first guide repair

[Druce 0]

the first guide on my old fly rod is chipped on one side, you know that black guide the one that isnt entirely metal with the blackish gray inner guide usually its the first and or second from the handle, anyways mines has a chunk missing around the outer rim not inner rim so it dosnt effect the fly line, any tips on repair, like a glue that could smooth it out and replace the chipped portion?

 

Druce

[packfancjh 0]

If you want to fill it in you could probably get away with a dab of a Bondo type product. Fill the chip in, sand it and paint it. I would just give the jagged edge a light sand and paint it with spray paint, skip filling it.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Ceramic guides can't be repaired properly when they go bad... you're going to need to replace it. The good news is that it's a very simple job. All of the guides on your rods are held in place by nylon rod wrapping thread, then coated with a finish. If you don't want to do the job yourself your local fly shop will either be able to do the job or refer you to a rodbuilder who will. The repair shouldn't be any more than the cost of a new guide and the labor. If you were in my area that would amount to $3 to $5 for the guide and about $10 labor. Once the ceramic insert cracks, chips, or comes loose that guide will eventually (or immediately) begin to abrade your fly line and any backing that it comes in contact with, so I'd replace it sooner rather than later. good luck

 

Tight Lines

 

Bob LeMay

[ditz2 0]

I agree with Cpt. Bob that the guide should be replaced. Fly lines are too expensive to mess up because of a bad guide. In an emergency one could use some stuff called "J B Weld". If you carefully apply this stuff it will work for a while. I dried smooth and shiney and gets real hard. It is a 2 part epoxy and is really good stuff. It is also a dark grey color so it would sort of match the original color of the broken insert so no toutch-up.

[utyer 0]

I would have to agree with those who advise replacing the guide. Its a simple job to cut off the old guide, and rewrap a new one in place. Basic guide wrapping is a very simple task, and it can be done with almost no tools. All you need is a single edge razor to cut the guide off and cut the thread, A spool of thread run though a phone book will provide enough tension (that's a big city phone book,) you may stack other books on the phone book to adjust tension. For a rod wrapping stand, take an old cardboard box about 16" on the long end, cut the top off and the front side down to about 2 or 3" high, and cut two "V" notches in the ends. Then just place the phone book in the box, the thread behind the book in a cup, and run the thread through the book and up in front of the rod. Thirty minute epoxie can be used as a finish (thin it down a little with 70% isopropyl alcohol.) Just turn the rod by hand 180 degrees every thirty seconds or minute until the epoxie no longer sags.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

By the way, for those who've never attempted a rod repair... most rodbuilding component catalogues these days include basic tutorials to encourage first timers to do the job. The first two that come to mind are Mudhole and Angler's Workshop. I'm sure there are others that will provide the materials needed as well as guidelines for using them. Hope this helps.

Tight Lines

Bob LeMay

[ditz2 0]

Utyer and Cpt. Bob are correct again. I had never thought of the modified box trick but it sure would work fine. Simple rod wrapping is not that difficult. Especially for a repair on an old stand-by rod that has that used look. My old Herter's rod wrapping fixture came up missing several years ago but it was simple and cheap. I built several rods with it and they came out well. I only tell you this because if you decide to do the repair yourself you may find that you would like build a couple of rods yourself. It is a good winter project and can become a habit just like fly tying.