Question
Dammage 
Dammage1
Hello,
I recently bought a Horrock & Ibotson Gulf Special salt water one piece Split bamboo rod. It was badly cracked by the USPS and wasnt insured. The crack is right at the first line guide. I guess all I can do now is make it a two piece if I can find the right diameter ferrals. I cant afford to send it to a professional so would you give me some instructions on how to do it right. This rod has the Blue Marlin decal still in beautiful condition and the pole is excellent but for the aforementioned. I must try to salvage something of its value.
Thanks.....
AnswerHi Glenn,
You actually have two choices...1) you can cut the rod in two pieces and install a set of ferrules making it a two piece rod; 2) you can remove the guide and guide wraps and put a reinforcement wrap on the blank, then reinstall the guide.
If the crack is bad and goes pretty much through the rod blank, you will need to cut the rod and install the ferrule set. You can find suitable ferrules at Golden Witch for either replacement or for new installs like this one. Measure the rod between the flats, not the peaks, to determine the proper size for the ferrule set. You will have to file the peaks down to make the end of each rod piece round to fit properly into the ferrules. measure carefully and check the fit frequently...you can take material off the rod quickly but you can't put it back on at all. Reinstall the guide on either side of the ferrule...not on the ferrule, but on the rod just above or below the ferrule.
If the crack does not go all the way through the rod...is it looks more like it has splintered...you can force some glue into the crack, straighten the rod shaft and place a reinforcement wrap starting about 2" on one side of the crack and ending about 2" on the other side of the crack...make sure you cover the entire area completely plus 2" on either side. The reinforcement wrap could be size C or larger rod wrapping thread, be well packed and have reasonable tension on it to support the rod. Reinstall the guide on top of the reinforcement wrap.
To improve the distribution of stress along the rod shaft and improve rod performance, you might consider adding soem guides to the rod. This would help relieve some of the stress at the crack location which could extend the life of the rod.
Contact me at
[email protected] if you need some help with the details.
Thanks, Joe
