Attatching rod eyes?

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:27 pm

I had a repair done to a rod eye last year and i recently copied the method on a coarse feeder rod i own.

Basically all the shop did was replace the eye and whip it on with some insultion tape, has/does anybody else use this same method? i've heard tornament casters do it for ease when replacing eyes that are slightly worn.

I mean it seems secure and its fairly neat.

Guest

If it's on a beach rod, I'd whip it on properly everytime. Insulation tape might be ok for a tip light, but when you consider the stresses and strains of casting and retrieving off the beach, the whipping and varnish will stop things coming apart!

You can buy the thread and the varnish (I use the Seymo varnish) and it's not a long job to whip a ring on.

Guest

DuncBooth5 wrote:

If it's on a beach rod, I'd whip it on properly everytime. Insulation tape might be ok for a tip light, but when you consider the stresses and strains of casting and retrieving off the beach, the whipping and varnish will stop things coming apart!

You can buy the thread and the varnish (I use the Seymo varnish) and it's not a long job to whip a ring on.

I agree with Dunc but eectrical tape would be fine short term but would need replacing regularly for long term use.

Guest

am I missing something here?- why would you pay a shop to whip a tip ring on with tape?

Guest

Thom wrote:

I had a repair done to a rod eye last year and i recently copied the method on a coarse feeder rod i own.

Basically all the shop did was replace the eye and whip it on with some insultion tape, has/does anybody else use this same method? i've heard tornament casters do it for ease when replacing eyes that are slightly worn.

I mean it seems secure and its fairly neat.

As stuartdv says, why pay some merchant to bodge it on with tape?

Incidentially, using tape can be a dangerous practice as the rings are not properly fixed to the rod and will have quite a bit of movement during the cast......over the course of time this movement may wear away a groove or flat area in the blank...it could cause a fracture on some lighter, thin walled blanks. The other problem is (and I've seen this happen on a fixed spool rod) that the ring could be pulled free and head up the rod, jamming in the next ring.....and it causes one hell of a mess.

If you are going to use this method as a temporary repair then tape under the feet of the rings to protect the blank as well as over the feet to fix them to the rod......and then get them repaired properly before you damage the blank.

Although the materials have changed slightly over the years i.e. two pack resins instead of shellac or varnish and nylon thread instead of silk.....the methods used for fixing eyes to a rod have not fundamentally changed for hundreds of years. Theres a good reason for that.....whippings are the most reliable way to ensure a sound fixing that will allow the neccesary amount of movement to the ring when the rod is under load but will ensure that the rod blank is not damaged. Every rod on the market uses whippings......if rings could be fixed practically using tape (which would reduce production times and costs) do you not think every manufacturer would be using tape?

At the end of the day Thom, they are your rods, so you can do as you wish....but as someone who has been building rods for at least 25 years I'll offer you 2 bits of advice...

1. Sack the idiot who taped up your rod....he either didn't know how to repair it properly or couldn't be bothered.....either way, I'd take my custom elsewhere if it were me.

2. Buy a spool of proper whipping thread and a pot of humbrol varnish and do a whipping if another ring falls off.....it won't be the prettiest job in the world with such basic finishing materials.....but it will be a bloody site better than a muppet-job with tape. If you want advice on the finer details of whipping a ring...pm me and I'll give you the info you need to get you started.

Just out of interest though, what shop was it and what did they charge you?

Joined: Dec 26, 2005 Posts: 1

Its true that a lot of tournament casters tape their guides to the blank as it makes it a lot easier to move them about to get the right positions to make the rod work to its best . Not all rods work to the manufacturers recomendations for spacings so we often play about with the spacings .
There is a couple of differences though in the way we put them on with tape . We dont use insulation tape , its usually a variation of cellotape , the shiny holographic type , being very good but before we put the guides on a dab of hot melt glue is applied from a glue gun both of the guides feet , the guide is then stuck in position on the rod , this not only acts as a fixing but also gives a cushioned seat for the guide to sit on protecting the blank from any scratching should it move . once the hot melt is set the guide is firm on the rod , it can then be taped over , to do this stretch to tape to about 3/4 of its original width so making it go on under tention apply several wraps and trim off excess.
If done correctly the guide will not move until you want to remove it which is as simple as taking the tape off and the hot melt will just crack off the blank leaving no visible mark .
I have tournament rods that have been abused on the field with eyes done this way and are still going strong a couple of years later . I also have fished with rods finished this way .
HOWEVER if id taken my rod to a shop to have a repair done i would expect a pucker whipped job with a professional finish.