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Location: Northern Wisconsin | I have two rods with broken guides (missing inserts) and I am leery to use them in fear that the guide will fray the line. Both are somewhat in the middle of the rod. I am heading on a trip soon and will have 5-6 people muskie fishing who need to use my rods. Would it be an okay temporary fix to just completely remove the guide ? |
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Posts: 210
Location: VA | Yes, most likely you can remove a guide and be "ok". However it really depends on the rod guide spacing and if the rod ends up being stressed too far due to the missing guide (not likely).
How many guides are on trhe rods, which guides are faulty and how long are the rods from the forgrip to the tip?
DR
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | You're going to stress the heck out of the guides on either side of the missing one. Like DR says if the guides are double-footed (they should be on a muskie rod) and spaced less than 5" you might be ok, how soon are you going on your trip? |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | REal easy to fix them too. Send me an email and I can send you the procedure to do it. All you need is a few guides from a shop. Probably pick some up on your drive. Basically you need some 5 minute 2 part epoxy, thread and a few guides and follow the procedure I can send you. email me at [email protected] Happy to help.
James
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| I leave in about a week. I would consider trying to fix them myself but I just don't know what guides to get or where to get them. They aren't going to be used a ton so I hope they will be fine. They aren't my favorite/best rods either so I'm not too worried about ruining them. |
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| email sent- thanks !!! |
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Posts: 906
Location: Canada | James - I too am interested in the procedure you mentioned, can I get that from you also? Let me know thanks |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | Here is what I have done in the past. DR, PIKEMASTER or others may have an addition to this or even some better glues or thread to possibly use. So far, this has worked well for me on my personal rods and its also what I send my customers if a guide gets broken.
In short here is what you do to replace the guide:
1) Use a lighter and lightly hit the epoxy holding on the broken guide to the rod shaft
2) Once you hear a crack you can stop. That should open up the epoxy so you can cut the threads holding the guide on.
3) Peel off the epoxy and threads from the rod shaft
4) Clean the rod shaft and dry
5) Put just a little two part epoxy on the rod shaft and wrap with a little thread.
6) Then place the new guide over the thread and epoxy and wrap the guide with black thread until the guide posts are covered in thread.
7) Coat the thread with epoxy until it is smooth.
8) Spin the rod while the epoxy cures. Buy the 2 or 5 minute epoxy. The 15 minute+ epoxy takes a long time to thicken up and you will be spinning the rod for a while.
9) Once the epoxy is cured let the rod sit for 24 hours and it is good as new!
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Posts: 908
Location: South-Central PA | James,
Sounds like a good procedure, but I do have one suggestion for step 1. Instead of using heat (too much and you will ruin your rod blank) use a razor blade and cut down through the thread and epoxy on top of the guide foot. If you cut completely through the thread, you will be cutting into the guide foot, not the blank! If you use a new razor blade, this is a very easy procedure to do. Once the thread is cut through, dig under the edge of it and peel it off. The epoxy will come off with it. For the end of the wrap, the part not covering the guide foot, carefully shave it off cutting parallel to the blank. You don't want to take a hunk out of your blank- you will ruin it.
I get nervous any time someone is using heat around a blank, this is a pretty fail-safe method to use.
If I didn't explain is thoroughly enough, please let me know and I'll post pictures.
jeremy
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Posts: 127
| Good point on the heat. I've used a blow dryer on high heat in the past to help soften the epoxy before guide removal. Not enough heat to damage the blank, but makes removing the thread much easier. |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | Ya, I have put too much heat on tips before. Get a fixed rod but its 1" shorter  |
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Posts: 130
Location: Duluth, MN | Is there any particular thread or epoxy to use? Also, where should i look for guides? I have one of the 8'6"/9' TI rods in XH and the last two guides before the tip are damaged. |
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Posts: 538
Location: northern indiana | ammoman16 - 7/28/2011 9:45 PM
Is there any particular thread or epoxy to use? Also, where should i look for guides? I have one of the 8'6"/9' TI rods in XH and the last two guides before the tip are damaged. How old is this rod? James might be willing to repair it for free. |
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Posts: 130
Location: Duluth, MN | Probably 3 weeks or so. Didn't take long for this one. |
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Posts: 908
Location: South-Central PA | ammoman16 - 7/29/2011 7:28 AM
Probably 3 weeks or so. Didn't take long for this one.
