Bent graphite blank

[JasonGotaProblem]

A friend has asked me to help him restore a rod left to him by a very recently deceased relative. It's a bit older crowder rod, 7'-6" and graphite.

The tip sits about an inch and a half off center, and the bend doesn't seem to start til the top 8" or so. I wonder what happened to it.

Discard and start over isn't an option due to sentimental value. Is there any way to straighten it back?

[thorhammer]

likely sat propped in a corner in a hot area like shed and developed a set- glas is very susceptable that and dont know why a light graphite rod wouldnt be. You might try to jig into a moderate opposing bend and apply moderate heat like a hair dryer or heat gun low and slow, very moderately. Or it may be is what it is.

[oldmanjoe]

likely sat propped in a corner in a hot area like shed and developed a set- glas is very susceptable that and dont know why a light graphite rod wouldnt be. You might try to jig into a moderate opposing bend and apply moderate heat like a hair dryer or heat gun low and slow, very moderately. Or it may be is what it is.

And let it sit with the reverse bend for a while , it took a while to get bent .....

[oc1]

Rebuild it so the bend is straight down. 

[Decker]

Hang the rod from the ceiling by the tip?   

[thorhammer]

Decker's is prolly best solution, if it were mine I might make it a 7'0 MH and keep on keeping on unless you just have time for it to hang, maybe with a weight.

[Midway Tommy]

I'd do as Decker suggested by hanging it in a hot area and helping it out in the beginning with a hair dryer. You gotta be patient, it may take 6 months to get better but may never be perfectly straight.

I've seen that happen a lot. Standing in a corner where it gets hot is one culprit but leaving line tension and not releasing the drag after use will also create a permanent bend. I used to do that when I was younger & a little dumber so the line would stay taught. Now I release the drag every time I get done fishing unless I'm going out the next day. I had a couple of old brown fiber glass rods that took a little set years ago but nothing serious. I didn't realize the culprit until years later when I read an article talking about it. I had figured out the benefits of releasing the drag tension years before I read that article, though.

[jurelometer]

A permanent bend does not mean  that the rod simply turns to one side, it means that the blank along the outside of the bend is now longer than along the inside.  Probably the outside stretched, as elongation seems to take less force than compression.  This has already probably weakened the bonds of epoxy to epoxy and  epoxy to fiber to some minor extent.

I would be  inclined to follow some combination  of Steve's  and  Thorhammer's advice, maybe shorten a bit and rotate, as other options will make the blank weaker, but exactly how much weaker, I dunno.

I would not apply much if any heat.  Epoxy is not a thermoforming plastic.  You only get one shot at forming the bonds at initial cure.  Applying heat beyond the  designed  limits of the cured epoxy will damage the bonds.  If you are able to permanently straighten quickly  from heating (unlikely) you probably will have also ruined the blank.

If the owner says just give it a shot,  straight or bust, I would try Deckers hanging  trick, or even lash the blank  to a fixture that causes the blank to bend a bit past straight. If  you are super reckless, you could see if a bit of heat speeds up the process, but I wouldn't  go  over about 120F, unless I knew that the resin was a special high temp variety.

Buena suerte...

-J

[JasonGotaProblem]

Followup post, I snipped 3" off the blank removed and repaid out the guides but did not twist the reel seat. It wasn't affected by safe levels of heat and i wasnt gonna apply unsafe levels. He loves it, and i just got this sent to me a bit ago.

[Brewcrafter]

That is a "win" Jason, your friend nailed a really nice fish and good job on resurrecting the rod! - john