Stupid lesson learned

[JasonGotaProblem]

If guides look like this before you start, give it a good test bend before you dedicate the time to stripping it, clearcoating it, and wrapping on all guides. You'll feel really crunchy when it snaps if you wait til after wrapping. And this was shaping up to be the fastest rod build I've done so far. I guess skipping steps will do that.

And this wasnt my own. I gotta figure out how to explain to my friend what happened. He gave me 2 to work on. I'm thinking the other rebuild is gonna be free. But I'll make sure I test bend that one first. Ideally with an audience.

[philaroman]

might not be you...  for me, personally:
budgety graphite of that ilk (specifically, dark-grey/light-charcoal),
fished OK briefly, then snapped like that...  unexpectedly
from MUCH less stress, MUCH sooner & farther from tip than one would expect

it's weird -- green/blue/brown Chinese IM-6/7/8 has endured glass-like abuse,
while the charcoal rods in same low price-range snap like twigs...  repeatedly!

[thorhammer]

YUP. done that. We had a batch of Berkeley Lightnin rods back in the day all snapped in the same spot,,,,,about four of them.

[JasonGotaProblem]

The more I think about it, I'm pretty sure that was the exact spot where a the top of a guide had been sheared off, leaving behind the foot. So whatever event broke the guide damaged the blank.

All this time I thought the different colors of graphite blank were caused by pigments added to the resin. I didn't think it implied anything structural about the blank. Still learning every day.

If anyone was wondering, it was a 20 yr old hurricane redbone blank.

[Wompus Cat]

I just never Test Bend Rods unless you count Reeling in a Fish .
Obviously if the Rod has a chunk missing out of it or has been stepped on, has fibers sticking out in places I would not use it probably but Rods are designed to have certain stresses in the actual Fishing of it and not really intended to be bent like a Swizzle Stick . I see Guys grabbing a Rod out of the Rack sometimes in Shops then putting the tip on  the floor and pushing down and around like they were sweeping up dirt and for the life of me I don't understand WHY as I have NEVER Caught ANY FISH using that Method .... BUT if you feel the need to TEST BEND a Rod then More Power To Ya.....lol Just my opinion .

[oldmanjoe]

  Most likely a near miss with a car door .    It would be worth a spigot to fix it .

[Swami805]

Color of the graphite has no effect on strength. Cheap crap or damaged blanks will break. 

[JasonGotaProblem]

I just never Test Bend Rods unless you count Reeling in a Fish .

People do crazy things in tackle shops. People with no technical background trying to be technical will do funny things.

I strung line thru the guides and pulled down on the end to see how my guide placement compared to the natural curve of the blank. Do I correctly remember you (edit: no it wasnt you, my bad) saying before, that you just place your runners every 6" and call it a day? I guess if that's how you place them there's no reason to test bend anything, but that's not how I roll.

[Breadfan]

I just never Test Bend Rods unless you count Reeling in a Fish .

People do crazy things in tackle shops. People with no technical background trying to be technical will do funny things.

I strung line thru the guides and pulled down on the end to see how my guide placement compared to the natural curve of the blank. Do I correctly remember you saying before, that you just place your runners every 6" and call it a day? I guess if that's how you place them there's no reason to test bend anything, but that's not how I roll.

Testing a rod under load is a must and it is what you should do. If you are making more of the same rod, you only need to do it once and keep a record of everything in a spiral book for future reference. The 6 inch and call it a day method does not always work, especially on fast action and medium fast action rods. Most of my surf rods start at every 4 inches. If I put them at 6", they always touch the blank near the top under load. You are doing it the right way Jason. Also, I would want the rod to break before I put all that time into building it. I'd rather try to return the blank to the manufacture than giving a faulty rod to a customer, only to have him give it back broken and not knowing where the fault lies, plus having to rebuild the entire rod and possibly eating the whole thing to make the customer happy.

[Wompus Cat]

I just never Test Bend Rods unless you count Reeling in a Fish .

People do crazy things in tackle shops. People with no technical background trying to be technical will do funny things.

I strung line thru the guides and pulled down on the end to see how my guide placement compared to the natural curve of the blank. Do I correctly remember you saying before, that you just place your runners every 6" and call it a day? I guess if that's how you place them there's no reason to test bend anything, but that's not how I roll.