Well, accidents happen. I've had some buddies break rods that they didn't even get to fish with! Your best bet is to find a local builder to fix the rod for you if you don't want to attempt it. It should cost you $20 max. It's really an easy fix. If you attempt it, you may find that you enjoy working on rods.
A couple of details to add to the thread above: The best homemade wrapping machine is a cardboard box with "V"s cut in the ends to hold the rod. Run your thread under a heavy book to provide tension while you wrap. I don't think it really matters what thread you use but beware that thread made for machines, like Madeira, has a lubricant on it that makes it go smoothly through the machine. That lubricant will repel epoxy!!!
jeremy |
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Posts: 1710
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | make sure the thread is "upholstery thread" it is the toughest stuff you could use other than 100 lb braid. It is also Nylon thread so it won't tear or break as easily as cotton thread. This stuff can be found at walmart for about a dollar a spool. A spool probably has enough to restring 1000 guides. |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | ammoman16-If you have one of my rods email me at [email protected] Let me know your address and what guide number it is. For the guide number, just count up from the reel seat 1, 2, 3, .... and tell me the number. I have a few extra guides and will send you one. We won't count this as warranty Happy to help.
James
PS-For thread I have also used 30lb PowerPro and it worked well. Between the coats of epoxy I used a black Sharpie to color the threads form green to black too so it would match my blank. Didn't seem to make a difference for the epoxy setting...
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Posts: 130
Location: Duluth, MN | Thanks for all the help James. You definitely went way above and beyond on this one! |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | Well, no matter what anyone says, all products from all companies WILL have an issue now and then. What separates Brand A from Brand B is how the companies take care of their customers. I hope I make my customers feel like they got 110% taken care of. Thanks for letting me help you out! And that was before I found out it was a guide on my rod... Goes for my retailers too. I don't make them take care of anything, I do it myself.
Thanks for letting me take care of this for you.
James
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Posts: 210
Location: VA | 1. Shave the epoxy and thread off the TOP of the guide foot with razor blade, pop out guide.
2. Use a heat gun to warm the epoxy, peel off when warmed enough to remove. you can use a candle here as well and just get it warm, NO direct flame on rod)
3. Replace guide using wrapping with nylon thread designed for rod building, or in a pinch use any thread you have
4. Use a rod building two part epoxy THREAD FINISH (not a 2 part adhesive epoxy!), in a pinch use clear fingernail polish from the wife
5 Put rod on turner and leave overnight to dry, if you used clear fingernail polish just turn the rod on your hand until the polish sets just to keep the polish "even" and "level".
DR
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Posts: 210
Location: VA | Had a few epoxy questions in my inbox so I thought all might benefit from an epoxy lesson concerning your fishing rods:
There are 2 part thread finish epoxy's and there are adhesive rod building 2 part epoxy's. Two totally different animals!!
2 part "Thread finish epoxy" is made to cure VERY slow, level nicely, release bubbles from mixing and stay clear and very flexible with very little holding strength. This is more of a coating/sealer/thread protector, not a strength epoxy, your thread is your main strength.
Rod building epoxy's or adhesive epoxy's are made FOR strength, they do NOT stay clear and they are NOT flexible, they cure very fast. UV from the sun will yellow these very fast. You also may never get a guide back off a rod without damage to the blank with this type of adhesive epoxy, NOT good! Don't use it for replacing rod guides.
DR
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Broken rod- would this be okay?