More Blog Migration Issues

Sorry about the problem with pictures missing in old posts. I just discovered that when I migrated to a blogspot.com blog from my old location the pictures were not migrated to a new server along with the posts.

The old server crapped out and now all that you see in old posts is a red square with an X instead of a happy fishing shot.  I'm slowly going back and re-uploading pictures but it will take some time.
What a pain!

Fixing a Broken Fly Rod Tip Top

Fixing a rod tip can be straight forward.
You will need:

• replacement or the original tip top
• heat set glue
• fine sandpaper
• heat source such as a lighter or match

First make sure that the new tip top fits the remaining blank. Measure how far down the blank the new tip top comes and mark it just above where it emerges with a china marker or a bit of masking tape. Use the fine grit sandpaper to score and roughen the surface of the blank that will fit inside the new tip top and above the poinit where it emerges.

Use a Bic lighter or a match to heat the special rod builder's glue stick and apply it to the roughed up portion of the blank. Slide the new tip top on before the glue sets. Make sure it is perfectly aligned with the other line guides. Be quick.

If the glue sets before it is perfectly lined up, just heat the tip top and twist the tip to where it should be. You should use a pair of small needlenose pliers for this. You can remove any excess glue by picking it off with your fingernail.

That is all there is to it. The repair is made and the rod is usable again. Knowing that rod builders use heat set glue to hold on the tips makes it pretty easy to do field repairs to rods that suffer an accident. My five weight broke just at the end of the tip top so I couldn't get the little piece out to make the repair in the woods and had to order a new top guide.

 A bit of a pain but I got it from Cabela's within a week. The new bits arrived on Thursday and I had the rod repaired and was fishing that evening with it. The shipping cost me nearly as much as the part so I got a few extra.

To restore the rod to "as new" a bit of thread wrap and a finish of high build epoxy are usually added but they are not really necessary. I'll use this rod as is until the end of the season then decide over the winter whether it needs a bit of trim.

The repair has not changed the action or sensitivity of the rod at all, luckily. But then, I only lost about a 1/4 of an inch of the blank.