performed well for me. Then I recalled a post I'd seen on here some years back where a broken rod was repaired in much the same fashion that I'm outlining here (It may have been Mattman from Otterods), so regardless of who originated it, thanks for the inspiration.

The break was relatively clean, which was to my advantage as I wouldn't lose any length. Had it been crushed and flattened I would have had to make some severe cuts.


Using digital calipers I measured the I.D. of the rod, which was 1.75 mm, that's pretty small. My next dilemma was what to use for a repair medium ? I had found round fiberglass rods online, but wasn't too keen on using them. I then stumbled on 2 mm diameter carbon fiber rods on Amazon. I got a 3 pack of 500 mm (just under 20") rods for under $3.00. After shipping I was still well under $10.00 The carbon fiber weighs virtually nothing but is flexible and strong.


The next step was to make a repair section out of the carbon fiber rod. I cut a 3" section of rod from one of the 3 lengths I got and mounted it into my rotary tool, which I then secured in a vise. I had effectively made a lathe. I then turned on the rotary tool and used a fine hobby file to remove rod material in order to reduce it from it's original 2 mm O.D. down to approximately the 1.75 mm I.D. of the broken rod. I also had to factor in the ever so slight taper of the rod blank. I accomplished that by applying more pressure on the free end of the rod with the file and using less pressure as I worked the file towards the tool. It took me about 4 attempts to dial in the correct tool speed and file pressure until I had a repair section I was satisfied with. I settled on a 2.5" repair section which would be 1.25" of support on either side of the break.




When I was satisfied with the dry fit I marked the halfway point of the repair section with tape so I knew when to stop inserting it. I then used super glue to secure the repair section into one half of the broken rod section.



After a final dry fit, it was time to complete the repair. I had to work quickly to align the guides as the the super glue sets very fast. If you go back to the very first picture and look closely you'll notice the break was not perfectly symmetrical which was a good thing as it left me irregular surfaces much like two puzzle pieces to aid me in getting the sections properly aligned. After joining the two sections back together and cleaning the excess glue that had oozed from the repair area, I applied a thin coat of clear Devcon 2 Ton epoxy.


I completed the repair today. The rod section flexes nicely and I'm happy with the way it turned out. Of course I need to actually fish it to see if I was truly successful, but it looks promising so far. I will definitely follow up with an update good or bad. Wish me luck

[poisonokie]

That's dedication. Bravo!

[Smalleyez]

Impressive fix! I hope it works out!

[earthworm77]

Awesome repair job, the only concern I have is the Devcon. I'm not sure how flexible that will be.
I have stopped using it on my re-paints as well. It made a decent clear coating but there are better ones for that application.

BTW, Ghost peppers+ will be in the mail when I get back from NC.

[nctrucker]

that looks like a good repair. i like the spigot material you used. at that point way up on the rod, near the tip, the repair should be fine. keep us posted.

[uljersey]

BTW, Ghost peppers+ will be in the mail when I get back from NC.

They never fail to impress

[uljersey]

Update - It's been over 24 hours since I applied the epoxy, everything is cured now. I put the rod together, tied on a crankbait and pulled on it hard to simulate the same strain and arc that a fish would put on it during a fight. It held fine, and the rod maintained it's smooth arc even through the repair area. Now I need to go and catch a real fish, hopefully several of good size, to confirm success. Got a night time trip planned for Wednesday night, hopefully the fish will take one for the team ...

[uljersey]

Well, it was a noble effort but unfortunately didn't end well. It broke last night on the second fish. I was throwing a balsa Bagley Honey B. Caught the first fish (a small 1 lb bass), all went well and I was thinking to myself "Huh, I might have pulled this off" ... Hooked up with another fish, got it alongside the kayak and heard the sickening crack

The break occurred about a half an inch behind the repair, the repair section I had installed had broken cleanly in two. My best guess is the carbon fiber rod, even though somewhat flexible, did not have the same range of flexibility of the fishing rod itself and was the weak spot.

Oh well, lesson learned. Reminds me of of a quote by Thomas Edison ... "I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work "

[Smalleyez]

Good effort!

[Slazmo]

Oh well, lesson learned. Reminds me of of a quote by Thomas Edison ... "I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work " :lol

At least you gave it a shot... And to quote Edison - basically the father of planned obsolescence...

[Mattman]

Well, it was a noble effort but unfortunately didn't end well. It broke last night on the second fish.

I didn't want to rain on your parade, but I saw that coming the first time I read your original post. I've been there and done that before.

My best guess is the carbon fiber rod, even though somewhat flexible, did not have the same range of flexibility of the fishing rod itself and was the weak spot.

Correct.

Spigot ferrule repairs are difficult to do even with the proper materials. Your tapers need to match perfectly.

[RGMatt]

I've always read fiberglass spigot ferrule is the only way to go, graphite doesnt have enough flex. but even then as mattman posted it iffy at best.

believe me I've tried with the lami xmg50s which I have a love hate relationship with, love the feel, weight, performance....until they snap ....in fact I've broken 4 of the 5 I've built...only reason the 5th Hasn't broke yet is cause it has never been fished lol

[Just_Bass]

I was hope that it work for you man. I have one UL rod with broken top part too. It is Tsurinoya Proflex II, I like the rod but not worth order just for top pieces.

[earthworm77]

This saddens me. I broke a 2pc rod at my cabin and was looking at your repair as an option to try. It was a cheap Max Catch rod that cost me 24 bucks so, I am not going to worry about it. I wish it worked out for you though.

[Knotty]

Bummer on the repair. It's hard to fix a broken rod because the repair will usually create a localized stress, as you discovered.

Not until you break a rod do you realize just how thin walled they can be. The miracle of carbon fiber is how well it can distribute the load applied to the rod, but just a small nick and the material now has a potential failure point, again due to localized stress. I think that's how most rods break. Failing at a previously compromised location. You hear this all the time. Anglers saying they weren't doing anything unusual and the rod just broke.