You may very well Remember Someone Here posting the above however it was Not the ol Wompus Cat .So that attribution to me would be incorrect My Good Sir

[JasonGotaProblem]

I just never Test Bend Rods unless you count Reeling in a Fish .

People do crazy things in tackle shops. People with no technical background trying to be technical will do funny things.

I strung line thru the guides and pulled down on the end to see how my guide placement compared to the natural curve of the blank. Do I correctly remember you saying before, that you just place your runners every 6" and call it a day? I guess if that's how you place them there's no reason to test bend anything, but that's not how I roll.

You may very well Remember Someone Here posting the above however it was Not the ol Wompus Cat .So that attribution to me would be incorrect My Good Sir

Well dang I apologize for this misattribution and I'll revise my prior post.

So then how do you space your runners?

[Wompus Cat]

I just never Test Bend Rods unless you count Reeling in a Fish .

People do crazy things in tackle shops. People with no technical background trying to be technical will do funny things.

I strung line thru the guides and pulled down on the end to see how my guide placement compared to the natural curve of the blank. Do I correctly remember you saying before, that you just place your runners every 6" and call it a day? I guess if that's how you place them there's no reason to test bend anything, but that's not how I roll.

NOPE Did Not  Post That.

Testing a rod under load is a must and it is what you should do.
I would let the Rod Blank Manufacture Test it before I bought it .Then if it Broke while reeling in a Big ol Fish I would grab the line and get the fish in da boat ,send the Rod back ,get another one and or next size up .
 If you are making more of the same rod, you only need to do it once and keep a record of everything in a spiral book for future reference. The 6 inch and call it a day method does not always work, especially on fast action and medium fast action rods. Most of my surf rods start at every 4 inches. If I put them at 6", they always touch the blank near the top under load. You are doing it the right way Jason. Also, I would want the rod to break before I put all that time into building it. I'd rather try to return the blank to the manufacture than giving a faulty rod to a customer, only to have him give it back broken and not knowing where the fault lies, plus having to rebuild the entire rod and possibly eating the whole thing to make the customer happy.

[Wompus Cat]

I just never Test Bend Rods unless you count Reeling in a Fish .

People do crazy things in tackle shops. People with no technical background trying to be technical will do funny things.

I strung line thru the guides and pulled down on the end to see how my guide placement compared to the natural curve of the blank. Do I correctly remember you saying before, that you just place your runners every 6" and call it a day? I guess if that's how you place them there's no reason to test bend anything, but that's not how I roll.

You may very well Remember Someone Here posting the above however it was Not the ol Wompus Cat .So that attribution to me would be incorrect My Good Sir

Well dang I apologize for this misattribution and I'll revise my prior post.

So then how do you space your runners?

[/size][/color]

Apology accepted and appreciated . But I don't Build. Rods.. I have all the stuff to do it some day but for now I have a significant number of all types of Rods to use but once in a Blue Moon I MIGHT purchase one in a Tackle Shop but will buy one out of the middle of the pack so I don't get one that someone has been Testing and the Reason I get it from the middle is in case someone knows I don't like to buy Rods that have had their tips Pressed  down on the Floor and then Mopped around to Pre Test and might stick it in the Back 

[philaroman]

Color of the graphite has no effect on strength. Cheap crap or damaged blanks will break. 

All this time I thought the different colors of graphite blank were caused by pigments added to the resin. I didn't think it implied anything structural about the blank. Still learning every day.

If anyone was wondering, it was a 20 yr old hurricane redbone blank.

NOT suggesting causality...  just, a coloring trend:

ballpark 15-25 years ago, many BAD budget blanks were made, and whoever made them
just happened to choose shades of charcoal as the color for the graphite or composite

conversely, there were GOOD budget blanks from same period/price-point
in my personal experience, NONE of those were colored shades of charcoal

YUP. done that. We had a batch of Berkeley Lightnin rods back in the day all snapped in the same spot,,,,,about four of them.

YUP, old matte black Lightnin' ML -- snapped upper middle, UNREASONABLY 
later translucent brown Lightnin' 1-6# -- great UL blank w/ trash components

[Shellbelly]

I don't like to buy new rods.  I'll take one off the rack and check the spine and guide alignment.  I might shake it a little, then look at the seat.  Then I'll put it back and carry on.

I'd much rather build/rebuild on a classic old blank.  If I buy one, it won't be from a box store.  I want to speak to the builder who makes MY rod for ME.