Hi,

Rather than an extensive trawl through years of threads I decided it might be easier just to post a quick question:

I've just bought a 3 piece rod. The last 6inches of the tip section is missing most of it's epoxy. Is that going to be a weak point, and if so what can be done about it? I've considered just cutting the tip off altogether if it was going to be a problem, but thought I'd just see what people think before doing anything.
Adding epoxy would be one answer - but I can't see how it could be done without sanding through a few fibres of the graphite (to get the new coat to take) as the profile is lumpy.

Any thoughts really appreciated.

(by the way - I am getting a replacement tip, so this is the spare tip we're talking about!)

What is the make and model of the rod?

It's nothing special: a Shakepeare Odyssey. 8ft6", 3 piece, 5/6wt.
I could lose 6" without any worries.

There is a product called u-40 permagloss it's used extensively by american rod builders to refinish glass and carbon blanks. You will find references to it in rodbuildingforum.com under the graphite and fiberglass rods section. I have never used it and don't know much about it other than that Hopkins and Holloway stock it. Maybe a phone call to them might produce some results for you.

Simon.

If it's just minus the finish and no other damage then that should not cause you any problems - several of my rods have had the finish completey removed.



Dave.

What do you mean buy saying the profile is lumpy
Can you post a picture?

Gary

Thanks for the replies guys - I knew this was the place to post a question like this!
Here's a pic. This is what I sent to Shakespeare along with a follow-up phone call. The lumpy bit is the graphite 'wraps' in that section exposed. There may be a thin layer of epoxy there, but it's not enough to smooth it out.

Dunk,

That should not cause any problems. It's just where they have not ground the wrapping spiral out for some reason - unusual but not unknown to happen.
Some unground rods look like that throughout their length.
If the finish is really thin and you are concerned about the cosmetic aspect, you could mask the tip ring and the first intermediate and give the section a thin spray coat of Acrylic lacquer or just give it a quick polish with T Cut (or even Brasso).
Personally, I wouldn't bother.



Dave.

Dunk

What did Shakespeare say about it?
I would have thought they would have replaced the tip section.
Not sure from the picture it could be the blank which is not ground down correctly showing a spiral carbon wrap or it could be the epoxy finish has beaded when it was withdrawn.

Daves correct it will not be a problem
Its only cosmetic

Gary

www.nichbamboorods.com

Dunk, I think Dave has hit the nail on the head with his reply. I have a 10' spinning rod built on an unground blank by David Norwich. It looks the same as your tip but along the entire length. As far as I understand it the spiral is caused by tiny amounts of epoxy forming along the wraps of tape which are used to hold the cloth onto the mandrel prior to "cooking" the blank. These are normally ground off after the blank is removed from the oven. If they are deliberately left the result is a crisp spiral along the length of the rod. In your case the spiral is more rounded off, I think this is because it has been partly ground down but a bit has been missed. This will not do any harm to the section or even affect the action. I would leave it as is.

Simon.