Picked up an old Fenwick rod at the local pawnshop today. I think the owner was anxious to get it out of the shop as it was a two piece that has become a one piece due to a stuck ferrule. Thus far l have removed all the guides, and tip top and the rod looks in good condition. Salt water had got under the aluminium ferrule on the top section and split it. I have removed the top section of the rod from the ferrule, by soaking it with a penetrating oil. I am now left with getting the broken ferrule out of the bottom section of the rod. I am leaving it to soak overnight in hopes that it will loosen up.

The coating on the threads is not epoxy, but something else, lt is quite yellowish and very brittle, so removing the guides was easy. I suspect it might be a varnish, but l'm not sure, and if it is what is the best way to get it off? I would also like to know what type of glue would have been used to secure the ferrule to the blank. Right now l think l might have to proceed with a file if there is no other way.

I also am contemplating whether to use another metal ferrule ( easiest l think ) or make a solid plug out of fiberglass.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

Back in the day,it could have been NARMCO cement that was used or even ferrule cement. Both are similar in that they will lose their bonding power with gentle heat. It may also be epoxy. Try the heat route first and if that doesn't work,light use of a Dremel tool with a cut-off discs to just score the surface on two sides of the ferrule pieces can help. Just go slow and be careful. You don't want to go too deep. Do the end of the female ferrule beyond the end of the blank along the cavity if it has a bottom to it.

Schneiders Rod Shop,a sponsor on the left, may have a featherweight aluminum ferrule that will fit. If he doesn't,I might.

Gordon,
if either Ron Schneider or Chuck do not have the proper size ferrule, let me know what size I might have a few tucked away



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2016 11:45AM by Jared Taylor.

Gordon,
If you have the storage and transport room - I might suggest that you simply make this a one piece rod. Especially if there is marginal blank material in the region of the current joint.

Good luck

After leaving it soak overnight, l put the broken piece that was left of the male piece of the ferrule and clamped it in a vice and really pulled, unfortunately to no avail. I cleaned out all the corrosion in the male section and drilled a hole through the stuck spigot, all two inches of solid aluminium. I can now see down the centre of the blank to the butt cap. I am now considering two options. Tap the hole that l have drilled through the spigot to 5/16 nc and use a slide hammer to jar it loose, or enlarge the hole untill the metal is very thin and then collapse it. One thing l do not know though. Does the spigot go past the metal in the female section? It is difficult to be certain but l think the spigot bottomed out on the bottom of the female side, as it appears that l can see where the two metals are touching if l look down the drilled hole.

Once l realised that there was no fiberglass section present for about 2" of the lower section of the ferrule and now being able to comprehend what Chuck McIntyre wrote, ( thank you Chuck ), l used a dremel and cut through the upper section of the female portion of the ferrule and just into the stuck male portion. Prising the cut section apart, enabled a very easy removal of the stuck portion. It appears that an"O" ring was holding everything together. Using the dremel to score two more lines 180º apart and again prising at the same slots at the top section of the female section, resulted in the ferrule cracking and another easy removal, with no damage to the rod.
I now have the rod in two sections, and will attempt removal of the substance that was used to cement the threads on today.

Gordon,you are welcome. I am glad you found the information useful. I hope you saved the parts or can get accurate measurements once both sections are cleaned up. Check with Ron at Schneiders first so you are supporting a site sponsor. If he can't help with a replacement ferrule,perhaps Jared or I do have one that will fit.
I am surprised the O ring had been the culprit for the issue.

Oh yes, l have saved all the old pieces such as they are, l was considering putting them in a box picture frame as a trophy :). I see nothing on Schneiders web site that looks like these old ones, but l will get in touch with him next week with pictures, measurements etc. As l would like to replace it with what was there. I think this must have been a custom rod as the ferrule was not in the centre of the blank. The tip section is a foot longer then the butt section. The cork is also tapered down to blank diameter and was covered with a diamond wrap. I am considering either trying to duplicate the pattern, which looks exactly like the one in a book l have by Dale Clemens, or removing some of the cork rings for a modern look. I am leaning towards the former. All the cork rings look good as is the butt cap. The only thing is getting all the dried up herring scales stuck on the cork off. Pretty sure it was built as a mooching rod with a single action reel, as the reel seat is only about 8 inches from the butt cap.

As Chuck said, Ron might have some that are not listed on his site, if you email pics to him (or us for that matter) maybe we can find something that is true to the time era. I ended up with a boatload of ferrules from a deceased rod maker last fall, so if neither Ron nor Chuck has them, I might. Good luck! And please post pics of the rebuild.